How Much Carbon Will It Cost to Read This Story?
Just how significant is the internet’s carbon footprint?
To Predict the Role of Fake News in 2020, Look to Canada
Canada has taken steps to address the potential for online misinformation ("fake news") in its upcoming election, but the internet changes rapidly.
The Ancient Art of Brewing with Stale Bread
Brewers are once again making beer from things that typically end up in one’s household trash, a 7,000-year-old custom.
Where the Small Fish Clean the Bigger Ones
A "cleaner station" is a sort of undersea business, a place where large, often predatory, fish go to have parasites removed.
Does My Dog Really Feel Shame?
A Curious Reader asks: When my dog gets that “hang dog” expression after I scold her for misbehavior, is she really ashamed?
Does Forest Thinning Work?
Does forest thinning, a land management strategy, offer an effective solution to the problem of forest fires?
What Desert Cities Can Teach Us about Water
Pushed by necessity, the country’s least sustainable region evolved to master its water use. As climate heats up, other cities may adopt similar tactics.
Ada Lovelace, Pioneer
Ada Lovelace wrote extensive notes on the world’s first computer. Her innovations foreshadowed those used in twentieth-century PCs.
The Ethics of Research on Captive Dolphins
Researchers say that dolphins are so smart that captivity causes them psychological harm. But getting data in the open ocean can be tricky.
Wild Rice’s Refusal to Be Domesticated
The reality of wild rice defeated the best efforts of Europeans to domesticate it.