used styrofoam food containers

Is the 30-Year-Long Styrofoam War Nearing Its End?

Neither banning nor recycling will rid us of Styrofoam. Can we live without it?
Los Angeles concrete

The Lost Paradise of Los Angeles

Los Angeles's bountiful agricultural land was devoured by runaway suburbanization, a process which began long before the post-war era.
Octopus Swimming In Sea

Why Would Scientists Give an Octopus Ecstasy?

In a perplexing recent study, researchers dosed octopuses. Turns out, scientists have long studied the similarities between cephalopod and human brains.
A man standing in a pig pen facility

Porklife: Building a Better Pig

Can we reconcile our growing appetite for meat with our desire to treat factory animals better?
conflict of interest medicine

How Conflicts of Interest Are Changing Medical Research

Federal funding for medical research has declined, leading academics to seek alternative funding sources, sometimes from drug companies.
mesmerism

The Mystical Practice That Preceded Medical Anesthesia

For a brief period of time in the 19th century, doctors used "mesmerism" for pain-free surgery.
Tunnel View Point at Yosemite National Park

Will National Parks Disappear Due to Climate Change?

Temperatures and droughts have spiked at much higher rates in parks than elsewhere.
a group of silhouettes with different brain patterns including puzzle pieces, flowers, a stock market chart

When Do We Have Empathy For People Living with Mental Illness?

Do we feel more empathy for those living with mental disorders when there's a biological explanation versus a psychosocial one for their condition?
Scuba diver on shipwreck

Do Artificial Reefs Work?

Some authorities are trying to create fish habitats by cleaning old structures and dumping them at sea. But do these artificial reefs really work?
Microwaves

How a Microwave Weapon Might Work

Personnel at the US embassy in Havana have reported mysterious sounds and physical symptoms consistent with brain injury. Could it be microwaves?