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Black and white headshot of author James MacDonald

James MacDonald

James MacDonald received a BS in Environmental Biology from Columbia and a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University, spending 4 years in Central America collecting data on fish in mangrove forests. His research has been published in scholarly journals such as Estuaries and Coasts and Biological Invasions. Until his death in the fall of 2019, James worked in fisheries management and outreach in New York.

Wollemi Pine
Plants & Animals

Wollemi Pine, Dinosaur Tree

The Wollemi Pine is an ancient tree, virtually unchanged since herbivorous dinosaurs last munched on them.
Crane lifting waste out of landfill
Science & Technology

Waste-to-Energy: Sustainability Solution or Ponzi Scheme?

Waste-to-energy involves generating electricity by converting waste into gasses. Many are wondering: does it work? And is it scalable?
Coral conservationist Ruth Gates
Natural Science

Remembering Coral Conservationist Ruth Gates

Dr. Ruth Gates worked tirelessly to conserve coral reefs, promoting a controversial idea called assisted evolution.
Computational fluid dynamics image of an experimental unmanned hypersonic aircraft
Science & Technology

The Alarming Possibilities of Hypersonic Flight

Hypersonic aircraft can fly at least five times the speed of sound. They would make for terrifying weapons -- if they are even possible.
tiger
Plants & Animals

Catching Cats With Cologne

The cat-attracting ability of perfume has been known since at least the 18th century. Will it help authorities catch a killer tiger?
Bear preparing to hibernate
Plants & Animals

How to Be the Fattest Bear

Gaining enough weight to survive a winter of hibernation is actually very hard work.
Hayabusa2 Approaches Asteroid Ryugu
Natural Science

Asteroids Are Windows to the Past

Japan’s space agency has landed rovers on Asteroid Ryugu. The photos and samples from the mission will reveal a lot about asteroids.
HMS Endeavour
Politics & History

The Curious Voyage of HMS Endeavour

Captain James Cook had secret orders to to search for a predicted Southern Continent. He ended up claiming New Zealand and part of Australia for the U.K.
conodonts
Plants & Animals

The Most Abundant Creature You’ve Never Heard Of

Conodonts are actually older than the oldest previously known vertebrates, making them the earliest known “skeletonized” vertebrates in existence.
Illustration of a woman with straight hair and another with curly hair
Quick Question

Why Do Some People Have Curly Hair and Others Straight?

Either environmental or sexual selective pressure began acting on hair after humans began dispersing out of Africa.
mesoamerican ballgame
Education & Society

A Mesoamerican Ball Game Returns

An ancient ball game called Ulama is making a comeback in Mexico. What do we know about the earlier iteration of the game?
Octopus Swimming In Sea
Plants & Animals

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.
Fishing boat in high seas
Business

Governing Fisheries in the High Seas

Overfishing is a huge problem in international waters. Some suggest a fishing ban. Others stress a shared shift toward cooperation and long-term thinking.
conflict of interest medicine
Health

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.
Scuba diver on shipwreck
Plants & Animals

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
Science & Technology

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?
Fire Blazes At Iconic National Museum of Brazil
Education

Brazil’s Museu Nacional Was More Than Just a Museum

Brazil's oldest natural history museum has burned down. The institution played a crucial part in creating Brazil's identity as a country.
megalodon shark
Plants & Animals

The Real-Life Meg

One of the many misconceptions about the ancient megalodon is that it was an extinct, larger ancestor of the great white shark.
A forest fire reflected in Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Science & Technology

How Fire Damages Water

President Trump has suggested that poor water management causes wildfires. In fact, it's often the other way around.
plastic waste
Science & Technology

Where are the Biodegradable Alternatives to Plastic?

New polymers meant to either biodegrade or to last longer would reduce waste. So what is taking science so long to create them? Well, it's complicated.
Yaxchilán, Maya ancient city
Politics & History

Why Civilizations End

Scientists studying fallen civilizations suggest that the culprit is overshoot in combination with climate change. What does this mean for our current era?
Crown shyness
Plants & Animals

The Mysteries of Crown Shyness

In some forests, trees grow in a manner that keeps their branches from touching one another. Despite decades of study, scientists aren't exactly sure why.
Cousin marriage Queen Victoria
Health

The Genetics of Cousin Marriage

It's conventional wisdom that procreation between first cousins is unhealthy. But what are the actual genetic risks?
Seattle sea wall
Science & Technology

A New Way to Protect the Coast

Living shorelines provide erosion control while providing shoreline habitat and maintaining coastal processes.
Newgrange ancient tomb Ireland
Politics & History

Henges, Barrows, and Tombs: Ireland’s Archaeology

A drone flying over a field in Ireland was able to make out the outline of an ancient henge, a circular enclosure that may have had ritualistic purposes.

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