An Epidemic of Retractions
Nicolas Chevassus-au-Louis's new book, Fraud in the Lab, offers some tough love for the scientific community.
Volcanic Ecosystems in the Deep Ocean
Undersea volcanoes, like Hawaii's Kīlauea, foster diverse ecosystems in an environment far from sunlight—and as acidic as lemon juice.
Climate Change and Syria’s Civil War
Some scholars and scientists are calling climate change the invisible player in Syria's ongoing civil war. But is that too simplistic an explanation?
Aeroplankton: The Life in the Air We Breathe
Just as the ocean is full of plankton, the air we breathe teems with microorganisms.
Big Brains Are Hard to Grow
Human brains take a long time, and a lot of energy, to grow to their mature state. This may well be an evolutionary tradeoff for having such big brains.
How Does a Scorpion Decide When to Sting?
There are actually two decisions to make: whether to sting at all and whether to use prevenom or full venom.
Artificial Photosynthesis
What is artificial photosynthesis, how does it work, and why would we need it?
Is Plastic Pollution Depriving Us of Oxygen?
Plastic debris is killing the ocean’s “invisible forests,” which produce ten percent of the oxygen we breathe.