Life According to Phosphorus
Phosphorus is essential for fertilizing high-yield agriculture. The US domestic supply, restricted to Florida, is expected to run out in a couple of decades.
Science Lit for Kids Holds a Mirror Aloft
Over decades, books that rouse children’s interest in the natural world have morphed in style and approach—an evolution reflective of tectonic societal change.
“Kapow!” It’s Time for Cross Reference
This month’s crossword puzzle features an onomatopoeic opener!
How Did Eastern North America Form?
With many collisions and much crumpling of rock, down the ages. The story holds lessons for how the edges of continents are built and change over time.
Toxic? But It Has a Leaf on the Label!
Is it possible to produce common household products that are sustainable and safe?
Far Out: Why Don’t We Believe in UFOs?
Is it scientific impossibility or simply human ego that stops us from entertaining the idea of extraterrestrial visitation?
The Popularity and Politics of Pedestrianism
The sport of competitive walking touched on social concerns such as debt and poverty, fitness and fame, but it also found support in the temperance movement.
Leviathan Resurrected: Illustration and Astronomy
In the 1840s, the Leviathan of Parsonstown, built by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse, became the largest telescope in the world.
The Origins of the “Dinosaur Renaissance”
John Ostrom’s ideas were part of the so-called Dinosaur Renaissance, a paradigm shift that posited dinosaurs as the warm-blooded ancestors of birds.
Tantalus, Pac-Man, and Unsated Hungers
What does a violent, ancient Greek myth reveal about our modern addiction to technology and the enduring power of stories?