Tonka Bean: The Tale of a Contested Commodity
The rise and fall of the sweet-smelling seeds of Dipteryx odorata stands in stark contrast to the tree’s lasting presence in global markets.
Shucking the Past: Can Oysters Thrive Again?
Dredging and pollution devastated the once-bountiful reefs. Careful science may help bring them back.
“Space Tornadoes” Could Cause Geomagnetic Storms
But these phenomena, spun off ejections from the Sun, aren’t easy to study.
The Long Quest to Uncover a Sea Star Killing Bacteria
Scientists say they’ve found the cause of a marine epidemic more than ten years after it started. What took so long?
Two Seventh-Century People Found With West African Ancestry
A story of diversity and integration in early Anglo-Saxon society.
A Massive Eruption 74,000 Years Ago Affected the Whole Planet
Archaeologists use volcanic glass to figure out how people survived.
Misunderstood Malthus
The English thinker whose name is synonymous with doom and gloom has lessons for today.
Using Pollen To Make Paper, Sponges, and More
Reengineered, the powdery stuff could become a range of eco-friendly objects.
Lite Intermediate Black Holes
Meet the supermassive black hole’s smaller, much more mysterious cousin.