News & Commentary

Go Easy on the Salt

February 11, 2016 ExplainerFlint, Michigan, United StatesBrian Palmer

Did road salt help cause the Flint water crisis?

Watered Down

January 26, 2016 Latest NewsFlintBrian Palmer

Flint made many mistakes, but its haphazard lead monitoring system was the worst of them.

How California Will Weather Drought

January 5, 2016 ExplainerCalifornia, United States, West

Researchers outline four key actions the Golden State must take to ensure there's enough water to go around.

You Don't Know Jack(fruit)

November 9, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Prolific and nutritious, this funny-looking fruit could help feed the world.

Biting Back

October 22, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Backyard breeders are creating a new kind of hero honeybee—one that chomps off the legs of mites and saves the hive.

Unleaded, Please

October 9, 2015 Latest NewsFlintSusan Cosier

Toxic tap water is just not acceptable in 2015 (in Flint, Michigan, or anywhere else).

Played for a Fuel

October 1, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The fact that corn-based ethanol is renewable doesn’t make it sustainable. When will candidates stumping in Iowa admit as much?

Hotter = Drier

August 19, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaBrian Palmer

A new study shows how climate change is making the California drought worse.

Hot Water

August 18, 2015 ExplainerWest, United StatesBrian Palmer

Uranium mining threatens aquifers that could provide the drought-stricken West with emergency water supplies.

The Story of Silent Spring

August 13, 2015 ExplainerUnited States

How a courageous woman took on the chemical industry and raised important questions about humankind's impact on nature.

10 Threats from the Canadian Tar Sands Industry

August 13, 2015 ExplainerCanadaNicole Greenfield

At every turn, the Tar Sands Invasion would put people and the environment in harm's way.

Up (and Down) a Creek

August 11, 2015 Latest NewsColoradoClara Chaisson

Here’s what you need to know about the EPA spilling three million gallons of wastewater into a Colorado river.

Innovation Has Not Run Dry!

July 8, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

As summer heat compounds four years of drought, Californians are coping with water shortages in some wacky and smart (and desperate) ways.

When cow pee particles take to the wind, lakes turn green

June 10, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

A weekly roundup of the best in science journalism, doodled.

Help Bats. Save the Environment. Drink Mezcal.

May 29, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A bat scientist fights to make the tequila industry more bat-friendly.

Getting Schooled in the Lunch Room

May 19, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesClara Chaisson

The cafeteria tray gets a sustainable (and homey) makeover.

The Dirt on Dirt

May 13, 2015 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalBrian Palmer

The world’s soil helps us grow food and store carbon. So why are we letting it waste away?

When civil war broke out in Syria, scientists scrambled to save a seed bank

May 12, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

A weekly roundup of the best in science journalism, doodled.

Demand for Sustainable Seafood—Gone Overboard?

April 30, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Consumers want more than fisheries can supply, and certification standards are falling.

Supersize Bee

April 22, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study shows that bees prefer pesticide-laced junk food that hastens their death.