top story in Science & Environment
Plugging High-Speed Rail Into Germany’s Power Grid
Using rail lines for the energy grid may help a suddenly nuclear-shy Germany transition to wider use of renewable sources.
New Dinosaur Gets a Rather Large Name
As if being wiped out by a meteor wasn’t degrading enough, a charismatic dinosaur discovered in Utah gets a less-than-flattering name.
Save the Birds — With Doppler Radar
Doppler radar helped save the Texas forests where millions of migrating birds rest each spring.
Rooftop Solar Power to the People?
Some environmental advocates say the federal government is ignoring the real future of solar energy: photovoltaic cells on almost every roof. But even supporters acknowledge rooftop solar isn’t the complete answer to the energy question — yet.
The Farm School: Growing Organic Farmers
At The Farm School, students learn the nuts, bolts and economics of organic farming, and the spiritual side isn’t ignored, either. Garlic plantings may get blessed.
Wording Change Softens Global Warming Skeptics
New research finds Republicans scoff at “global warming,” but are much more receptive to the notion of “climate change.”
Inventor of Plastic Solar Cells Sees Bright Future
Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci, inventor of the plastic solar cell, reviews the past, present and bright future of his invention with Miller-McCune’s solar guru, John Perlin.
Slashing Solar Subsidies, and Lighting Way for China
The fine balance in Germany between markets and green energy policy highlights the real-world challenges for moving away from traditional power sources.
I Foresee an Uproar Over an ESP Study
Rather than accepting or rejecting controversial findings — like Daryl Bem’s upcoming paper on ESP — based on preconceived notions, how about approaching them with scientific scrutiny?
archive
The History and Frightening Future of Forests
In the Year of Forests, researchers look to save them, and have them save us.
California’s Delta Water Blues
Can California build the new water system experts say it needs — before an earthquake brings the levees down?
Micro-Reserves Renew Life in Oaxacan Agriculture
Peasants in Mexico’s jungle state of Oaxaca show that conservation need not take a back seat to development.
Next They’ll Tell Us Germs Can Dance
Researchers discover very specific patterns in the movement of bacteria, which has important implications for the treatment of infections.
Your Brain: A User’s Guide
New books “Self Comes to Mind” and “On Second Thought” examine the origins of consciousness, and the unconscious pulls that influence our behavior.
Debunking Theories of a Terrorist Power Grab
A Penn State power-system expert cites laws of physics to pull the plug on worries that a terrorist attack on a minor substation could bring down the entire U.S. electric grid.
Saving Forests with a Sense of Place
While visiting Oaxaca’s forestry cooperatives, Kristian Beadle considers the link between remembering the dead and managing living resources — including new climate policies to reduce deforestation.
Grasslands Preserve the Lonely Prairie
North America’s grasslands filled an ecological role that goes mostly unfilled in their hugely reduced state.
Sustainable Living in Very Small Homes
The Tiny House movement aims to shrink environmental footprints of the places where we live.
Pine Beetle Infestation Under the Presidents’ Noses
Hands-off care of the forests around Mount Rushmore may have created a sweet spot for an ancient enemy of the Ponderosa pine — the mountain pine beetle.
related to Science & Environment
politics
- Who Owns Government-Funded Research Papers?
- Crafting Policy to Bridge the Red-Blue Divide
- Third Parties: The Avant-Garde of Change
- Plain English Urged to Limit Federal Bureaucracy
- Endangered Species Act Candidates Getting Prioritized
business
- Conservation’s Earnest Message Could Use Levity
- Who Owns Government-Funded Research Papers?
- U.S. Planting Seeds of Peace in Afghanistan
- Returning Warriors Go to Work, in the Fields
- ‘Fair Trade’ Chocolate Perceived as Healthier
science
- Teens Weigh Ethical Animal Research Dilemmas
- Animal Research’s Changing Equation
- Feds Put Chimp Experiments in Cage
- Scientists Deflated by Obama’s Policy Decisions
- Charting Genomes: Old Hairs Create New Headaches
culture
media
- The Last Mountain: A Scary Movie About … Coal
- Mountaintop-Removal Coal Mining Hits ‘Deep Down’
- The Scientist and the Journalist Can Be Friends
- Memorable Stories of 2009
- Memorable Stories of 2008
legal affairs
- Pets, Vets and Stalking Horses
- Should Animals Be Considered People?
- Legislating Uncertainty: An Evolving Strategy
environment
- Conservation’s Earnest Message Could Use Levity
- U.S. Planting Seeds of Peace in Afghanistan
- Returning Warriors Go to Work, in the Fields
- Oklahoma Earthquakes and the Wages of Fracking
- Alligator River Refuge Rolls Back From Rising Sea
health
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from the source
Better Super Bowl Makes for Better Ads
A lot of people say they watch the Super Bowl mostly for the ads. But it turns out a good game surrounding those ads makes them seem better.
Overseas Troops Finally Get Fair Shot at Voting
After decades of obstacles hindering the voting process, new laws will allow overseas and military voters to submit their votes in time for the 2012 election.
Neglected Tropical Diseases Neglected No More?
World health leaders announce coordinated push to eradicate or control neglected tropical diseases.
Children’s Books Increasingly Ignore Natural World
A survey of award-winning children’s picture books from 1938 to 2008 suggests our increasing estrangement from the natural environment.
Traffic Solution: Make Drivers Less Lonely
Rather than moaning about too many cars on the road, the Ridesharing Institute says the real key to battling traffic congestion and pollution is filling empty passenger seats.
Numerology Doesn’t Know the Score
Various ways of assigning numbers to events, people, and actions is an ancient parlor game, but let’s not take it beyond that.
Conservatives’ Politics of Fear a Biological Response
Researchers looking at how we fixate on threats uncover more evidence of a biological component to the red-blue divide.
Morning People May Be More Creative in the Afternoon
New research finds problems that require a flash of illumination to solve are best approached during the time of day when you’re not at your peak.
Supreme Court Calls For New Try on Texas Districts
Texas Republicans won Friday as the Supreme Court rejected a judicially drawn redistricting map, but not for the reasons you might think.
Private Prisons Can’t Lock In Savings
A report from The Sentencing Project argues that a primary driver for privatizing corrections isn’t really paying off.
Hall of fame
Slugging — The People’s Transit
In Washington, D.C., commuters have taken thousands of cars off highways via a homegrown rideshare system known as “slugging.” Can the government create more slugs — without stepping on any?
Bacteria ‘R’ Us
Emerging research shows that bacteria have powers to engineer the environment, to communicate and to affect human well-being. They may even think.
A New Take on Political Ideology
An evolutionary psychologist proposes a new framework for understanding the root causes of our political beliefs.
The Real Science Gap
It’s not insufficient schooling or a shortage of scientists. It’s a lack of job opportunities. Americans need the reasonable hope that spending their youth preparing to do science will provide a satisfactory career.
Triumph of the Cyborg Composer
David Cope’s software creates beautiful, original music. Why are people so angry about that?
