At Kew Gardens, a New View of Forests, Fungus, and Carbon Capture
Soil is a huge reservoir of carbon. Scientists used to think that most of the carbon captured by soil entered the ground when dead leaves and plant matter decomposed. But it’s now becoming clear that...
View ArticleSurvey Trolls, Opt-In Polls, and the New Era of Survey Science
In theory, pollsters call a randomly selected sample of Americans, ask them a question, and report those results to offer a snapshot of public opinion. But as people have stopped picking up the phone,...
View ArticleImposter Participants Are Compromising Qualitative Research
Qualitative studies that involve interviews with people about their experiences often recruit participants online. But imposters who fake their identities to take part are a growing problem. How can...
View ArticleBook Review: The Quixotic Struggle to Tame the Mighty Mississippi
In “The Great River,” journalist Boyce Upholt chronicles the long, checkered history of our efforts to control the Mississippi River with locks, levees, and dams. Such meddling has saddled the country...
View ArticleGaining Ground on the East Coast’s Intracoastal Waterway
Scientists hope a sediment-laying strategy can help preserve the 3000-mile marine highway — which in some parts is too shallow for ships to safely pass — while restoring surrounding marshlands. A pilot...
View ArticleA Step Forward in Stingray Science
While some stingrays flee quickly at the hint of danger, round rays stay buried in the sand — making them more easily stepped on by a passing human, and contributing to the thousands who are injured by...
View ArticleYoung Palestinians Face a Steep Toll on Mental Health
Long before the Israel-Hamas war began, tensions in the region eroded Palestinians’ mental health. More than half of Palestinian adults in the West Bank and Gaza suffer from depression, 10 times higher...
View ArticleThe Misplaced Incentives in Academic Publishing
Most academic journals rely on volunteers to peer review manuscripts submitted for publication. Their work is important, but the incentives for scientists to make such efforts are misplaced and...
View ArticleAt Kew Gardens, a New View of Forests, Fungus, and Carbon Capture
Soil is a huge reservoir of carbon. Scientists used to think that most of the carbon captured by soil entered the ground when dead leaves and plant matter decomposed. But it’s now becoming clear that...
View ArticleExcerpt: When Two Famous Physicists Faced Off in Mussolini’s Rome
A gathering of the world’s most famous physicists in 1931 hosted by Il Duce would pit two eminent Nobel Prize winners — Robert Millikan and Arthur Compton — against each other over revelations about...
View ArticleAt Kew Gardens, a New View of Forests, Fungus, and Carbon Capture
Soil is a huge reservoir of carbon. Scientists used to think that most of the carbon captured by soil entered the ground when dead leaves and plant matter decomposed. But it’s now becoming clear that...
View ArticleThe Sweeping Impact of the Supreme Court’s Chevron Reversal
In it’s reversal of the Chevron doctrine, the Supreme Court has transferred authority to interpret ambiguous laws from agencies (and their technical expertise) to the judicial system. This could prove...
View ArticleHaunting the Human Genome Project: A Question of Consent
Archival records, along with interviews with many of the Human Genome Project’s central figures, paint a picture in which high-ranking officials — buffeted by elaborate experimental protocols and...
View ArticleRadioactive Real Estate: Finding a Forever Home for Nuclear Waste
America’s radioactive waste from nuclear weapons work gets buried deep in salt deposits in southern New Mexico. That location was intended as a pilot project, a proof-of-concept. But today, there are...
View ArticleEfforts to Build Climate Resilience Do Not Protect Human Health
Resilience — the measure of the ability to adapt to disruptions — is guiding U.S. federal policy intended to protect people from climate-related health harms. David Introcaso argues that HHS’s...
View ArticleBook Review: Refrigeration and the Many Virtues of the Cold Chain
Nicola Twilley’s “Frostbite ” is a sweeping history of the cold chain that explores how refrigeration has shaped everything over the centuries from the human gut to global economies. And the future of...
View ArticleThe Enigmatic Earthquake Hotspot in America’s Heartland
The USGS earthquake risk map sports a big bull’s eye in the middle of the country, far from the closest plate boundary. Caught in this seismic splash zone are millions of people living across five...
View ArticleIn U.S. Prisons and Jails, Exposure to Extreme Heat Is Increasing
A recent study found that incarcerated people in southern states like Texas and Florida have the greatest exposure to extreme temperatures, yet do not have access to universal air conditioning. Since...
View ArticleWill Burying Biomass Underground Curb Climate Change?
Hundreds of carbon removal startups have popped up over the past few years, but they’ve made little progress so far, and they don’t yet add up to a full-fledged industry. That leads to the inevitable...
View ArticleRecognizing the Role of the Research Coordinator
Research coordinators play an essential role in managing clinical studies for drugs and medical devices. But the job suffers high turnover, with implications for how soon potential therapies reach the...
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