Indigenous Forest Gardens Help Bolster Land Rights Arguments
For one First Nation, the Nuchatlaht First Nation, researchers’ work regarding forest gardens is being used to support a legal land claim against the province of British Columbia and the Attorney...
View ArticleYouth Transgender Care Policies Should Be Driven by Science
In the U.S., some states guarantee minors full access to gender-affirming medical care while others ban such care outright. Instead, states should follow Europe’s example by adjusting policies based on...
View ArticleBook Review: The Hidden Extinction Crisis of Natural Historians
In “Unrooted,” science writer Erin Zimmerman uses historical examples to show how her experience as a former 21st-century botanist is still influenced by structural sexism, at the same time that...
View ArticleTo Protect Livestock From Predators, Some Look to the Skies
In Oregon and Montana, researchers and landowners have been experimenting with drones to scare off predators who might otherwise prey on livestock. The approach is promising, but is limited by expense,...
View ArticleFor Millions of Americans, Tap Water Has a High Dose of Fluoride
Many cities add low levels of fluoride to drinking water in a bid to to prevent tooth decay, but the policy has long been controversial. Lost in that debate are the roughly 3 million Americans whose...
View ArticleThe Lasting Impact of Exposure to Gun Violence
The long-term effects of firearm violence in urban communities — and among young people in particular — are understudied, researchers say. But several recent papers use new methods and datasets to...
View ArticleTo Protect Livestock From Predators, Some Look to the Skies
In Oregon and Montana, researchers and landowners have been experimenting with drones to scare off predators who might otherwise prey on livestock. The approach is promising, but is limited by expense,...
View ArticleIn Japan, Conserving the Genetics of a Sacred Deer
Recent research has shown that Sika deer inside Nara Park, Japan, are part of a millennium-old genetic lineage. Does that make them more deserving of protection?
View ArticleIn the Race for Space Metals, Companies Hope to Cash In
Asteroids contain metals like platinum and cobalt, used in green technology. Some advocates say mining in space could reduce the burden on Earth’s resources, but companies have yet to extract anything....
View ArticleThe Impossible Goal of a Disease-Free World
Initiatives against Lyme disease and malaria set ambitious goals for the eradication of these zoonotic and vector-borne illnesses. But some researchers say that instead of investing millions of dollars...
View ArticleInterview: Uncertainty, Science, and Public Health Communication
In an interview with Charlotte Dries, a researcher at the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the University of Potsdam in Germany, Undark contributor Dan Falk explores a recent experiment in which...
View ArticleThere’s Little Science Behind “No Mow May”
If something as simple as not mowing for a month doesn’t do much for biodiversity, then what lawn-care practices — from tearing up sod entirely to planting lush wildflower meadows — are supported by...
View ArticleWhen Will America Get Better Sunscreens?
The FDA can’t approve better chemical filters that are common in sunscreens across the world due to a 1938 law that requires the products to be tested on animals and classified as drugs. Meanwhile,...
View ArticleA Rare Risk of Asteroid Fastballs Turns Scientists Into Sluggers
Researchers use real data from projects like DART, the first test of an asteroid deflection, to improve computer simulations, which they can then use to try to predict an exact response of a...
View ArticleCould ‘Science Courts’ Help Build Public Trust?
In the U.S., surveys have shown that public trust in science dropped significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some scientists propose that holding science courts — where citizen juries listen to...
View ArticleBook Review: The Untapped Knowledge of Animals
Animal scientist Martin Wikelski’s fascinating new book “The Internet of Animals” chronicles his quest to design, build, and launch a network of transmitters to track birds around the globe. Wikelski...
View ArticleBad Blood? The Uncertainty Around Microclots and Long Covid
Some researchers have suggested that microscopic blood clots, or microclots, could help explain the wide range of symptoms seen in long Covid. But other scientists aren’t convinced by the scant...
View ArticlePediatric Transgender Care and the Contentious Rise of SEGM
Founded in 2019, SEGM says more research is needed before puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries are offered to youth with gender-related distress. SEGM says the science is on its side, but major...
View ArticleCan Beef Be ‘Low Carbon’? The USDA Thinks So.
The Department of Agriculture rubber-stamped Tyson’s beef as “climate friendly,” but no one has seen the data behind the company’s claim. As millions of taxpayer dollars flow to livestock companies...
View ArticleIncluding Globally Diverse Groups Improves Music Research
Research designed to understand how human brains process music has often involved participants from cultures steeped in Western music. But in order to arrive at more universal truths, such studies need...
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