Trump Administration Moves to Roll Back Clean Water Protections
Topping our weekly news roundup: Backed by agricultural groups, land developers, and oil and mining lobbyists, the EPA has moved to weaken protections set forth by former President Obama under the 2015...
View ArticleIs the Psychology of Deadly Force Ready for the Courts?
While officers can experience cognitive and perceptual impairments, like tunnel vision and dissociation, during deadly encounters, researchers ultimately know very little about what role they play in...
View ArticleUsing Statistics to Grapple With Crime
Researchers can take advantage of “natural experiments” to gather useful evidence about various criminological questions. Some studies have already begun to shed light on such murky issues as the...
View ArticleIn the Ancient Valleys of Macedonia, a Pall of Air Pollution
Concerted efforts to address the problem have been elusive in this mountainous, land-locked region, despite years of recognition that air pollution was killing Macedonians — and despite emphatic...
View ArticleThe Human Toll of the Medical Industry’s Uncharitable Giving
History tells us that when a corporation takes on a philanthropic project, not only does their largesse rarely improve our health; it often leaves us worse off. It’s up to us as a society to insist on...
View ArticleWhere Did All the Giant Ground Sloths Go?
Fifty-thousand years ago, giant ground sloths, bears, owls, lemurs, horses, marsupials, and many other behemoths roamed every continent but Antarctica before they disappeared in a blink of evolutionary...
View ArticleIn Poland, Climate Summit Elicits Mixed Reactions
The U.N.'s 24th annual climate conference ended Saturday, with results eliciting mixed reactions from participating nations. With an aim to create rules to move forward the promises made as part of the...
View ArticleAltering Memories to Treat Addiction
Over the past decade, researchers have been designing studies that use environmental cues, such as alcohol and videos of heroin use, to activate memories of drug use — and then rewrite them so they...
View ArticleListening to the Sounds of Environmental Change
Conservation research puts a heavy emphasis on sight — think of the inspiring vista, or the rare species caught on film with camera traps — but sound is also a critical element of natural systems. We...
View ArticleAs Light Pollution Spreads, National Parks Become Stargazing Sanctuaries
Public land managers are relying on the growing popularity of astronomy tourism — or “astrotourism” for short. Astrotourism is on the rise: the number of worldwide parks applying to be on the list of...
View ArticleA Critical Protection for Plant and Factory Workers Is Eroding
Over the past two decades, the Chemical Safety Board has investigated and analyzed more than 130 accidents responsible for more than 200 deaths, 1,200 injuries, and hundreds of billions of dollars in...
View ArticleOn Humanity’s Tenuous Future: Five Questions for Martin Rees
In "On the Future: Prospects for Humanity," the eminent scientist Martin Rees offers a call to action for our species, explaining that both our survival and our future development are inextricably tied...
View ArticleEp. 34: The Tree of Life, Science in the White House, and the Year at Undark
Seth Mnookin talks to John Holdren about the role of adviser, the politicization of science, and the damage done by the Trump administration. Also: Undark's editors on their favorite stories from the...
View ArticleIn South Africa, ‘Decolonizing’ Mathematics
Some math students and teachers are pushing for curriculum revisions that promote non-Western contributions to the field, new teaching methods rooted in indigenous cultures, and greater openness to...
View ArticleA Lesson in Recycling from Taiwan
Twenty-five years ago, Taiwan was given the unflattering moniker of "Garbage Island." In the decades since, it has achieved one of the highest recycling rates in the world. How they got there:...
View ArticleGhost Fishing Off Long Island’s Coast
Fishing boats may lose gear because of storms, waterway traffic, rivalries, simple forgetfulness, or economic or enforcement pressures. In Long Island Sound, where warming waters have made the lobster...
View ArticleScientist Legislators Are No Cure for Bad Science Policy
For those who want to ensure that society’s best knowledge is not excluded from the policy process, the answer is not to seek more politicians with science credentials. The better approach is to insist...
View ArticleA Guided Tour of Human Blood: Past, Present, and Future
In “Nine Pints,” the British journalist Rose George meticulously wrestles with the many social, moral, and economic dilemmas that surround blood, exploring disparate topics from illegal plasma selling...
View ArticleClimate Refugia: Safe Havens for Vulnerable Species
As species shift their distribution in response to increased temperature or dwindling snowpack, not every part of a habitat changes uniformly. Scientists are working to identify and protect areas of...
View ArticleIn California, the Demise of the Grassy Lawn
Since California's last, severe drought, streets where lawns once bled together have become patchworks of dead grass and xeriscaping, a style which requires little or no irrigation. Even so, the...
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