Reviewed by Natalie Jeremijenko
Climate change, perhaps the most far-reaching and significant issue of this century, is no stranger to the bestseller list, the red carpet, the floor of the Senate, or the corporate agenda. But another realm has also been involved in the dialogue—contemporary art.
The book Burning Ice: Art and Climate Change […] Read More »
Reviewed by Florence Williams
When 23-year-old Jane Goodall became Louis Leakey’s secretary at the Coryndon Museum in Kenya, it’s not clear which of her attributes he was most drawn to: her physical beauty, her reverence for him and his work, or her eager, unmolded mind. Ultimately, it was likely a mix of all three […] Read More »
Humans may be grabbing organic products off the grocery store shelves, but apparently birds aren’t buying into the trend. According to a new study, both captive and wild birds would rather munch on conventional seed than that fancy organic stuff.
This result might come as a surprise, since previous research has suggested that some animals […] Read More »
Frank, my husband, is a self-described “hard” scientist. He studies chemicals in the brain—how desire actually works in the cells, the little switches and locks. He listens to me talk about what it means to love a place, but he says I can’t just assume that people care about places. He says I need […] Read More »
Do you feel a little better about yourself when you opt for the organic yogurt, recycled paper towels, and compact fluorescent light bulbs at the store? If so, you may be surprised to learn that buying environmentally friendly products might make you more likely to engage in unethical behavior.
Research done in the past […] Read More »
Upwardly mobile Asian diners have developed a taste for civet, pangolin, and other exotic—and protected—wild animals. In turn, semi-clandestine restaurants serve up rare animals for a hefty price. To reduce this pressure on wild populations, some conservationists have proposed establishing farms where the species can be raised for human consumption. But new research in […] Read More »
By David Malakoff
October-December 2009 (Vol. 10, No. 4)
People were starving to death in a suburban parking lot wedged between a busy supermarket and a sit-down restaurant.
It was October 1969 in Hayward, California. About 100 young activists—dubbed “anti-population protesters” by reporters—were staging a “starve-in” to dramatize the perils of overpopulation. Just the […] Read More »
Overharvesting has long been considered a contributor to frog declines, but no one had ever quantified the harvest. Now, researchers have used 20 years of United Nations statistics to find that roughly 8,000 to 10,000 metric tons of frogs’ legs are traded internationally each year. Add in estimates of those eaten in the countries […] Read More »
Hunt, W.G. et al. 2009. Lead bullet fragments in venison from rifle-killed deer: Potential for human dietary exposure. PLoS ONE 4(4):e5330. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005330.
When human hunters leave a carcass behind, the scavengers who pick it apart often ingest lead bullet fragments. This can cause lead poisoning in condors and other wildlife, spurring some environmental […] Read More »
Dominguez-Faus R. et al. 2009. The water footprint of biofuels: A drink or drive issue? Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/es802162x.
In the latest blow to biofuels’ green cred, a report in Environmental Science & Technology shows that growing crops for ethanol may take a heavy toll on the water supply.
In Nebraska, for […] Read More »
Balmford A. et al. 2009. A global perspective on trends in nature-based tourism. PloS Biology. DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000144.
The idea that people are becoming increasingly less interested in nature has become a familiar lament. But how does it jibe with reports that the popularity of ecotourism and other forms of natural recreation is growing?
To unravel […] Read More »
Loucks, C. et al. 2009. Wildlife decline in Cambodia, 1953–2005: Exploring the legacy of armed conflict. Conservation Letters DOI:10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00044.x.
When armed conflicts erupt, wildlife usually suffers along with people. To better understand exactly how and why this occurs, researchers led by Colby Loucks of the World Wildlife Fund turned their attention to Cambodia, which […] Read More »
By John Weier
January-March 2009 (Vol 10, No. 1)
Bearded and burly, Paul Stamets searches the forest on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula like a bloodhound, peering under fallen trees and sniffing inquisitively at the air. The object of his quest is the Agarikon mushroom—so rare that it can take Stamets, who has spent more […] Read More »
By Trevor Corson
July-September 2008 (Vol. 9, No. 3)
Imagine sitting down at your favorite sushi bar. The chef reaches across the fish case and serves you three pieces of sushi. “Bluefin tuna,” he says with a grin. The pink flesh of bluefin, marbled with fat, is considered by many connoisseurs to be the […] Read More »
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By Scott Norris
January-March (Vol. 9, No. 1)
Rightly or not, catastrophic flooding is often viewed as a consequence of poor forest management. The idea that standing forests significantly reduce the frequency and severity of downstream floods provides a powerful incentive for conservation and has spurred forest protection and reforestation programs in developing […] Read More »
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Changing the BatteryFlamingos stand precariously on top of one of the world’s largest deposits of lithium—the very stuff that powers our mobile world
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Shrink to FitHumanity appears to be ushering in new age of minifauna, a kind of Lilliputian world full of runts and dwarves |
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Chasing RainbowsLured by a utopian visions, agencies dropped billions of trout into thousands of lakes. Now, they’re determined to undo the damage they caused. |
