An illustration of elderberry

Plant of the Month: Elderberry

The recent entrance of elderberry into mainstream success is marked by an increasing popular desire to engage with traditional, “natural” remedies.
A still from Dune, 2021

The Ecological Prescience of Dune

Frank Herbert’s novel isn't just about space messiahs, giant sandworms, and trippy space drugs. At its core, the sci-fi epic is about ecology.
E. O. Wilson, 2003

E. O. Wilson and Biodiversity

Everyone talks about biodiversity these days, but an entomologist just might be its fiercest advocate.
Planet Earth from Space

Climate Change: A Syllabus

A selection of stories to foster dialogue among students both inside and outside of the classroom.
View of an airliner throughout stormy clouds and just inside a calm weather.

Why Climate-Change Geoengineering Feels Wrong

The idea of altering the climate instead of tackling emissions in earnest inspires widespread angst. A philosopher considers why.
Blue-headed Vireo Nesting

Bird Watcher

Herbert Keightley Job's work represents a major turn in the study of birds. Instead of shooting them, he photographed them, at least some of the time...
An ant in the snow

How Do Insects Survive Winter?

Some species have adapted to get themselves close to freezing without dying.
View of the Pacific Ocean in Point Mugu State Park, Ventura County, CA

How Drought Could Make Sea-Level Rise Worse

Take southern California, for instance.
A scientist with staring eyes pours liquid from one test tube to another in

The Evolution of the Mad Scientist

The crazed caricature of genius was largely inspired by now-debunked late-Victorian ideas about how species change.