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Who Gets to Decide How Much Is ‘Enough’ to Live a Good Life?

In Europe, the concept of setting sustainable limits on consumption is starting to influence policies on housing, transportation, and energy use. But the thorny issue arises of who gets to decide what the limits are and whom they affect. If not…

21/01/2026

Book Review: Confronting the Bane of Plastic Pollution

“The Problem With Plastic,” by Judith Enck and Adam Mahoney, is both a call to arms and a thoroughly researched investigation into the far-reaching environmental and health effects of plastics pollution. Far too much is being produced, they argue,…

14/01/2026

Why It Still Makes Sense to Limit Saturated Fats

New U.S. dietary guidelines were published this week. For the first time, they favor a number of food sources containing high amounts of saturated fats. Such a shift echoes views popularized by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But many nutrition experts say…

09/01/2026

Abstinence From AI Is Not the Answer

Many voices are calling for controls on AI to protect the rights of those it impacts. Disengaging with the technology altogether, however, risks widening inequality. Responsible resistance to AI must include gaining and democratizing knowledge about…

09/01/2026

In Scientific Publishing, Who Should Foot the Bill?

In open access, the paper’s authors cover the expenses of publication. Critics contend the model creates incentives that are at odds with high-quality science. It’s unclear, however, whether new rules from major federal funders that cap authors’…

07/01/2026

In Denmark, Sick Cows and a Lot of Questions

The food additive Bovaer is meant to cut methane emissions from cattle farms and its manufacturer says it has been administered to an estimated 500,000 dairy cows in more than 25 countries with no ill effects. But a recent spate of bovine illnesses…

05/01/2026

Excerpt: When the Ethics of Animal Research Hit Home

The owner of a rescued lab dog considers the ethics of animal research through the lens of her beagle, Hammy. Researchers say dogs are good proxies for humans in the study of human disease, and they have been involved in some dramatic breakthroughs.…

02/01/2026

In Chad’s Prehistoric Wall Drawings, Lessons in Climate Upheaval

Deep in the central Sahara, Chad’s Ennedi Plateau rises as both landscape and archive. Its sandstone cliffs preserve thousands of rock paintings and engravings, tracing how prehistoric societies adapted to a once-green Sahara — and how culture,…

31/12/2025

Back from the Brink: The Whooping Crane’s Recovery on the Edge

Once driven to the brink by rampant habitat loss and hunting, whooping cranes survived only through an extraordinary, decades-long rescue effort. Now, development pressure, shrinking freshwater flows, and other factors are converging on their…

29/12/2025

Book Review: How Evolution Is Driving Us Further Into Space

In “The Giant Leap,” astrobiologist Caleb Scharf’s sweeping and optimistic overview of humankind’s many journeys into space, he argues that evolution and exploration have combined to push us farther and farther into the cosmos. “I call this…

26/12/2025

War, Wellness, and Watts: Inside Oak Ridge National Lab

What’s now known as Oak Ridge National Laboratory was founded in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, specializing in atomic bomb material. The nearby town, known as “The Secret City,” grew to 75,000 residents, many unaware of their work’s nature…

25/12/2025

What Anti-Vaccine Policies Could Mean for Autoimmune Diseases

A new study identifies the link between Epstein-Barr virus and lupus, an autoimmune disease which predominantly affects women. The finding raises the possibility that a vaccine against the virus could prevent lupus. But will anti-vaccine policies…

17/12/2025