Environment
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On Soil
January 18, 2011
Long regarded as lowly “dirt,” soil is gaining attention as a vital natural resource. The Global Digital Soil Map will generate data crucial for combating hunger, poverty, and climate change.
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What’s Next for the Gulf?
September 08, 2010
Were the chemicals used to disperse the oil from the Deepwater Horizon gusher more dangerous than the oil itself, and what will the spill’s long-term impact be?
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All Consuming
August 23, 2010
With population and per-capita consumption both on the rise, it's hard to believe humanity's impact on the Earth is sustainable. But what would happen if we ate less meat? Or gave women better education and more power? David Biello takes a critical look.
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Wanted: GM Seeds for Study
July 01, 2010
A battle is quietly being waged between the industry that produces genetically modified seeds and scientists trying to investigate the environmental impacts of engineered crops. Although companies have recently given ground, researchers say these firms are still loath to allow independent analyses of their patented — and profitable — seeds.
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Slow Burn
June 24, 2010
Since 1962, a coal fire has been raging beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania, and it may continue burning for centuries. When the very ground beneath your feet catches fire, how can you extinguish the blaze?
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Is Population a Problem?
June 10, 2010
Will 9 billion people max out the Earth's natural resources? Or is overconsumption the real planetary threat? Three experts discuss the Gordian knot of wealth, fertility, and environmental impact — and why making do with less stuff matters so much.
agriculture, climate, development, economics, environment, population, poverty
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Food Fight, Round 1
May 12, 2010
What does "sustainable agriculture" truly mean—and what should it look like? In round one of our debate, two experts square off on the true causes of food insecurity.
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A Spill’s Dirty Secret
May 10, 2010
Just as with the Exxon Valdez spill of more than 20 years ago, the recovery efforts for the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico are destined for inadequacy.
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The Hidden World of Ants
May 06, 2010
Mark Moffett travels around the world taking stunning close-up photographs that capture the fascinating lives of ants.
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The Other Inconvenient Truth
May 04, 2010
As the international community focuses on climate change as the great crisis of our era, it is ignoring another looming problem: the global crisis in land use.
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Our Planet, Ourselves
April 27, 2010
Two radically different environmental messages are taking shape in the world today…Does it matter which one we choose?
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Vintage Music and Biotech Seeds
April 27, 2010
In this week’s Findings Log, we take a look at new research on genetically engineered crops, the benefits of brain training, and turning sound into sheet music.
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Ashes to Ashes
April 23, 2010
A deeper understanding of the modern world's fragile complexity is glimpsed in the aftermath of a disruptive volcanic eruption.
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Leading Lights
April 02, 2010
Aligning economic value with currently unpriced things—in nature and society—could be the ticket to global sustainability.
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Long Time Coming
March 26, 2010
The story of one of history's most infamous math problems illustrates the difficulties facing congress in the wake of healthcare reform.
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A Battle at Midway
February 18, 2010
We talk with photographer Chris Jordan, who recently traveled to a remote part of the Pacific Ocean to document effects of the world’s largest known mass of garbage.
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Appetite for Destruction
February 18, 2010
Chris Jordan traveled to a remote area of the Pacific and returned with snapshots of a burgeoning ecological crisis, from the belly of the world’s largest garbage pile.
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Yellow, Black, and Blues
February 15, 2010
A look at our agricultural past may explain why honey bees around the world began disappearing three years ago.
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Living in a Material World
February 04, 2010
Scientists and designers join forces at an unusual consultancy, bringing technical savvy to assist anyone in search of the right material—from faux fur to green concrete.
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Bioplastics Man
November 10, 2009
Biochemist Oliver Peoples explains how his polymer-producing microbes could transform the plastics industry and why both oceans and landfills will benefit.
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A Bloom in Biofuels
August 05, 2009
The same organisms that created the oil and gas now powering our industrial society and warming the globe can also be used to make carbon-neutral fuels.
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Living Off the Land
July 20, 2009
The same technology that keeps astronauts alive in outer space could foster more sustainable lifestyles right here on Earth.
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Week in Review: June 19
June 19, 2009
Building a power plant worthy of tomorrowland, a climate nudge disguised as a clarion call to arms, and school’s out—brains, turn off!
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Economic Advice for the Planet
June 17, 2009
Protecting the environment, some say, is a drag on economic growth. Kristen Sheeran directs a new network of economists who aim to prove them wrong.
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Forests for the Trees
June 04, 2009
Five experts discuss paying countries to keep forests intact, what role carbon markets should play, and how to protect the people whose lives depend on trees.
Now on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM
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Ideas
I Tried Almost Everything Else
John Rinn, snowboarder, skateboarder, and “genomic origamist,” on why we should dumpster-dive in our genomes and the inspiration of a middle-distance runner.
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Ideas
Going, Going, Gone
The second most common element in the universe is increasingly rare on Earth—except, for now, in America.
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Ideas
Earth-like Planets Aren’t Rare
Renowned planetary scientist James Kasting on the odds of finding another Earth-like planet and the power of science fiction.
