Seed: Science is Culture

Environment & Ecology

Ecology of Finance

A growing cadre of biologists argues that ecosystem analysis of the world economy might help stave off a repeat of 2008's financial catastrophe.
Green Revolution 2.0

As the global food system reaches its natural limits, it's time to rethink genetic engineering.
Carnivores Like Us

Humanity's rapidly increasing appetite for meat is fast becoming a matter of global consequence. Paul Roberts on the science, and morality, of our planet's modern palate.
The Market Force of Nature

Putting the "invisible hand" to work for nature could reshape the values of capitalism.
Troubled Water

How do trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in the water affect our bodies?
Deep Space

The last great land rush on the planet will be at the bottom of the ocean.
The Climate Crucible

From parched earth, Australia sprouts a culture convinced that global warming can be overcome.
The Meaning of Life

We create life, we search for it, we manipulate and revere it. Is it possible that we haven't yet defined the term?
Ghosts of Climates Past

Can studying the red deserts of Mars, the thick atmosphere of Venus, and the methane seas of Titan help us to predict our own planet's climatic future?
Cribsheet #10: Photosynthesis

Seed's Downloadable Tool for Living in the 21st Century
Emotional Rescue

If we're serious about building a society that makes scientifically informed decisions, then science needs to figure out a way to get its message across effectively.
Planet Earth: The Blockbuster

Can the power of the moving image save the environment?
The Eruption

In an audio slideshow of her work, photographer Djuna Ivereigh describes the volcanic eruption of Mt. Merapi and the people who live in its shadow.
The China Experiment

Inside the revolution to green the biggest nation on earth.
The Vanishing Act

The world's habitable spaces are under pressure. For those evicted by environmental change or conflict, is there ever any going back?
The New Scientist

James Hansen is the world's leading--and most politically outspoken--climate researcher.
Our Expanded View

From space, the sight of Earth elicits a profound response. It may even have the power to change our consciousness.
To Save the West, Kill a Plant

The fight against the water-hoarding tamarisk
Mooney on Bush's State of the Union

Global Warming Action: Looks Like We'll Have to Wait Until '09
Scientists and Evangelicals Unite to Save the Planet
The Synthesizer

One-time Baptist Edward O. Wilson aims to reconcile science and religion over the cause of biodiversity.
Artspeak

The arts community is responding to climate change, and changing the conversation in the process.
Cribsheet #7: Extinction

Seed's Downloadable Tool for Living in the 21st Century
We've Seen The Future, And It Is Us

As we drive the evolution of species, humans may be building a future with ever more diverse pests and pathogens and without the creatures we value most.
Revolutionary Minds: Natalie Jeremijenko

The aesthetic activist gives a tour of her pigeon paradise.
Inspiration Festival: Randy Olson

The director of "Flock of Dodos" discusses ocean conservation and Shifting Baselines.
The (Continuing) Tragedy of the Commons

Local communities can help preserve the world's forests.
Eco-Tripping Around the World: Part V

Our traveler sees that her 2003 efforts at Hawaiian environmental restoration established plant life in a barren area.
A Console To Make You Wiip

How the Nintendo Wii will get you emotionally invested in video games.
Study Warns: Don't Go Fish
Composing in Code

Rudresh Mahanthappa brings mathematics to the music room.
The New Leave No Trace

Carbon offsets: they're not just for celebrities anymore.
The Honeybee's Genome Could Be Its Savior

Researchers hope a new study will help save the multibillion-dollar honeybee industry.
Warming May Make Atlantic Less Salty
Finding the Right Mix of Trees to Fight Climate Change
Climate Changing Sci-Fi

How global warming is turning a genre once filled with pipe dreams into a pipeline of ideas.
The Cosmic Climate Connection

Could cosmic rays have helped cause global warming?
In Defense of Development

Political instability threatens rainforests more than industry does.
Alaskan Forest Fires Make Houston's Air Even Worse
Sensing A Path Through Pollution

Portable devices allow tracking of real-time exposure to airborne contaminants
Dinosaurs Experienced Wild Shifts in Climate
Seed Interview: Peter Doran

His research has been widely misused by global warming skeptics. Now, the Earth scientist discusses what his work means for Antarctica and the world.
Carbon Dioxide Goes Underground

Could burying the greenhouse gas help solve one of our most pressing environmental problems?
Male Turtles Can't Stand the Heat
Moral Fiber

Two young designers are proving that environmental consciousness and fashion consciousness are not mutually exclusive.
Eco-Tripping Around the World: Part IV

Our traveller stumbles across a living machine in the middle of a Hawaiian golf course.
Free DSCOVR!

A climate satellite is built and paid for. Nations offer to launch it for free. Scientists say it's an essential mission. So what's it doing in a box outside DC?
First Tree Genome Sequenced, Could Lead to Next "Biofuel" Source
Greenhouse Gas Bubbling from Siberian Permafrost
The Anthropogenic Trap

Just because we've screwed up the climate doesn't mean we're to blame for everything.
Cribsheet #6: Hurricanes

Seed's Downloadable Tool for Living in the 21st Century
Do Landscapes Influence Human Behavior?
The New Goldrush: The Demand for Ethanol
The Battle Between Food and Fuel

Exploding demand for ethanol could inflate the price of food and threaten the world's hungry
The Contrarian

An MIT climatologist's quixotic struggle against global warming science
Thank You For Polluting

How science disinformation campaigns may backfire this November.
The Jury on Global Warming

A case scheduled to be argued in front of the nation's highest court could change the course of climate change policy.
A Hostile Climate

Did global warming cause a resource war in Darfur?
Eco-Tripping Around the World: Part III

Our traveller uncovers an effort to rebuild a shallow water ecosystem in the Dutch Antilles.
Offensive Against AIDS

An ecological economist takes to the pitch to campaign against HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic.
Punishing Success at the EPA

A little known corps of engineers creates environmental innovations on an increasingly dwindling budget.
GM Yeast Turn Waste Into Ethanol

Dutch researchers rely on a fungus found in elephant guts to improve ethanol's stock as a biofuel.
After the Fire

The fight over forest recovery
As Science Goes, so Goes the Nation

How the White House misunderestimated the height, width, breadth and depth of a crucial cultural meme.
Warmer Weather Could Speed Up Speciation

Researchers find that havens for biodiversity near the equator may owe their existence to the tropical climate.
Exporting Pollution

We send it to Europe; they send it to Asia. But what happens when China starts sending more our way?
Where to Go Now

Seven sites across the globe facing radical alteration due to climate change
More Than a Minor Inconvenience

Al Gore's slideshow about the horrors of climate change hits the big screen.
The Economics of Conservation

How economists and climatologists deal with uncertainty...and each other.
Ozone Bounces Back

For once, international cooperation leads to an improvement in the global climate system.
Eco-Tripping Around the World: Part II

Our traveller happens upon a botanical garden of medicinal plants in Curaçao.
Cleantech Gets Green

Venture capitalists want in on the next wave.
The Biblical Scientist

Doron Nof finds natural mechanisms for some of Christianity's greatest miracles.
Doomsday Scenarios

What will happen to the Earth if we don't change our polluting ways?
Rainforests: Carbon Sink or Carbon Source?

Could tropical forests soon contribute to global warming?
Our Nuclear Future?

Seeking a solution to climate change, an increasing number of environmentalists are advocating nuclear power.
Measuring Chernobyl's Human Toll

Greenpeace accuses a WHO report of underestimating the extent of the nuclear disaster's effect.
Laurie David + Stephen Schneider

The activist and climate scientist enter the Seed Salon to deliberate the state of the planet.
Cribsheet #4: Hybrid Cars

Seed's Downloadable Tool for Living in the 21st Century
An Environmental Slap on the Wrist

California court rules that the Bush administration broke the law by ignoring the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
"The Mother of All Issues"

Activist Laurie David says the government is the last barrier to starting the green revolution.
A Confusing Problem

Former EPA head, Christine Todd Whitman, says the public can't decide what to think about climate change.
Transcending Urgency

Co-founder of the first Earth Day, Denis Hayes, says we need solutions to climate change yesterday.
"We're Going to Need It All"

Clinton Science Adviser, Neal Lane, says our energy needs will encompass all types of fuels.
Skipping Ahead

In his new book on global warming, Andrew Revkin takes his message to a younger generation.
E-Cards for the Earth

I have an e-mail acount and I will use it.
State of the Planet

A graphical look at what we've done and where we're going
What to Do for Earth Day

Seed presents a sample of the Earth Day events taking place around the world.
State of the Planet 2006

The x-factor in preventing catastrophe will be whether the American public sort of gets it, or really gets it.
Committed to Climate Change

Climatologist Michael E. Mann says we're past the point of no return with regards to global warming.
Talking 'Bout Earth Day

Scientists, activists and policymakers give their assessments and outlooks on our planet.
Expecting the Perfect Storm

A respected forecasting project is calling for another round of strong hurricanes this year.
Deep-Fried America

Chris Mooney takes a look at how global warming will change the United States and, with time, American politics.
What Is It Going to Take?

Seven new ideas to curb global warming now
The Plants Can't Help Us

UC Davis team says plants can't absorb all the carbon we produce.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

NOAA has begun construction on Okeanos, a deep-sea research vessel that promises to change oceanography forever.
Make Biodiversity Not War

Warring nations take a break from fighting to protect ecosystems.
The Keys to Sustainable Design

Cave dwellers in China serve as a model for designing an eco-friendly life.
Troubled Water

Known known: Medicine in the Water. Known unknown: Bad for You?
Eco-Tripping Around the World: Part I

The first installment in a yearlong expedition to uncover sustainable ecosystems.
Britain's Relaxed Emission Standards

Still going above and beyond Kyoto—as well as US efforts—the UK will not make its target of 20% emission reduction by 2010.
Springing Back

The beginning of the warm season is coming sooner than expected and could throw off ecological harmony.
Oxygen and the Growth of Complex Organisms

Prior to two billion years ago, oxygen wasn't as necessary for life to exist as it is now.
Aiming for Ecology and Economic Prosperity

The World Wildlife Fund sets out to preserve habitats and create economic growth at the same time.
Cruisin' for the Environment

New report finds that the cruise industry is more environmentally responsible than they've been in the past.
On My Mind: Freeman Dyson

The renowned physicist muses on the days when the Sahara was wet.
Warning of Things to Come

Global warming is causing a major shift in the Bering Sea ecosystem.
The Changing Face of Yellowstone

Magma movement below the surface of a crater is shifting the terrain of the National Park.
Sailing the Seas of Acid

Greenhouse gases don't just go up in the air, they plague our oceans, too.
Using the Past to Model the Future

Two eras in the distant past create cause for concern over our environmental future.
Re-Icing the Arctic

Canadian scientist suggests replacing Arctic ice caps by throwing cold water on the pile.
Losing in the Environmental Medal Count

Report presented at World Economic Forum in Davos ranks US 28th in environmental performance.
Hopi Power

One of their own gives the gift of electricity to her Native American tribe.
The Week in Science: 1/13 - 1/19

Avian flu mutates itself, Greenpeace leaves a present and the Stardust returns with, well, dust.
Driving Away From Oil

Auto show offers a bounty of green alternatives
The Caviar Kings

Inside the cartels that built empires and destroyed species
Cribsheet #2: Climate Change

Seed's Downloadable Tool for Living in the 21st Century
A Finger on the Pulse of the World

Constructal theory, once used to explain river basin shape, predicts all animal locomotion.
The Anti-Kyoto

World's largest polluters will work with industry to address climate concerns.
Wily Coyotes Move to the Windy City

Urban coyotes make their homes in Chicago and other cities around the country.
Ancient Answers to Current Climate Concerns

Modeling current global warming, based on a similar trend 55 million years ago.
Too Hungry to Enslave

Unstable food supply resulted in absence of slavery in early Australian hunter-gatherer societies.
An Environmentalist's Christmas Carol

Senate forces removal of defense bill provision that would have allowed drilling in Alaskan northeast.
Wiped from the Earth

A new map highlights habitats where extinctions are imminent and the 800 species poised to vanish.
Heeding Cassandra

Chris Mooney reports on the ignored warnings of scientists and engineers prior to Hurricane Katrina.
The Week in Science: 12/10 - 12/16

South Korea's cloning pioneer labeled a faker, a new map points out where endangered species could disappear and Virgin's Richard Branson finds a home for his spaceport.
Oceanfront Property in the Desert

A fissure in Ethiopia’s Afar Desert may be the beginnings of a new ocean basin.
Dispatch from Montreal

A youth-led movement builds at the UN's climate change talks.
Angelic Tibet

A halo above the Tibetan Plateau becomes a beautiful sight, and a cause of health concerns, amidst the remote Himalayan peaks.
Hydrogen Caged!

The future of sustainable transportation may be built on metallic-organic framework scaffolding.
New & Notable: 12/03 - 12/09

A boy genius, drugged-out elephants, the end of aging, and prairie voles in love!
Science Goes To The Dogs

How to stop Venice from being swallowed by the sea.
The Week in Science: 12/03- 12/09

Bill Clinton calls out George Bush at the UN Climate Change Conference, the genome of man's best friend is sequenced and the North Pole is on the move.
Evolution on Ice

Antarctic penguins become showcase for another evolutionary mechanism.
New & Notable: 11/19 - 11/25

Singing with Alzheimer's patients, the length of the Great Wall, more on climate change, and nasty boys!
What Happens When Science is Made in China?

A Seed exclusive from Beijing
New and Notable: 11/13 - 11/18

Emotional genes, comic hero aggression and more.
Can You Stomach Lying?

A fungus' lack of libido illustrates how a strong species could become extinct.