The Republican Lab-Leak Circus Makes One Important Point
“Lab leak” has too many meanings.
Science
When Will the Southwest Become Unlivable?
Air-conditioning and swimming pools are sustaining my community. I worry about the day when they won’t be enough.
Earth Is a Potato
Gravitationally speaking
Is There Such a Thing as an Eco-Friendly Hike?
The quietest sounds might still disturb wildlife.
It’s Weirdly Hard to Make Seawater Drinkable
Desalination requires tons of energy. One company is testing a hack to make it greener.
Americans Don’t Really Like to Chew
For texturally exciting gummies—powder bursts! ultra-chewy!—you have to look outside the United States.
The Harvard Expert on Dishonesty Who Is Accused of Lying
Francesca Gino stands accused of cheating in her studies of why people cheat. Was she searching for a theory of herself?
Compostable Plastic Is Garbage
Sure, these products could be better than regular old plastic. Right now, they’re not.
A New Explanation for One of Ecology’s Most Debated Ideas
Biodiversity might hinge on what species have in common, not their particular niches.
The Myth of the Galápagos Cannot Be Sustained
Tourism campaigns tout the archipelago as a diorama of prehistory. But that narrative could help degrade the islands even further.