The Tragicomedy of Johanna the Super Whale
How a beached cetacean triggered one whale of a controversy.
Is Your Favorite Tree an Invasive Species?
Some superstar trees in the US are actually invasive to their ecosystems. Blossoming cherry trees, for example.
The Whole Earth Catalog, Where Counterculture Met Cyberculture
Long before Facebook or Twitter, an L.L. Bean-style catalog for hippies inspired the creation of one of the world’s first social networks.
How Charles Keeling Measured the Rise of Carbon Dioxide
The climate scientist created a new method to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide. It's still used today.
Calling All Anglophiles
Celebrate Spring with these watercolor paintings of wildflowers by Margaret Rebecca Dickinson.
Why Do We Listen to Sad Music?
Scientists investigate the emotional and physical effects of sad music, in an ongoing quest to explain the "paradox of pleasurable sadness."
Plant of the Month: Cordyline
Plantfluencers? Back in the nineteenth century, it was the dazzling leaves of cordyline that set trends in domestic style.
What’s the Deal with Crypto Art?
Thirty years after the invention of blockchain, an artist sold a JPG using that technology for nearly $70 million. Huh?
C. Buddy Creech: Your Vaccine Questions Answered
Vaccinologist C. Buddy Creech on getting vaccinated, racial disparities, and the lessons we’ve learned after a year of COVID-19.
Shedding Light on the Cost of Light Pollution
Artificial light has a huge variety of harmful effects on ecosystems. Scientists are exploring ways to mitigate the damage.