Volume 12, Number 3
Features
Natural History Upgrade
Struggling to survive in the twenty-first century, naturalists might take a page from their own playbook: evolve, adapt—and use technology to woo people back to nature.
By Richard Conniff
Design Genius
Nature’s most elegant designs may hold the key to super-efficient, ecofriendly technology
The Efficiency Catch-22
Some experts say that energy efficiency can slash carbon emissions at bargain prices. Others say, not so fast. The more energy we save, the more we use.
By John Carey
Finding Genes That Fit
Desperate to break up the genetic monotony that cripples endangered species, researchers are outfitting populations with borrowed genes. The payoff is survival. The price is uniqueness.
By Joe Roman
Conversations
Counsel for the Accused
John Nielsen talks with ecologist Elizabeth Nichols about parasite conservation.
Solutions
Following the Paper Trail
New DNA and forensic techniques could curb illegal logging
Bottom Feeders
Mushrooms that clean up dirty diapers
Free-Range Fish Herding
Wild-fish roundups may be the future of sustainable seafood
Can I Keep It?
An app for finding ecofriendly exotic pets
Electric Fruits
Tropical plants could charge your next car battery
Between a Rock and a Warm Place
Pumping CO2 underground to generate geothermal power
Think Again
Everything Old Is Green Again
By Sarah DeWeerdt
Journal Watch
Edited by David Malakoff
Nuclear power and climate change don’t mix
Cell phones buzz off bees
Demographics of climate-change denial
Measuring uranium contamination with Coke
Eco-bigotry
Carbon footprint of Antarctic tourism
Warming climate boosts avian malaria
Artificial light and moth mortality
“Landscapes of death” create conservation opportunities
The Essayist
The Ecology of Make-Believe
By Adelheid Fischer
Bookmarks
The Rat in the Hat Doesn’t Come Back
A review of William Stolzenbug’s Rat Island
By Jeffrey Lockwood
An Invasive in Every Pot
Books and resources for cooking up invasive species
Art & Science (print only)
Chris Jordan’s sobering blend of garbage, statistics, and impressionist masterpieces