Spring 2011

Volume 12, Number 1

Features

Shrink to Fit
Humanity appears to be ushering in a new age of minifauna– a new kind of Lilliputian world full of runts and dwarves.
By David Malakoff

Material World
An unusual library in New York City connects designers, architects, and manufacturers to a new generation of green materials– everything from tree-free paper to sponges that sop up oil spills.
By Maywa Montenegro & Veronique Greenwood
Photos By Michael Pick

Conservation and Poverty
In protected areas across the planet, locals are waiting for the benefits of conservation to improve their lives.  And waiting and waiting…
By Fred Pearce

Vanishing Point
Drop anchor or drift away?  The threat of sea-level rise is forcing the island nation of the Maldives to confront an obliterated future– and all options for survival are on the table.
By Bucky McMahon

Conservation Conversations

Flight Tracker
John Nielsen talks with Martin Wikelski, the director of the ornithological station of Germany’s Max Planck Institute, who dreams of using the International Space Station to track migrating species around the globe.

Solutions

Pork in a Petri
Stem-cell technology spurs the advent of in vitro meat
Foam Milk
Biodegradable styrofoam with a dairy twist
Cattle Feed with a Kick
A spicy livestock diet knocks the wind out of methane emissions
Tree Farming
Planting crops under leafy trees provides affordable green fertilizer
Leaf Lit
Nanoparticles could make trees light up the night

Think Again

Frog Fable Brought to Boil
By Karl S. Kruszelnicki

Journal Watch

By David Malakoff

Depopulation in the Amazon
Democracy and deforestation
The ecological effects of harvesting wave energy
Dead salmon revive parks
Aging populations curb carbon emissions
Forest growth slows wind speeds
Measuring the human toll on global fisheries
Old maps reveal forest recovery
Abandoned mines generate green energy

The Essayist

Aural Fog
By Alan Burdick

Books et al.

Green Dreams: Lost and Found
A review of Alexis Madrigal’s Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology
By Stewart Brand