Volume 11, Number 1
Features
Garbage In, Garbage Out
When a single swath of ocean contains more plastic than plankton, the simple act of taking out the trash becomes a grueling scientific challenge.
By Susan Casey
Stung From Behind
Researchers may be overlooking an insidious pollinator crisis—one that has little to do with bees and everything to do with booming markets for raspberries, pears, and chocolate.
By Nathaniel Johnson
Wounds That Can Heal
A pioneering study of nature’s recovery times delivers a ray of hope—and a respite from apocalyptic storylines.
By Marguerite Holloway
Solutions
A Flock of Jets Mimicking birds could reduce airline emissions
Cheap Labor Penguins, seals, and petrels drafted to map the sea
Skin Cream for Ships Hulls engineered to mimic whale skin may improve fuel efficiency
Biological Batteries Tapping into the power of the electric eel
Disturbing the Peace War-inducing chemical turns invasive ants against each other
Spider Silk Muscles A two centimeter rope of spider silk can hoist an SUV
Lighten Up
Cartoons by Peter Ommundsen. Print Edition Only.
Essay
Shy Affectionate SF Seeking LTR With Nature
By Kathleen Dean Moore
Journal Watch
Coyotes thriving in North American cities
Some species build heavier shells in acidic seawater
Wildlife farming increases appetite for threatened species
Rising CO2 levels could battle back nitrogen pollution’s assault on plants
Planting trees in mid-latitudes—rather than the tropics—keeps the planet cool
The dark side of green consumerism
Blue whale songs are mysteriously changing frequencies
The boom and bust cycle of shade-grown tropical chocolate
Amphibians may not be canaries in a coal mine after all
Some forests may sequester less carbon as climate warms
Book Marks
Jacques Cousteau, The Sea King Print Only
Think Again
Why is Climate Change Denial so Seductive?
by George Monbiot