British scientists today unveiled the world’s first family tree for all living birds – revealing that the group of species that outlived the dinosaurs is still evolving faster than anyone imagined. The unique snapshot goes back 110 million years to when our feathered friends shared the earth with T-Rex and the skies with pterodactyls. It…
Superstorm Sandy was no freak, say experts, but rather a hint of a coming era when millions of Americans will struggle to survive killer weather. They’re telling us we shouldn’t be surprised that this 900-mile-wide monster marched up the East Coast paralyzing cities and claiming scores of lives. “It’s a foretaste of things to come,”…
From the darkened living rooms of Lower Manhattan to the wave-battered shores of Lake Michigan, the question is occurring to millions of people at once: Did the enormous scale and damage from Hurricane Sandy have anything to do with climate change? Hesitantly, climate scientists are offering an answer that is likely to satisfy no one,…
As a writer and activist Bill McKibben has devoted his life to tackling the threat posed by man-made climate change. As Hurricane Sandy brought normal life on the East Coast to a standstill, McKibben’s Twitter feed went into overdrive — a veritable deluge of storm updates and political commentary. He just took some time out of a very busy day…
The Space Shuttle may have taken its final, valedictory tour across the United States, but that’s no reason to think that our exploration of the heavens is over. The Space Race — both in terms of manned travel and remote sensing expeditions — is as competitive now as during the days of Sputnik. Some new…
The mammoth storm that caused severe flooding, damage and fatalities to the eastern U.S. will raise pressure on Congress and the next president to address the impacts of climate change as the price tag for extreme weather disasters escalates. Hurricane Sandy devastated the east coast of the United States, claiming dozens of lives so far,…
Animals can focus their sense of smell in much the same way as humans focus their eyes, helping them detect predators and search out food. Researchers at the University of Chicago found that rats adjust their sense of smell through sniffing techniques that bring scents to receptors in different parts of the nose. The sniffing…
PBS recently aired Frontline’s “Climate of Doubt,” documenting the success of the denialists in reversing U.S. political opinion on climate science. While journalists and academics have been covering this story, this was the first comprehensive television documentary about the groups and political forces driving the climate change denial effort. Scientists’ physical predictions are often accompanied…
Since the beginning of human history, humans have bickered constantly over territory, resources, and power. Now, with the possibility of a right-wing Mormon space cadet taking up residence in the White House before the year is out, the Muslim world ready to riot at the upload of a shitty YouTube video, and the advent of…
Four years ago, America was on the verge of electing the country’s first African American president—a stunning marker, for many, of the promises of progress fulfilled. This year, Barack Obama faces a Mormon challenger, and religion, not race, fuels at least some of the suspense of this close presidential contest. But religion and race in…