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Climate Activists: To Cut Emissions, Focus On Forests

Some climate activists are looking beyond the United Nations and the idea of remaking the energy economy — and toward the world’s tropical forests. The basic idea is to provide rich countries that emit lots of climate-warming gases another way to reduce their carbon footprint besides replacing or retrofitting factories and power plants. Instead, they [...]

Cagebreak! Rats Will Work To Free A Trapped Pal

Calling someone a “rat” is no compliment, but a new study shows that rats actually are empathetic and will altruistically lend a helping paw to a cage-mate who is stuck in a trap. Not only will rats frantically work to free their trapped cage-mate, they will do so even when there’s a tempting little pile [...]

Grass Mattress Was A Stone Age Bed And Breakfast

In archaeology, you get special bragging rights when you can lay claim to the oldest specimen of something. Scientists in South Africa may now qualify for what they say is the world’s oldest bed. Well, not a bed exactly, but more like a mattress made of grass. What Lyn Wadley, an archaeologist at the University [...]

Environmental Claims For Farmed Fish Don’t Hold Up To Scrutiny

Are shoppers getting their money’s worth when they choose a salmon filet wearing an eco-sticker? A study released this week by the University of Victoria’s Seafood Ecology Research Group found that most eco-labels on farmed seafood don’t reflect better fish farming practices than other products on the market. With farmed fish, as with other foods, [...]

Vowels Control Your Brain

Here’s something you should know about yourself. Vowels control your brain. “I”s make you see things differently than “O”s. Here’s how. Say these words out loud: Bean Mint Slim These “I” and “E” vowels are formed by putting your tongue forward in the mouth. That’s why they’re called “front” vowels. Now, say: Large Pod Or [...]

Groups Fight Over Castor Bean Plan

A proposal to commercially harvest the valuable, but also potentially dangerous plant in Oklahoma attracts both praise and scorn.

Found: Earth-Like Planet That Might Be Right For Life

Scientists have discovered a planet not too much bigger than Earth that’s circling a distant star that’s much like our own sun. What’s more, this planet is in the “Goldilocks zone” around that star — a region that’s not too hot and not too cold. That’s the kind of place that could be home to [...]

Insects Find Crack In Biotech Corn’s Armor

Hidden in the soil of Illinois and Iowa, a new generation of worms appears to be munching happily on the roots of genetically engineered corn, according to scientists. It’s bad news for corn farmers, who paid extra money for this line of corn, counting on the power of its inserted genes to kill those worms. [...]

For Creative People, Cheating Comes Easier

Five months after the implosion of Enron, Feb. 12, 2002, Enron’s chief executive, Ken Lay, finally stood in front of Congress and the world and placed his hand on a bible. At that point everyone had questions for Lay. It was clear by then that Enron was the product of a spectacular ethical failure, that [...]

The Best Hike On Mars You’ll Ever Take

It took five years, three months and 27 days, but you can do it all in three minutes. Here, from start to finish, is what the NASA rover “Spirit” sniffed, bopped, scratched and saw as it moved across 4.8 miles of the Martian surface. The lens is wide-angled, so the horizon always looks like a [...]