Inequality
1 World, 10 Billion People: Who Thrives, and Who Falls Behind?
Quality of life on an increasingly crowded planet depends on decisions made today
Stories by Mara Hvistendahl
The Sciences
China's New Birth Rule Can't Restore Missing Women and Fix a Population
The government ended a one-child limit, but the policy already encouraged millions of abortions of females, causing lasting damage
Health
How Ultrasound Changed the Human Sex Ratio
A technology originally developed for maritime navigation and detection has become the dominant method for sex selection
The Sciences
The Vibrator
One of the first electrical appliances made its way into the home as a purported medical device
The Sciences
Paper Money
A substitute for coins turned into a passport for globalization
The Sciences
Origins: The Start of Everything
Where do rainbows come from? What about flying cars, love and LSD?
Health
Future of Popular Chinese Herbal Medicine Up in the Air
Demand soars, populations dwindle of caterpillar fungus used to treat everything from cancer to erectile dysfunction
Environment
China's Three Gorges Dam: An Environmental Catastrophe?
Even the Chinese government suspects the massive dam may cause significant environmental damage
Space & Physics
Is China's Great Wall Visible from Space?
Though it stretches for some 4,500 miles, the ancient Chinese fortification is not as visible from orbit as modern desert roads
Energy
Coal Ash Is More Radioactive Than Nuclear Waste
By burning away all the pesky carbon and other impurities, coal power plants produce heaps of radiation
