Natural Disasters
Landslides Kill and Hurt Thousands, but Science Largely Ignores These Disasters
Compared with landslides, volcanoes and hurricanes get a lot more attention, as well as research funding
Stories by Naomi Oreskes
Climate Change
We Can’t Solve Our Climate Problems without Removing Their Main Cause: Fossil-Fuel Emissions
“Realists” argue that climate plans need to accommodate oil and gas, but that only perpetuates the climate crisis
Conservation
Hilaree Nelson Was One of the Greatest Adventurers Ever
The mountaineer Hilaree Nelson inspired people to care about the climate crisis
Climate Change
Arctic Lakes Are Disappearing Fast, and Scientists Are Just Figuring Out Why
In an ominous sign of global warming, melting permafrost underneath Arctic lakes lets them drain into the ground
Climate Change
Why Scientists Got the Fast Pace of Arctic Warming Wrong
Concerns about accusations of hype may have biased them toward conservative underestimates
Fossil Fuels
Fossil-Fuel Money Will Undermine Stanford’s New Sustainability School
Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability will take energy industry donations, which will warp priorities and research agendas
Policy
The Public Wants Scientists to Be More Involved in Policy Debates
Researchers worry about being branded as partisan, but people want to hear from experts
Climate Change
Carbon-Reduction Plans Rely on Tech That Doesn’t Exist
Instead of scaling up renewable energy, researchers promote unproved ideas
Climate Change
Science Needs to Shrink Its Carbon Footprint
Greenhouse gas emissions from research damage climate
Education
Predatory Journals That Publish Shoddy Research Put People’s Lives at Risk
Doctors may accept spurious claims about medical treatments, and invalid studies wrongly influence public policy
Policy
It’s Time for Science to Take Down Bullies in Its Own Ranks
Academics too often use intellectual attainment to excuse abusive behavior. That needs to stop
Conservation
60 Years after Silent Spring Warned Us, Birds—and Humanity—Are Still in Trouble
Data show alarming declines in wildlife but also point to ways to save it
Culture
Popular Health Claims, Such as a Woman’s Fertility Dropping at Age 30, Are Wildly Overblown
People should be skeptical of big claims based on only one study and dig a little deeper
Climate Change
New Nuclear Power Plants Are Unlikely to Stop the Climate Crisis
These plants take too long to build and bring online, and we don’t have that much time
Climate Change
Eating Less Red Meat Is Something Individuals Can Do to Help the Climate Crisis
Our climate problem is big, but a person’s diet change can make an impact
Diversity
Once Shunned in Antarctica, Female Scientists Are Now Doing Crucial Polar Research
Women are investigating critical climate crisis problems such as the stability of giant ice sheets
Climate Change
Seeking Certainty on Climate Change: How Much Is Enough?
Two physicists object to a Scientific American essay calling for an end to one climate report. A science historian counters that the report has done its job
Climate Change
IPCC, You’ve Made Your Point: Humans Are a Primary Cause of Climate Change
It’s time to redirect your major focus to how we deal with the problem
Policy
Scientists: When Talking to the Public, Please Speak Plainly
Jargon is appropriate when you’re speaking with colleagues, but it’s a turnoff for the rest of us
Policy
The Lab-Leak Theory of COVID’s Origin Is Not Totally Irrational
Unfortunately, its strongest proponent was, which tainted its reception
