We Need a Better Way to Measure Hurricanes
The current category system doesn’t give a clear indication of how much damage a storm can inflict.
What Sound Does an Iceberg Make When It Breaks Off the Ice Shelf?No audio was recorded when the Larsen C ice shelf broke. But this art exhibit simulates it using real data—and the effect is haunting.
Hunger and Obesity Can Be Two Sides of the Same CoinThe U.N.’s latest report on food security shows troubling trends for both problems.
Oregonians Are Unreasonably Furious at the Teen Who Started a Forest FireThey have suggested he be sterilized, whipped, or even lynched. But if we’re looking to place blame, we all deserve some.
In Defense of the TV Reporter Standing Outside During a HurricaneIn the age of fake news, there is some value in being pummeled by the rain.
It Doesn’t Matter if Climate Change Caused Irma and HarveyThe stories we tell ourselves are more influential than science. And the back-to-back storms are quite a story.
The Bush Torture Scandal Isn’t OverThe American Psychological Association grapples with who should take the blame for greenlighting enhanced interrogations.
The Monuments Trump Doesn’t SupportWhile the president defends racist bronze relics, he’s stripping protections from the nation’s public lands.
Scorpions Have Been Maligned in the Trump EraFirst of all, you would never put scorpions in a bottle. And second, let’s have more respect for scorpions.
How My Costa Rican Neighbors Jolted Me Out of Climate Activist ApathyThey have a front-row seat to the havoc climate change is already causing. No wonder they’re moved to action.
Prepare to Be AwedSolar eclipses having been teaching scientists new things about the universe for millennia. This one could help us unlock some major mysteries.
The Only Place in the World Where Sea Level Is Falling, Not RisingIn Sweden and Finland, it’s the land that’s technically rising faster than the sea.
There Was Another Earthquake in Mexico. Is the World Ending?Humans often seek meaning where there is none. Sometimes random events occur in patterns.
Irma May Have Been the Bigger Storm, but the Damage From Harvey’s Storm Surge Will Last for YearsReporters who covered both storms explain what it was like to be in the eye of two hurricanes, and what it will be like to rebuild.
Measuring the Mizzou EffectDoes a school’s enrollment really go down when students protest en masse?
Why Are FEMA’s Flood Maps So Horribly Flawed?They fail to take climate change into account, and they’re hard and expensive to maintain. Plus, they can be manipulated by local governments.
Grandma Shivered, Dogs Barked, Totality ArrivedWhat it was like witnessing the eclipse with my family in a faraway desert.
A Brief History of Eclipse Glasses and the People Who Forgot to Wear ThemIf you haven’t gotten yours yet, start building a pinhole camera.
How to Watch the Eclipse if You Totally Forgot About ItMost of the U.S. will at least see a partial eclipse, so even if you don’t have travel plans, you can probably see something cool.
Stop Equating “Science” With TruthEvolutionary psychology is just the most obvious example of science’s flaws.
Climate Change’s Heat Waves Will Particularly Threaten Minorities and the PoorA majority of city dwellers saw the temperature increase twice as much as the rest of the world.
Rising Seas Are Flooding Bangladeshi Farms With Salt WaterThe slow but ongoing process is disrupting the local economy.
Salk Institute Defends Itself Against Sexism by Invoking a Sexist MetricScientific journals are not bastions of meritocracy and shouldn’t be treated as such.
Will Lowering P-Value Thresholds Help Fix Science?P-values are already all over the map, and they’re also not exactly the problem.