Déjà vu: Positive train control could have prevented Hoboken accident as officials run out of track on excuses
The New Jersey Transit train that crashed in Hoboken didn't have a mandated auto-stopping safety system. Why not?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Transportation
Analysis and Comment
Underwater robots help scientists see where marine larvae go and how they get there
Most ocean species start out as larvae drifting with currents. Using underwater robots, scientists have found that larvae use swimming motions to affect their course and reach suitable places to grow.
Climate change and the presidential race: Lessons from the Reagan years
Trump is following in Ronald Reagan's footsteps by pushing against regulations, but in the 1980s, it only awakened the public to environmental concerns.
Scientist at work: Tracking melt water under the Greenland ice sheet
A glaciologist develops a lightweight method for probing the depths of Greenland's ice sheet to answer a crucial question: How fast is it melting?
Addicted to oil: US gasoline consumption is higher than ever
Many people thought U.S. gasoline consumption had already peaked. They were wrong. What happened?
Current emissions could already warm world to dangerous levels: study
New projections suggest the world could warm 3-7 degrees over coming centuries.
Memo to next president: Here’s how to avoid our history of energy policy mistakes
Presidential candidates need to talk more about energy and address a tough question: what does the government do well on energy policy and what it should stay out of?
Why the Native American pipeline resistance in North Dakota is about climate justice
What is the months-long North Dakota Access Pipeline protest really about? A Native American scholar connects the dots to environmental justice and the legacy of U.S. colonialism.
As climate change alters the oceans, what will happen to Dungeness crabs?
Global climate change is altering the chemistry of the oceans. A recent study suggests that the Pacific coast's lucrative Dungeness crab fishery could suffer as ocean water becomes more acidic.
Millions rely on cheap cloth masks that may provide little protection against deadly air pollution
Inexpensive cloth face masks, worn by many people in heavily polluted countries, offer only partial protection. Instead governments should warn people to avoid exposure and work to clear the air.
Overcooling and overheating buildings emits as much carbon as four million cars
Poor thermostat settings are making people uncomfortable and wasting hundreds of millions of dollars, an analysis shows. What can be done about this?
Scientist at work: Revealing the secret lives of urban rats
Rats foul our food, spread disease and damage property, but we know very little about them. A biologist explains how he tracks wild rats in New York City, and what he's learned about them so far.
Bioethicist: The climate crisis calls for fewer children
A philosopher of 'procreation ethics' at the center of a controversy over having kids explains why we can't ignore the population question in an era of climate change.
How big data and algorithms are slashing the cost of fixing Flint’s water crisis
By tapping into diverse data sources in Flint, researchers can predict vulnerable homes and even have found that home water service lines may not be the biggest contributor to lead poisoning.
How a native plant ended up on reality TV, and why it’s at risk
American ginseng, a slow-growing native plant long used in traditional medicine, was abundant in colonial times. Now illegal harvesting and other stresses are pushing it close to extinction.
Who should pay for our corn ethanol policy – Big Oil or gas stations?
A fight's breaking out over who should pay subsidies for corn ethanol, and it is consumers who may end up paying for any changes.
An official welcome to the Anthropocene epoch – but who gets to decide it’s here?
An expert panel has announced that we truly are living in the geological era defined by humanity's fingerprint. But is it as simple as that, and does it leave "Anthropocene science" open to attack?
Genetic studies may hold the key to saving west and central Africa’s lions
African lions were initially thought to belong to a single subspecies but new research shows that there is more diversity on the African continent.
The most important dam you probably haven’t heard of
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, under construction on the Blue Nile, will bring electricity and wealth to East Africa, but could also have harmful environmental and political impacts.
Will a merged Tesla-SolarCity put a solar-powered battery in every home?
Critics don't think Tesla can sell enough home batteries to justify its acquisition of SolarCity, but what they're underestimating is the potential for innovation the Gigafactory brings.
Fracking and health: What we know from Pennsylvania’s natural gas boom
Three studies find higher rate of health issues for people who live near large or many fracked natural gas well sites.
Understanding mosquitoes can help us find better ways to kill them
While no one likes getting bitten by mosquitoes, you might be surprised (and even a little fascinated) at the complex adaptions mosquitoes have developed to locate their favorite food sources.
Louisiana’s Cajun Navy shines light on growing value of boat rescuers
Improvised rescues, such as boat owners saving people in flooded Louisiana, have become an integral part of federal and state disaster response efforts.
Suburban sprawl and poor preparation worsened flood damage in Louisiana
Recent floods in southeast Louisiana were the most severe U.S. natural disaster since 2012's Hurricane Sandy. Suburban sprawl and slow execution of flood control projects worsened the damage.
King Coal is dethroned in the US – and that’s good news for the environment
How bad are things for U.S. coal? Very bad, but that's very good for environment. Now the question is whether other countries will cut back on coal as well.
The Industrial Revolution kick-started global warming much earlier than we realised
The first signs that humans were warming the climate appeared much earlier in the northern hemisphere - way back in the 1830s. But now the trend is emerging all over the globe.
Nuclear power deserves a level playing field
A nuclear engineer makes the case that nuclear power plants are important resources and should receive economic rewards for providing steady supplies of carbon-free electricity.
Compete or suckle: Should troubled nuclear reactors be subsidized?
A former state regulator and member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission argues that subsidizing reactors to keep them running is unnecessary and will be bad for consumers and the environment.
Can a single region in Florida show the state how to adapt to climate change?
With little state and federal leadership, regional planners in southern Florida try to prepare for the effects of climate change.
The threat to the world’s largest wild animals is much greater than we thought
60% of the world’s largest carnivores and herbivores are classified as being threatened with extinction
Range anxiety? Today’s electric cars can cover vast majority of daily U.S. driving needs
Electric vehicles could cover the daily energy needs of nearly 90 percent of personal cars in the U.S., analysis shows
Beyond borders: Why we need global action to protect migratory birds
Migratory birds play key ecological roles. and connect us with nature. The 1916 Migratory Bird Treaty curbed overhunting, but birds face other threats today that require international solutions.
As Rio bay waters show, we badly need innovation in treating human wastes
Expecting the rest of the world to adopt expensive, centralized sewage treatments systems common in the U.S. is not realistic.
Brazil’s sewage woes reflect the growing global water quality crisis
Wastewater treatment systems around the world are hamstrung by outdated tests that don't identify a growing array of pathogens or identify the sources of pollutants.
Cotton farmers profit from simple steps to help pollinators
Bees and other pollinating insects are under stress worldwide. Research in South Texas shows that simple steps like planting wildflowers near fields can help pollinators and boost farmers' profits.
A 400-year-old shark is the latest animal discovery to reveal the secrets of long life
What are the oldest living animals on the planet?
National Parks Centennial
Obama’s Hawaiian marine preserve: Massive potential, monumental challenges
The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is huge win for preservation, but it also poses outsized management challenges for the National Park Service.
Melting glaciers, shifting biomes and dying trees in our national parks – yet we can take action on climate change
The National Park Service's principal climate scientist explains why the parks are important laboratories for climate change research, and how climate change is altering the parks.
Corporate sponsors at Yosemite? The case against privatizing national parks
As the National Park Service turns 100 years old, two conservation scholars and former park rangers respond to critics who support privatizing national parks or putting them under state control.
More than scenery: National parks preserve our history and culture
When we think of national parks, many people picture geysers or mountain peaks. But the park system also protects historic sites and objects that show how the U.S. has evolved into a diverse society.
Wildfires
Wildfires in West have gotten bigger, more frequent and longer since the 1980s
A review of more than 40 years of wildfire activity in the western U.S. demonstrates the potent effect drier, warming spring seasons, due to climate change, is having on wildfires.
Recreating forests of the past isn’t enough to fix our wildfire problems
Restoring forest landscapes through active thinning and letting fires burn in order to minimize fire damage has proved harder and less effective than advocates believed, says historian of fire.
Flint water crisis
Piping as poison: the Flint water crisis and America’s toxic infrastructure
A wake-up call from Flint: the U.S. has made great gains in reducing lead exposure, but the country is still saddled with millions of miles of water-carrying lead pipes.
In kids, even low lead levels can cause lasting harm
Children exposed to lead are at elevated risk for learning delays and academic issues.
Is lead in water a problem beyond Flint? We don’t do the testing to find out
Will anyone be prosecuted in the Flint water crisis?
Public universities must do more: the public needs our help and expertise
To help resolve the Flint water crisis, a university leans on its community
Flint’s water crisis is a blatant example of environmental injustice
State takeovers do little to help cash-strapped cities like Flint
Can drinking water be delivered without disinfectants like chlorine and still be safe?
Malheur Occupation
Malheur occupation in Oregon: whose land is it really?
Like much federal land in the US West, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has a long history tied to Native Americans’ plight and conflicts between settlers and the federal government.
Columnists
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
We helped uncover a public health crisis in Flint, but learned there are costs to doing good science
Virginia Tech University engineering students blew the whistle on Flint, Michigan's toxic drinking water. Hailed as heroes, they've also learned that it isn't easy to do science for the public good.
Should Florida ‘frack’ its limestone for oil and gas? Two geophysicists weigh in
There's a debate over whether fracking should be introduced into Florida, a state with a unique geology and hydrology that introduces a long list of environmental concerns.
Why is the U.S. unwilling to pay for good public transportation?
How did urban public transport in America, like much of our infrastructure, get to be in such bad shape? Will millennials help turn it around?
The science behind the Flint water crisis: corrosion of pipes, erosion of trust
Treating municipal water, particularly from rivers, is difficult technically and cash-strapped municipalities like Flint don't always know the latest science.
Cuba’s sustainable agriculture at risk in U.S. thaw
Cuban farming is a model of agroecology -- growing food without heavy use of fossil fuel or chemicals. But closer relations with the U.S. could push Cuba back toward large-scale industrial farming.
Malheur occupation is over, but the war for America’s public lands rages on
A geography professor reports from the front lines of the Malheur occupation. Despite strong local opposition to occupiers, he foresees more conflicts to come.
Who politicized the environment and climate change?
Historically, environmental causes enjoyed bipartisan support but gains by NGOs and the emergence of climate change as a social issue have created a sharp political divide.
How fast can we transition to a low-carbon energy system?
Dealing with climate change will require countries to 'decarbonize' their energy infrastructure. The history of infrastructure suggests this could happen quickly once the transition starts.
White shark populations are growing. Here’s why that’s good news
A rash of white shark attacks this summer points to a rebounding population in the US – a sign of healthier oceans and the need to coexist with this apex predator.
Concrete jungle: cities adapt to growing ranks of coyotes, cougars and other urban wildlife
Urban wildlife is here to stay. Cities and their residents need better policies to coexist with the many animals making their homes in cities and suburbs.
Most Read past week
- Addicted to oil: US gasoline consumption is higher than ever
- American Medical Association warns of health and safety problems from ‘white’ LED streetlights
- Bioethicist: The climate crisis calls for fewer children
- Scientist at work: Revealing the secret lives of urban rats
- Why is the U.S. unwilling to pay for good public transportation?
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