From The Magazine

short takes

  • How to Plant Trees

    One seedling at a time, it's possible to change the world.
  • The Carbon Exchange

    In the carbon cycle, it's not just about the individual tree-the entire forest plays a role. Leaves take in carbon dioxide, converting it to sugar, which is carbon-based. Some of the sugar is used immediately for energy, converted back to CO2, and released into the atmosphere. The rest is stored in living wood or dead matter, such as fallen leaves and branches. Old-growth forests, in particular, store vast amounts of carbon while continuing to absorb CO2.
  • Feeding Time in the Lab

    Cultivating mosquitoes for malaria research.
  • Scaling the Heights

    Climate change holds the potential to profoundly affect epidemiologic patterns, and vector biologist Andrew Githeko says malaria is particularly sensitive to this upheaval.
  • Coming Soon to a Western State Near You?

    So far, rational environmental arguments have largely kept Utah's tar sands, which contain an estimated 12 billion to 20 billion barrels of oil, in the ground. Rising oil prices, however, may soon erase these historic constraints, just as they have done in Canada.
  • Smaller Is Weirder

    Nanomaterials have a much higher surface-to-mass ratio, and while this makes them good for such purposes as water filtering, it also could cause them to interact with body cells that their tiny size allows them to infiltrate.
  • People Power, Danish-style

    Jeppe Blak-Nielsen has his own very specific reason for appreciating windmills: "Whenever the turbines at Middel-grunden are running," the Copenhagen yachtsman says, "I know the wind is perfect for sailing."
  • Big Change, Starting Now!

    When we launched the Stepitup07.org campaign in early January, we didn't know what to expect.
  • Yellowstone Grizzlies: Threatened or Not?

    A number of scientists and environmental leaders say the Yellowstone population isn't ready to sustain itself without federal protection.


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