UnDisciplined

For a very long time it was assumed that competition and predation drove evolution and ecologies. And it’s true that antagonism plays a role. But so does mutualism — species benefiting one another without cost or consequence. And biologist Jenn Rudgers says that we should keep that in mind as we face a world that is being stressed by climate change.

Marcy Litvak says it’s vital that we try to sort out how carbon behaves in different areas of the world, and research efforts like the New Mexico Elevation Gradient Project are helping do just that.

When strong beliefs, sometimes century-long beliefs, are disputed, people tend to double down. And this is true for many people–from cult members, to respected researchers. And Dr. Marty Makary suggests that it’s notably present in medicine, and in the way we tend to groupthink.

In his new book, Combing Through the White House, Theodore Pappas suggests that the hair of American leaders has long conveyed important political and symbolic messages, and has affected the way in which the public perceives them.

It is sometimes assumed that women, as a group, tend to feel differently about climate and climate change than men. and that’s true — but as it turns out, context matters.

It was not so long ago that there seemed to be no end in sight for the continual rise of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe. But now it seems possible, even likely, that we may have reached the point in which the emissions responsible for climate change are actually starting to fall.

The western United States is getting hotter, windier, and drier. And that means more fire risk. It also means that when a fire does occur, it is likely to be much more dangerous and destructive.

Wolves were once naturally abundant in Yellowstone national park, but starting in the 1870s they fell prey to humans who hunted them until their numbers were non-existent. And this was all to protect the “big game species,” like bison and elk. But the perceived “threat” that wolves were to these species wasn’t really correct, due to their very physiology. And Dan Macnulty suggests that we need to...

One of the things that is often missed when we talk about climate change and agriculture is that climate shifts have always impacted where we can plant and what we can grow. And one of the best ways to really see this is to track how corn production has moved across North America for thousands of years. Andrew Gillreath-Brown’s work was funded by https://app.openskope.org/, a project which aims to...

For decades the basic principles of climate science were not at all controversial. To understand what changed we have to go back into the past. That’s what David Lipsky does in his latest book, The Parrot and the Igloo. (Part 2 of 2)

For decades and decades the basic principles of climate science were not at all controversial. And then, something happened. But to understand why, we have to go back into the past. (Part 1 of 2)

Archeological anthropologist Todd Braje points out that humans have been impacting global climates and ecologies for millennia. And he says that if we really want to understand our future, we need to understand that part of our past.

Since 2011, the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund has supported hundreds of researchers who have been attacked, sued, defamed, and threatened — and this year the organization has been busier than ever. The group’s director, Lauren Kurtz, says she’s happy that her organization is being sought out by scientists in need—and really sad that there is a need.

Anne Schechinger, isn’t opposed to federally subsidized insurance, but she believes it’s long past time that we look very hard at places like the Lonestar State and ask whether things need to change.

It's possible that a nation suffering from the extreme effects of climate warming might take simple steps that could change the global atmosphere. There’s not much to stop it from happening, so Ben Kravitz says the the world needs to be prepared.

John Vucitech suggests that it’s not just the science that matters when we’re talking about our longstanding views on wolves–it’s also a matter of compassion, and of understanding.

Coral reefs are some of the oldest, most diverse ecosystems on Earth. But they’re also among the most vulnerable. So, what do we do? Mary Hagedorn has an idea: Let’s collect as many as possible and freeze them.

Rafi Kohan’s latest book tells the story of trash talk, and explains why the practice of leveling vicious insults at our rivals might not be all that bad.

Bill Weir once felt as though he was watching the American story change in staggering ways. But now he wakes up each morning with more wonder than worry.

Brittany Gowan says that no matter where you are, and no matter how far you might feel from the world as it once existed, you can still connect to nature.

If you have a gnawing sense that this is end of the world as we know it, then know this: You’re not alone. And Athena Aktipis has some advice for you.

Until recently, there hasn’t been a great way of assessing groundwater storage, or understanding how climate change is impacting it.

Matthew’s recent paper looks at the potential connections between ocean temperatures and epic winters, like the one we experienced in the Mountain West in 2022-23.

For 21 years, the pub event series known as Nerd Nite has cross-crossed the globe, making science accessible and fun.

In The Asteroid Hunter, Dante Lauretta chronicles the quest to retrieve a sample from Bennu, which is one of the large asteroids that is most likely to collide with the Earth.