Tag: Science
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Biotopia, American Imperialism, and Science: A Conversation with Jim Endersby
in PodcastsRebecca Laurent talks with Jim Endersby about his new book: The Arrival of the Fittest: Biology’s Imaginary Futures, 1900-1935. They discuss how a failed scientific theory inspired public optimism for science, plants, and American imperialism.
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When Was the Last Time You Saw a Firefly?
in EssaysTo Erin Hassett, the light of the firefly is not just a chemical reaction but the magic of childhood itself. As insects rapidly disappear, she reflects on her intimate relationship with the lightning bug, the tensions between science and magic that it sparks, and how we might create a brighter future.
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Plants By Any Other Name
in EssaysWhat’s in a name? Knowledge, power, and history, Jens Benöhr, Constanza López, and Kara Lena Virik argue. The scientific names of plants root botanical knowledge in colonial relationships. To decolonize ecology, we must embrace the pluriverse of knowing, naming, and living with the world.
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Troubling Dualisms with the God in the Aquarium
in EssaysGod, pet, and research subject, axolotls transgress Western dualisms. Alex Ventimilla explores what these creatures tell us about science, companionship, and life in the Anthropocene.
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Penguins, Puffins, and the Science of Seabird Scat
Erin Hassett speaks with Dr. Gemma Clucas, a researcher at Cornell University who analyzes the poop of penguins and other seabirds to reveal deteriorating ocean health and changing fish population ecology. Dr. Clucas and fellow researchers travel to remote locations to collect the poop from common terns, penguins, puffins, and other seabirds.
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Reckoning With Deep Time For A Livable World
in ReviewsKatie Mummah reviews Vincent Ialenti’s book Deep Time Reckoning, which uses lessons from nuclear waste disposal to show how long-term thinking can help us and the planet.
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Rewilding the Human Biome: A Conversation with Jamie Lorimer
From the scale of a landscape to the scale of a human body, Jamie Lorimer sees a “probiotic turn” underway that uses life to manage life.
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Forever Chemicals on the Ski Trail: A Conversation with Gail Carlson
in PodcastsIn conversation with Clare Sullivan, Dr. Gail Carlson explains how toxic PFAS found in some in ski waxes contaminate the environment and why regulating them is difficult but crucial.
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Making Zines for Science: Five Questions for Christine Liu
Artist and neuroscientist Christine Liu shares her zines, Nicotine and The Opium Poppy, that explore the links between plants, drugs, and the brain.
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Rachel Carson Joins the Literary Canon: A Conversation with Sandra Steingraber
in PodcastsThe acclaimed author and activist, who has edited the new Library of America edition of “Silent Spring,” reflects on how Carson changed her style of writing to become “defense attorney for the Earth.”