Volkswagen Is Far From the Only Auto Company Skilled in Evading the Green Police

The Recent Emissions Scandal Reveals the Gulf Between Eco-Friendly Transportation Demand and Regulatory Ability

During Super Bowl 2010, an ad came on featuring uniformed “Green Police” who put a guy in a headlock for taking a plastic bag, bust a man for failing to recycle an orange peel, and haul away an older gentleman who uses regular light bulbs instead of energy savers. Then these Orwellian figures put up a roadblock to stop polluting cars, but when they see an Audi diesel, they say “clean diesel” and wave the driver through. The ad ends with the words: “Green Never Felt So Good.”

But to …

More In: Small Science

Meet the Deadly Bacteria Whose Story Is a Curious Mix of Hope and Danger

The ‘Elizabethkingia’ Strain Could Cure Malaria, but It’s Also Sickened Dozens in Wisconsin

Back in 1948, Milton Berle had a TV show where he’d greet his audience with “Good evening, ladies and germs!” This was considered hysterically funny, and so absurd: Germs were …

America’s Coasts Can Already Taste the Danger of Rising Sea Levels

High Tides and Record Flooding Are Just the Rehearsal for a Troubling Future

In June 2009, the coming of summer brought beautiful sunny days up and down the eastern seaboard of the U.S. But then something weird, almost creepy, happened in the mid-Atlantic …

When Frogs Sing Their Evening Song, Listen for Nature’s Greatest Lesson

Spring Peepers Hijack My Brain With an Arrhythmic Chorus About Chance and Survival

For some people, spring begins with the sound of birds. For me, it’s frogs.

All winter, frogs crouch hidden in the leaves, their outsides frozen so hard they’d make a …

E. Coli Is Your Oldest Friend

The Evolutionary Genius of This Shifty Bacteria Is Giving Scientists New Healing Superpowers

It’s hard to find a fan of E. coli—especially since last October, when 55 people in 11 states got sick after eating at Chipotle—but we can see a reflection of …