Could Nanotechnology Spark Another ‘Silent Spring’?

A Biologist Investigates How the Booming Demand for Microscopic Materials Could Threaten Fragile Ecosystems

Nothing can compare to the first night in a rainforest. In Honduras, in 2007, I hung my hammock beneath a lavish tree canopy, closed my eyes, and let insect chirps, rustling leaves, and the flow of a nearby river lull me to sleep.

I was 19, part of a humanitarian group backpacking through the region. We were there to sample bat blood and swab geckos’ cheeks, among other tasks, so that we could find ways to bolster the jungle’s biodiversity and attract more ecotourism to the region. The magic of …

By Olivia Osborne | March 4, 2016

The Slimy Underworld That Emerges After the Rain

After a Good Soak, the City Comes Alive with Rare Snails, Poisonous Mushrooms, and Slug-Like Molds.

By Lila Higgins | February 2, 2016

Zócalo’s editors are throwing it back to some of our favorite pieces from the archive. This week: Urban nature explorer Lila Higgins revels in …

Molecular Biologist J. Craig Venter

He Feels the Need for Speed (on the Racetrack and in Science)

December 3, 2014

In 2001, J. Craig Venter became the first scientist to sequence the human genome; most recently, he and his research team created the first self-replicating bacterial cell constructed entirely with synthetic …

Life—As We Know It—Is in His Hands

Our DNA Is Software. And J. Craig Venter’s Going to Code Us All.

by Sarah Rothbard | September 24, 2014

We’ve reached a pivotal moment in our understanding of what life is. Biologist and entrepreneur J. Craig Venter, one of the scientists responsible for bringing us to this point, explained …

With Great Scientific Power Comes Great Responsibility

If Synthetic Biology Allows Us to Play God, What are the Rules?

September 22, 2014

Synthetic biology has been called “genetic engineering on steroids.” It’s also been described as so difficult to pin down that five scientists would give you six different definitions. No matter …

California Has a Mosquito Problem

A Global State Invites Global Insects. Is It Prepared to Bite Back?

by Robert K. Washino | March 25, 2014

One stifling July evening in 1952 a recently discharged Marine veteran, home from Korea, was spending the Fourth of July weekend camping at Lake Vera in the rolling foothill terrain …

Why We Need to Define “Nanomaterial”

Ambiguity Makes It Difficult to Regulate the Technology’s Potential Benefits and Harm to Our Bodies and Environment

Will We Ever Get Sane About Water?

We Have the Means To Keep Ourselves Peaceably Hydrated. The Will, For Now, Is Another Story.

My Love Letter to the Los Angeles River

An Artist Brings Angelenos One Step Closer to Their Beleaguered Concrete Ditch

Whose Colorado River Is It?

Dividing Up a Single Water Source Among 30 Million People—and Leaving Some for Nature—Is a Tricky Business

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