Discover Magazine | Mountain, Desert, & Forest

Big Picture: The Banks That Prevent—Rather Than Cause—Global Crises

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:45:00 -0600

Every year farmers in flood-prone areas of Southeast Asia lose millions of tons of rice to high water that kills their crops. That colossal waste may soon be a thing of the past: SUB1A, a gene discovered by researchers with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the University of California, allows rice plants carrying the gene to live completely submerged for two weeks. Flood-resistant rice turned up among the 110,000 types of seed stored at the institute. It produced disappointingly low yields, but scientists were able to transfer the gene into more bountiful varieties. These have shown promising results in tests by growers in India and Bangladesh over the past two years.

This rice success story would not have been possible without the trove of genetic diversity tucked away in the IRRI’s vaults. As the world faces new agricultural challenges—shifting climate, bugs and diseases that have developed resistance to old defenses—such genetic resources are likely to become increasingly valuable. Fortunately, the IRRI is one of more than 1,000 organizations around the world (including the USDA, the International Potato Center in Peru, the Millennium Seed Bank in the U.K., and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway) cataloging and preserving crop genes. Most plant species grown for food have an associated bank that stores thousands of samples: seeds of landraces, wild relatives, and varieties that are rare, old, or adapted to very specific environments. The banks ensure that it will be possible to develop new varieties in the future.

Numbers: Plastics, From Manufacturing to Recycling to Long Death in a Landfill

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:55:00 -0500

Field Notes: Stalking Fish in the Name of Science

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0500

An exhaustive new marine census is tracking everything that swims in the sea, one fish at a time.

Visual Science: Vulcan Awakes

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:55:00 -0500

Introducing the Most Efficient Solar Power in the World

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:40:00 -0500

It's taken 25 years, but a new solar-thermal plant in New Mexico has finally broken the old efficiency record.

Big Picture: The Easiest Way to Fight Global Warming?

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:30:00 -0500

Is there an easier way to slow global warming that doesn't involve halting CO2 emissions? The answer just might be yes: All we need to do is clean up the soot.

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Hurricanes

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:25:00 -0500

A typical hurricane releases some 600 trillion watts of heat energy, equivalent to 200 times the world’s total electrical generating capacity.

When Recycling Is Bad for the Environment

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:10:00 -0500

Recycling plastic is tricky business—so much so that many of those plastics you toss in the bin are better off as garbage.

The State of the Climate—and of Climate Science

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:35:00 -0500

Four scientists discuss where the climate is and where it's going.

Volcanoes and Meteoroids Make Materials Harder Than Diamond

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:10:00 -0500

Forget Lightning. How Do We Catch Sunshine in a Bottle?

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:40:00 -0500

Renewable power is inspiring clever new ways to store electricity—and to uncork it exactly when and where it is needed.

Building an Interstate Highway System for Energy

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:20:00 -0500

Tomorrow’s smart grid will keep the lights on and factories humming with clean (but fickle) renewable energy.

New Tech Could Make Nuclear the Best Weapon Against Climate Change

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:10:00 -0500

Two new designs aim to make nuclear reactors safer and vastly more efficient.

Future Tech: When Life Gives You Manure, Make Clean Fuel

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:25:00 -0500

The simple step of drying out animal waste can help turn it into a safer, more practical energy source.

Visual Science: The Red Badge of Climate Change

Mon, 18 May 2009 10:45:00 -0500

Tracing the flow of a blood-red fluorescent dye may reveal the ultimate fate of the Greenland's ice.

A Shad Situation

Sun, 17 May 2009 10:10:00 -0500

The population of American shad rebounded in the 1990s but is again on the wane.

The Next Source of Green Energy: Your Car Itself

Sun, 03 May 2009 14:25:00 -0500

A new MIT invention turns shock absorbers into electric generators.

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Tunnels

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:15:00 -0500

New York has a forgotten one, Texas has a $2 billion wasted one, and Switzerland's building the longest.

Eyes in the Sky Show That Air Pollution Is Way Worse Than We Thought

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:40:00 -0500

New satellite tracking gives a much more accurate read on global air pollution.

The World's Biggest Tornado Hunt

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:25:00 -0500

Next month, 100 meteorologists will try to finally understand the dynamics of tornadoes—like the one that killed three people in Mena, Arkansas, last night.

Future Tech: Can Smart Tech Keep Chevy Volt's Battery Running Longer Than Your Laptop's?

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:25:00 -0500

GM says that tightly controlling how the battery charges will keep it alive for 10 years/150,000 miles.

Diamonds Are a Geologist's Best Friend

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:25:00 -0500

Tiny carbon spheres hidden under rock and ice may be telltales of cataclysmic comet strikes.

The Strange Forests that Drink—and Eat—Fog

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:40:00 -0500

Researchers have discovered that fog, originating offshore from some of the richest ocean waters on the planet, arrives in fog forests around the world bearing essential fertilizing nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and sulfur.

How to Tell If You're Poisoning Yourself With Fish

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:50:00 -0500

Researchers are creating genetic tests to determine if mercury hiding in that "healthy" dinner could be messing with your brain.

Whatever Happened To...: Acid Rain?

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:05:00 -0500

A former household term, acid rain is often mistaken as a "solved problem." But while legislation has cleaned up much of it, the problem is far from over—especially in rapidly industrializing countries.