Stories by John Rennie

Icefish Study Adds Another Color to the Story of Blood

The rainbow of pigments that animals use for blood illustrates a central truth about evolution

Gene Drives Shown to Work in Female Mice

Biologists have demonstrated for the first time that a controversial genetic engineering technology works, with caveats, in mammals

Safe Limit for Global Warming Is Lowered Dramatically by Experts

Carbon taxes and nuclear power will be necessary to cut CO2 emissions quickly enough to avert disastrous climate change, they say

How the Dive Reflex Extends Breath-Holding

Being under water triggers several biological responses that help to prolong breath holds

Migraine Revelations Afflict Michelle Bachmann's Campaign

The Evolutionary Errors of X-Men

Please, Magneto, stop blaming evolution for your anger issues

The Immortal Ambitions of Ray Kurzweil: A Review of Transcendent Man

A documentary about Ray Kurzweil's belief that technology could conquer mortality reveals the futurist's emotional life but fails to question his bold claims

7 Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense

Evidence for human interference with Earth’s climate continues to accumulate

My Moon Landing

Inspirations in Space and Closer to Home

Astronomers are finding new planets; humanitarians are improving this one

See No Evil: The Danger of (Human) Primates

Primates can be dangerous and do harm, especially the human ones

In Our Expanding Universe, Earth Is Nothing Special

We're an ordinary species on an ordinary planet. Or are we?

Qatar to get cord-blood bank, thanks to Virgin's Branson

DOHA, QATAR—Futuristic health technologies often first benefit patients in the U.S. and Europe. Now an ambitious plan backed by high-flying entrepreneur Richard Branson to start a national public-private cord blood bank in the Arab emirate of Qatar might help to ensure that the evolving science of regenerative medicine will also be able to find applications quickly within the Middle East...

Cleaning up the dirtiest fossil fuel: One company's coal fix

In a Not-So-Rosy Outlook for Green, Energy Still Wins

Where will clean tech companies find funding?

Tuberculosis, The Unromantic Killer

Tuberculosis has never stopped being one of the world's most lethal infections

A Molecular Checkup: The Nano Future of Medicine

Scientific American Editor in Chief John Rennie introduces the February 2009 issue

Green Role Model: California Academy of Sciences

This campus features a roof growing as green as their traditional landscaping

Dynamic Darwinism: Evolution Theory Thrives Today

The naturalist would approve of how evolutionary science continues to improve