A world like ours, in a solar system like ours, in just the right spot for life
The Nor’easter Sparks a Berm Boom
Threatened coastal towns in New Jersey race to build sand walls as another storm looms
EcocentricGoing Green
Prop 37: Why California’s Ballot Initiative on GM Food Is About Politics More than Science
Californians will go to the polls today knowing that their votes for the presidential election will be virtually worthless. President Obama has a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney in this bluest of states, and by the time polls …
A First Look at a Never-Before Seen Whale
The spade-toothed beaked whale had been one of the most elusive beasts in the world — until recently
Window on Infinity: Pictures from Space
From the final journey of Space Shuttle Endeavour to the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, view our monthly roundup of cosmic highlights from October 2012.
EcocentricEcocentric
Sandy: What a Coastal U.S. Can Learn from Other Threatened Cities
It was called the Watersnoodramp, which in Dutch means “flood disaster”—and it certainly was. The North Sea flood of 1953 was the result of a high spring tide that met a strong storm, resulting in a storm surge that inundated …
Found: The Very First Stars
Astronomers have peeled back the layers of the Universe’s Dark Ages to find its oldest stars
Manhattan Goes Dutch: Guarding Gotham With Levees
Hurricane Sandy has a lot of serious people — including New York’s governor — calling for New York City to follow New Orleans
McKibben on Sandy: The World’s Greenest Author Talks to TIME
Bil McKibben has spent his career warning the world about the wages of climate change. Now, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, he’s seeing his fears come true.
Tiny Wonders: Beauty in Miniature
The invention of the microscope opened up not just the world of science, but the world of photographic art. Nikon’s Small World Competition gorgeously illustrates how.