Ed Yong on the Craft of Science Writing and Communication — When it comes to science writing and communication, there are few writers as skilled at their craft as Ed Yong. He’s something of a science writing prodigy. …

James Nestor’s book ‘Breath’ chronicles the new science on the ancient art of better breathing. — “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe better.” — Dr. Andrew Weil When I first started reading James Nestor’s new book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, I was curious but skeptical…

“An influential line of thinking in behavioral science…was a mistake.” — An influential line of thinking in behavioral science, to which the two authors have long subscribed, is that many of society’s most pressing problems can be addressed cheaply and effectively at the level of the individual, without modifying the system in which individuals operate. Along with, we suspect, many colleagues…

“Across the world, ecosystems are for sale.” — “Across the world, ecosystems are for sale. The commodification of nature, and its appropriation by a wide group of players, for a range of uses — current, future and speculative — in the name of ‘sustainability’, ‘conservation’ or ‘green’ values is accelerating.” —James Fairhead, Melissa Leach & Ian Scoones (2012)…

Does the language we speak influence how we think, feel and act towards the natural world? — “Few ideas generate as much interest and controversy as the linguistic relativity hypothesis, the proposal that the particular language we speak influences the way we think about reality. …

“There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.” — “As the poet Audre Lorde reminds us, “There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.” Indeed, what could be less new than the power of story? …

My 2023 Book List for Exploring The Roots of The Radical Environmental Movement in the U.S. — This Radical Land: A Natural History of American Dissent, by Daegan Miller. Driven Wild: How the Fight against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement. By Paul Sutter. The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection. By Dorceta E. Taylor. The Ecocentrists: A History of Radical Environmentalism…

The Potential and Pitfalls Of Climate Crisis Movies — You’ve probably heard of Don’t Look Up, a recent Netflix film directed by Adam McKay and co-written with David Sirota by now, but just in case here’s the trailer: The film’s plot follows the frustrated efforts of two astronomers (played by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio) to communicate their…

“Wolves are likely to remain a political football in the larger predator political arena for quite some time to come” — In this essay, I look at some of the recent political controversy surrounding the reintroduction of gray wolves in the U.S. …