The Voyage of the Petunia
Darwin first asked why some plants can pollinate themselves but others, like the petunia, can not. After 130 years, Teh-hui Kao has the answer.

Deconstructing Poverty
The solution to poverty is economic development, right? Not really, says Lakshman Yapa. Focusing on poverty through an economic lens has left us blind to other sides of the problem.

The World of Machine Intelligence
What's an intelligent machine? One that reasons, or one that finds patterns? Says Jim Stover, who's made one, the second approach "does not assume 'conscious' processing on the part of the machine (although it doesn't preclude it, either)."

Sound Spaces
When the Duo Concertant played Carnegie Hall, violinist James Lyon and pianist Timothy Shafer didn't get paid. But that's okay. There's is a different reward. Says Shafer, "I don't understand people who bungee jump just to get the high we get from what we do everyday."

Outlook: World as Garden, Garden as Self

Outlook: College Girls

Encyclopedia:

American Hindu

Light Into Motion

Buyer Beware

Rest for the Weary

Critters Damage Crops

Whence the Medfly

What's a Hoatzin?

The Smoker's Badge

Green DMZ

Reconsidered: Terrible Beauty

Notebook: Our Favorite Martin