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Synthetic Biology: Creating New Forms of Life
When leading genomic scientist, J. Craig Venter announced in May 2010 that he’d created the first self-replicating organism with a totally synthetic genome (the genetic material of an organism), it was the first time many people had heard of synthetic biology. Venter did not actually create a synthetic living organism—rather his research team created a…
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Ancient mud from the high Andes
Thanks in large part to Matt, an undergraduate from Pacific Lutheran University in Washington, our field team now has more than sixty samples for surface-exposure dating. This is no easy feat, for collecting these samples requires a great deal of hammering on granite boulders with nothing more than a hammer and chisel. There are other…
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Summoning ocean bottom seismometers from the deep
After leaving our seismometers on the seafloor offshore Alaska for a few days to record sound waves generated by the air guns of the R/V Langseth, we returned to collect them. The recovery of OBS always involves a certain amount of suspense.
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Ripple Effect Author Talks Efficiency; Cleanup
The outlook for global water is bleak, but Alex Prud’Homme still believes in the power of human ingenuity.
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New health and community facilities in Sauri
Post by Salome Munyendo Members of the small community of Uranga, in Western Kenya, don’t have to walk long distances anymore to access healthcare. Now, they can visit St. Elizabeth Onding dispensary, which was inaugurated recently by local officials and the Sauri Millennium Village team. The villagers were so aware of the need for such…
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Climate information and disasters: two interviews
Jan Egeland and Madeleen Helmer talk about the value of forecasts in disaster preparation.
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Water Scarcity: A Shared Problem With a World of Solutions
Columbia scientists and affiliates from four continents came together for the first time last week to discuss global water scarcity, present solutions from their own countries, transfer knowledge and present next steps to scale up current projects.
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New working paper: Model Districts as a roadmap for scale-up
Read our team’s new working paper on ‘Model Districts as a Roadmap for Public Health Scale-up in India.’ In this paper we will briefly explain how India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and The Earth Institute arrived at the need for the Model Districts initiative, the project’s proposed strategy for narrowing the policy-practice gaps and…
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Childbearing May Hinder Higher Education for Women
But Do Findings in Norway Apply to Other Nations?
AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More
