201527
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Don’t Worry About Doomsday, Botanists Have a Plan
A new initiative of the Smithsonian Institution is building a frozen library cataloging snippets of plant tissue from every species on the planet.
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Tiny Architects
Heaved upwards from your deep and watery grave, From the quiet murk onto a chaotic, brine-encrusted ship deck, You’re ever so carefully washed free from the mud, From all the rinsings of continents that settled out of the sea with you Like snow, softly entombing your remains.
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MPA Alum Focuses Efforts on Marine Protection
Annlyn McPhie, a 2013 graduate of the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program, is applying her scientific knowledge and management skills to managing Marine Protected Areas in her native Grenada. Annlyn is working to shape the future leaders of Grenada into environmentally conscious citizens through educational programs.
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Embracing a New Environmental Era in China
As China incorporates environmental considerations into its economic planning process, its government appears to be carefully examining the relationship between sustainability and broader development goals.
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How Genomics Can Help Famine-Prone Nations Weather Climate Change
A team of biologists and agronomists has identified genomic signatures in plants indicating they are resilient to stresses such as drought or toxic soils. The multi-year study, expected to help developing-world farmers, was done with sorghum, one of the world’s most common crops.
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Faculty Profile: Peter deMenocal
As a young undergraduate, Peter deMenocal once wandered the halls of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he met Charlie Hollister, a well-known and charismatic marine geologist. Charlie invited him into his large office and recounted his life as an oceanographer: travel to distant ports, research on the open ocean, rigorous science and the thrill…
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An Algorithm to Investigate Unwelcome Plankton
Computer scientists at Columbia University will work with oceanographers to understand what has caused an unusual plankton-like species to rapidly invade the Arabian Sea food chain, threatening fisheries that sustain more than 100 million people.
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Sustainability Policy Is Taking Hold in China
I left China encouraged by the widespread receptivity to the theory and practice of sustainability, but aware of the huge challenge that lies ahead. As we flew from Guiyang to Beijing for the return flight home, I looked down and saw a countryside dotted with scores of windmills. The transition from a coal-based economy to…
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Paleontologists Are Unzipping Our Genes
Recently, paleontologists have used genomics to delve into the lives of ancient humans. These studies have capitalized on futuristic techniques to reveal the genealogy, travel plans and sex lives of our ancestors.
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
