Stories by Brendan Borrell

Biologist Jayne Belnap warns of the consequences for the American West if we don't preserve a home for the minute organisms that live in desert topsoil

Strengthening science education is the key to securing our energy future, says Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's president

As a disease detective at the NIH, William A. Gahl unravels the cause of illnesses that have stumped other doctors

U.S. Department of Agriculture's Roger Beachy advocates increasing the use of advanced agricultural technologies, both in the U.S. and the developing world, despite having grown up on a bucolic Amish farm

Genetically modified crops, says agro-research czar Roger Beachy, receive an unjustified shellacking from environmentalists

Buckthorn, garlic mustard and many other invasive species do not pose as big a threat as some scientists think, says ecologist Mark Davis

Many conservationists have dedicated their lives to eradicating invasive plant and animal species, but Mark Davis wants them to reassess their missions

Many conservationists have dedicated their lives to eradicating invasive plant and animal species, but Mark Davis wants them to reassess their missions

The blood-sucking insects are the bane of most city dwellers, but one entomologist proudly keeps a colony at the American Museum of Natural History. Is there any way for the rest of us to steer clear of them?

Most living things do it, but nobody knows why

How nothing became something

The inspiration for today's animated pictures began long ago with dreams and toys

Wheeled vehicles may have first arisen as a tool of war

Sometimes we forget where a story really starts. Are electric cars new? Where did malaria start? Who invented spaghetti? Read on, for the surprising origins of many strange and familiar things

The first black holes are almost as old as the universe itself

What persuaded the male hominid to stick around after mating?

With global biodiversity continuing to decline, conservationists have started paying people to leave forests, watersheds and wildlife intact

A new reservoir for the infamous Ebola virus

A retired zoologist claims that the metamorphic transition from caterpillar to butterfly may have arisen when different kinds of animals accidentally mated with one another, but experts are skeptical

Although the dairy industry wants a free pass for carbon emissions, some scientists are looking for ways to help it cope with a warming climate

Imbibing the liquid of fermented fruit may have had its start in medicinal traditions