As Rainforests Shrink, Medicines Vanish

Plants are a rich source of compounds that may prove to have medicinal properties or serve as building blocks for new drugs to treat conditions like high cholesterol, cancer, and even viruses like Ebola. But as tropical rainforests are lost to fires and clearing, so too are diverse, unstudied plants species.

By Walter Suza
11.19.2019
Editorial Mission
Editorial Mission
Undark Editorial Mission
We illuminate the complicated and fractious places where science collides with politics, economics, and culture, and where differing world views compete for resources and influence. Learn more here.
Editor's Pick:
Listening to the Tales Only a Corpse Can Tell
By Rene Ebersole
11.11.2019
Trending
Searching for Meaning on Our Pale Blue Dot
By Ramin Skibba
11.15.2019
Toward a Greener Cement Industry
By Marcello Rossi
11.13.2019

ICYMI Highlights

Abstracts: Climate Woes, Juul Under Fire, and More

More than anything, the withdrawal seemed to highlight the limited power of the executive branch to bring about meaningful climate action — even if it wanted to. After all, while international treaties do offer hope that a sympathetic administration will act, the commitments offer little political leverage.

By Michael Schulson
11.08.2019
Review: Three Mind-Blowing Views of Consciousness

Three recent books tackle the riddle of consciousness from wildly different perspectives: Can we actually “measure” consciousness? Is everything a little bit conscious? Are we really able to perceive “objective reality”? Are “conscious machines” possible in the future? Get ready to dive down the rabbit hole.

By Dan Falk
11.08.2019
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