Revisiting some of the first “serious” science fiction I ever read, in our science fictional times — A global power sags under the weight of its own inertia. Political norms go out the window. The arc of history seems to bend backwards towards a crueler, more superstitious time. Specialized knowledge becomes simultaneously suspect, dangerous to possess, and unimaginably valuable. Even ivory-tower academics fear for the future.

Evolutionary biology doesn’t have an explanation for your struggle to start the day early — but we shouldn’t need that explanation in the first place. — I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions, but here at the beginning of 2021 I’m taking another swing at a habit I’ve tried to build up for most of my adult life: waking up early, naturally. I’d love to be a morning person, rising easily to finish breakfast and a…

Why did LGBT biologists react with skepticism last year when Science published the first modern genomic study of same-sex sexuality? — The following is a transcription of my contribution to the 2020 Decolonize DNA Day Twitter conference, with some editing for readability in blog-post format. You can read the original thread starting here, and find audience questions with my responses on the conference Twitter account, @DecolonizeDNA.

Why Hope Jahren’s new ecological manifesto reminded me of a cookbook. — Living sustainably is, as they say, a growth industry. Any grocery store I choose to visit offers products made with organic-certified, ethically sourced ingredients. In Los Angeles, where I live, many now also have a section of the meat department given over to a diversifying array of plant-based replacements for…

The single biggest living organism on the planet is named for the man who torched Georgia. (Okay, details: that “biggest” depends on what you mean by “single,” “living”, and “organism.”) When I arrive at its foot, it is fairly mobbed by paparazzi. The “General Sherman” giant sequoia, a coniferous tree…

For what does it profit a teen if he gains a summer job selling Bibles but loses patience with the faithful? — One spring semester in high school, I stopped by Barnes and Noble to pick up a job application for summer. When I sat down at the kitchen table to fill it out, my mother took a look and gave it the expression she reserved for news stories about child abduction. …

by Jeremy Yoder If you made a list of the weird and beautiful life forms that are going to be in deep trouble after another couple decades of climate change, Joshua trees would be somewhere near the top. Yucca brevifolia, as they’re technically known, are desert plants — the biggest…

First snowfall: Romantic comedy. You meet cute when the first flakes brush against your cheek. The fresh snow cover makes everything look new and crisp and innocent. You take a long evening walk through the park, watching the falling snow dance in the light of the street lamps. You stop…