If you choose to compost your food scraps, bring a reusable bag to the grocery store, or bike to work, your friends may have psyched you into it. That's right, increasing evidence shows that psychological factors -- like peer pressure and fear of loss -- play a significant role in...

As campers flock to the Adirondacks this summer, many of them tote bear-resistant containers to store their GORP, smores, and outdoor edibles in what is known as the BearVault. But before you stash the canister in your pack, be aware that a number of bears are out-smarting the...

Former vice president Al Gore needs scientists; he needs them to get involved in politics. When he addressed a crowd at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference last week, he asked the scientists in the audience to advocate sound political actions that can alleviate the...

For centuries, farmers have been roasting, fermenting and distilling the agave plant's roasted heart to brew what many consider to be the national drink of Mexico: tequila. Yet new research shows that the liquor's recent growth in popularity is harming communities and the environment.

The Mexican government mandated that...

In the heat of the summer, the northern boreal forest in Canada is saturated with breeding birds. In the soil beneath the trees, thick oil is mixed with sand. But harvesting the resource, known as tar sands, could lead to the death of 166 million birds over the next 50...

The race to drill for natural gas has never been so furious as it has been over the last few years of the Bush administration. All over the West, companies are tapping into reserves. Even New York has a natural gas reservoir, the Marcellus Shale, which could soon be...