Climate change means, quite plausibly, the end of everything we now understand to constitute our humanity. By Sam Kriss, Ellie Mae O’Hagan.

In his late twenties, John Sherman finds a new fondness for cigarettes, despite everything he was ever taught about them.

The miraculous survival of a cyclist who fell off Bolivia's Yungas Road. Maria With Hoen tells Jo Fidgen about her excitement at the prospect of an adventure.

Geological processes send more meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets to Earth's mid-latitudes. By Rachael Lallensack.

The atmosphere is literally changing the food we eat, for the worse. And almost nobody is paying attention. By Helena Bottemiller Evich.

Normally, not something you want a shark scientist to say. But Eric Stroud is talking about his chemistry-lab quest for the ultimate shark repellent, which he appears to have found. The questions that remain: Does it work on the great white, the ocean’s most fearsome predator? And can a couple of rookie entrepreneurs get it to market? By Charles Bethea.

For rich countries, prolonged loss of electricity is a low-probability event. But the scale of the potential impact is mind-concentrating.

Growing up in Florida, watching the natural world disappear—and fearing the day of reckoning. By Dexter Filkins. (Sept. 10, 2017)

Zoo nutritionists have the Herculean task of feeding thousands of charges, come hurricane, tornado or terrorist attack. By Jason Bittel.

A hole bigger than the Earth on the surface of the Sun could result in massive solar flares that can knock out communications satellites and power grids. By Paul Seaburn.

Throughout our planet’s history, massive volcanic eruptions have devastated life. Could one bring an end to human civilisation? By David Cox.

All around the world, scientists are building repositories of everything from seeds to ice to mammal milk — racing to preserve a natural order that is fast disappearing. By Malia Wollan.

We are witnessing the beginning of a nationwide voter-suppression campaign, led by the White House and enabled by Congress and the Department of Justice.  By Ari Berman.

A study that brought horsepox back to life is triggering a new debate about the risks and power of synthetic biology. By Kai Kupferschmidt.

The coming crackdown. By Masha Gessen.

Yes, Israel is supporting Syrian rebels, but this goes beyond cash and aid: Israel hopes the rebels will serve as a buffer against Hezbollah and a resurgent Assad, a strategy that could easily backfire. By Richard Silverstein.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has asked every state in the nation provide President Donald Trump’s new voter commission with the names, birth dates and Social Security information for that state’s voters going back to 2006. By Bryan Lowry. (June 29, 2017)

The eruption risk at Yellowstone remains low, but one of the recent earthquakes was the biggest to have hit since 2014. By Hannah Osborne. (June 19, 2017)

As a former intelligence soldier who now sells drones for a living, I can tell you that this problem is bigger than almost anyone realizes. By Brett Velicovich.

It’s the first time RNA interference will be used to kill insect pests. By Sarah Zhang.