麻豆传媒

Extinction 鈥� bad genes or bad luck?

Many more species have existed than survive today 鈥� where did they all go?

Casualites of Vietnam’s recovery: As the doors to economic opportunity in Vietnam swing open, conservationists are growing increasingly worried about the future of the country’s environment

Life and times of a chameleon star: Since 1955, astronomers have watched the star FG Sagittae turn from blue to yellow. This rapid change has given them the chance to study a star’s evolution in their own lifetime

Squeezing the deserts dry: Water is a dwindling resource in the American southwest. It has become so precious that Arizona is now using the law to force people not to waste it

The world turns upside down for Soviet science: Last month’s abortive coup led to the demise of the old Soviet Union – throwing the country’s research community into chaos

Will we catch a falling star?: There are many asteroids out there in space, and the chances are that sooner or later one will head for Earth. But no one knows what to do if we find ourselves on collision course

Why small is sometimes sexy: In the struggle to reproduce, we usually think of the biggest, strongest males as being most likely to succeed. But in species where it is hard to find a mate, it may pay to be a wimp

The parching of prehistoric North America

Poisoned plumes: Across the US, environmentalists are protesting against rocket launches. Toxic exhaust fumes from rockets packed with solid propellant attract the greatest concern

South Africa takes the apartheid out of power: Although more than half the electricity generated in all Africa is produced in South Africa, most of the country’s black people have no power supply. But things are changing

Sounding the bottom of the world

Fresh water from the sea: The Gulf War focused the world’s attention on the importance of making salty water drinkable. Growing pressure on water supplies could revitalise research into desalination techniques

A man for all habitats: David Attenborough, this year’s president of the British Association, is one of the most important and gifted science popularisers of our day

The search for the missing elements