The Conversation
Composting and water cremation: how the eco credentials of alternatives to burial add up
Burial grounds are filling up but are new methods any more green than traditional options?
Fungal highways are vast, yet hidden underground – new study
A new study provides a crucial baseline: the first global map of where these fungal networks are and how much of them exists.
How the development of solar and wind farms on the Tibetan Plateau is affecting local communities
China’s national government policies on energy and economic development are changing pastoral life on the Tibetan Plateau.
Cheers! Welcome to the Nepalese village where everybody knows how to distill
Chang, a refreshing, low-strength brew, and arak, its stronger relative, have long been part of Tibetan rituals.
The story of birds: a new history from their dinosaur origins – extract of Steve Brusatte’s new book
I will never forget my first dinosaur wing. I was a college student, on my first international expedition, preparing to venture into the mountains of Tibet in search of Jurassic dinosaurs. Our team assembled in Beijing, and as we rushed through the galleries and storehouses of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, I stole a fleeting glance, from across the room. A skeleton of the little carnivore Microraptor, its long arms unfurled, adorned with feathers forming a broad sheet. The wings sparkled in the low light; I was mesmerised. And then we were hustled along.
The V&A catalogue row shows China’s censorship now travels through cultural supply chains
The controversy reveals a form of externalised censorship.
‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ is actually not just about death
Rooted in the Buddhist teaching of the bardo − states of ‘in-between’ − the text offers a way to understand death, life and transformation as deeply intertwined.
Alaska’s glacial lakes are expanding, increasing the risk of destructive outburst floods
Scientists mapped the evolution of 140 glacial lakes in Alaska and found a way to tell how much larger and destructive they can get as their glaciers melt.
Even the best writing about science recalls ancient myths
The essays in a new anthology offer two distinct ways of interpreting the Promethean legacy of scientific progress.
Biomass could play a key role in Canada’s transition to a carbon-neutral economy
Canada needs to move towards a carbon-neutral economy, and the biomass sectors have a key role to play in this transition.














