Acommon cartoon theme involves a person wearing a sandwich sign or carrying a poster that proclaims, “Repent! The end is near!” What’s implied is that some sudden, violent event is just around the corner and that people need to brace themselves for whatever’s coming. And usually, the end that’s near involves...

Recent history reveals that both the large-scale reforestation projects of the 20^th century have often been less successful than anticipated, and that tree growing by smallholders as an alternative means to combat deforestation and promote sustainable land use has received relatively little attention from the scientific and...

Biology is based on the fundamental laws of nature embodied in chemistry and physics, but the origin and evolution of life on earth were historical events. This makes biology more like astronomy than like chemistry and physics. Neither the organization of the universe nor life as we know it had to evolve as it did. Chance played a central...