Author: Benjamin Goldfarb

Culture

Dear Earth: Happy 400th Birthday! Love, Groupon.

Ah, Earth Day: an opportunity for the country’s worst polluters to rise, phoenix-like, from puddles of industrial effluent and recreate themselves as environmentalists. An opportunity for America’s retailers to shamelessly hijack the words “eco-friendly” and “sustainable” and repurpose them to quicken the pulse of fetishistic shoppers. An opportunity for a free canvas shopping bag with every purchase!

I was hardly surprised when Groupon sent me an email proffering Earth

At Yale, Culture

Evolutionary War Hero: An Interview with Carl Zimmer

Nearly 40% of Americans don’t believe in evolution, and acknowledgment of anthropogenic climate change is equally spotty. Acclaimed author Carl Zimmer spoke with Sage about how science communicators can begin to reach creationists and climate deniers, why Einstein makes for a great magazine cover, and what to do when your work gets slandered on the Daily Show.