Controlling nature by bulldozing dirt and pouring concrete has long been the guiding vision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For 250 years that ethos inspired both awe and disgust.

Neuroscientists have shown that experiencing nature can alleviate acute physical pain. Surprisingly, simply watching nature videos was enough to relieve pain. Using functional magnetic resonance ...

Conley is the author of “The Social Genome: The New Science of Nature and Nurture ... invoked in arguments about everything from free will to race to inequality to whether public policy ...