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Volume 11: Micro/Macro

Our universe is an endless series of worlds within worlds. This issue looks at patterns, systems, and size with stories that examine local and global theories of change, the scalability of solutions, invisible lifeforms and giant megafauna, and the role of micro actors in shaping macro systems.

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Close-up of a white praying mantis perched near a human eye with glitter, featured on the cover of Atmos magazine, Volume 8, titled

Cover of Atmos magazine featuring a heart-shaped nebula against a star-filled space background. The text reads Atmos, MICRO/MACRO, and a quote about reclaiming the night sky is at the bottom.

A woman in a yellow dress gently embraces a child outdoors, both with eyes closed, conveying comfort and warmth. The image is featured on the cover of Atmos magazine, with trees blurred in the background.

A group of sperm whales swim gracefully underwater in deep blue ocean. The magazine cover reads Atmos, with the theme Micro/Macro and a quote about the ocean’s wonder and stewardship at the bottom.

A winding river cuts through steep canyon walls under a clear sky, featured on the cover of Atmos magazine Volume 11, titled

A tranquil lake with old wooden posts, rocky shore, and a misty, lenticular cloud-capped mountain in the background at dusk; the scene is featured on the cover of Atmos magazine, Volume 11, titled Micro/Macro.

A person holds a large seashell against their bare torso underwater, with sunlight creating ripples and reflections. The cover text reads Atmos: Climate and Culture, Micro/Macro, Volume 11, 2023.

Cover of Atmos magazine, Volume 11, showing stones casting long shadows on a wooden surface with the words MICRO/MACRO at the center. Issue theme focuses on climate and culture, dated 2023.

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An image of an eye inside of a hollow egg shell.

Processual Biology: You Aren’t a Being, You’re a Process This week’s Overview explores processual biology’s compelling idea: that we are not static beings, but transformation given shape.

The Overview Deep Ecology

A Green Manifesto For Future Generations Atmos marks Earth Day with Silvana Travele and Bonnie Wright in a short film confronting the rollback of climate safeguards.

Climate Solutions Changemakers

Earth Day in an American Era of Scientific Retreat A war on science means fewer environmental protections and a serious case of “brain drain.”

The Understory Democracy

Plant Baby Plant: Inside Robin Wall Kimmerer’s New Movement At community “Blooms” around the country, the botanist and writer is cultivating a gift economy rooted in care.

Changemakers Climate Solutions

Podcast Episode 2

Maggie Rogers on How to Protect—and Nurture—Your Creativity

The Grammy-nominated musician explores the lessons nature teaches about the power of making music—and life—at a pace that feels true.…

In Senegal, Castoff Clothing Finds New Life Creatives Juanita Richards and Shandi Alexander channel the spirit of Kumpo through castaway clothing and Indigenous textiles.

Identity & Community Ethical Fashion

As the Crow Flies Ravens and crows carry macabre symbolism, but their behavior can teach us a lot about grief—and remind us that love and loss are universal.

The Overview Deep Ecology

How ‘National Security’ Became the New Justification for Drilling What’s happening to the public lands and oceans we thought were protected?

The Understory Democracy

Blowin’ in the Wind: How Nordic Countries Made Electricity Free As wind and hydropower flood Nordic grids, electricity prices are plunging and offering a glimpse of a cheaper energy future.

Climate Solutions

The BIOME

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The Thin Blue Line That Shields Life From the Void A fragile veil of gas, suspended between nothing and everything, makes life on Earth possible.

The Overview Deep Ecology

Border Wall Meets Bipartisan Backlash in Big Bend A proposed structure through the national park inspired a rare moment of political unity to protect open spaces.

The Understory Democracy

In His Latest Book, David George Haskell Shows How Flowers Made Our World The biologist explores how flowering plants reshaped ecosystems through cooperation—and why that story matters more than ever.

Art & Culture Science & Nature

Photographer Darren Vargas Visits Death Valley During the Superbloom After nearly a decade, Vargas traces the brief, improbable season when one of the harshest landscapes in North America is remade by color.

Photography Science & Nature

The Nature Of

Hosted by Atmos Editor-in-Chief Willow Defebaugh, The Nature Of is a new podcast that looks to the natural world for insights into how to navigate the experience of being human. New episodes every Tuesday.

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