A world without chocolate seems impossible, with grocery stores stocking shelf after shelf of products ranging from bars to powder. However, if climate change continues at its current pace, a world without chocolate may become a reality. Even the smallest changes in climate can have serious consequences for the agricultural industry. As global temperatures increase, […]
How climate change will change chocolate Read More »
Approximately 252 million years ago, the Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction was the deadliest event to ever take place in Earth’s 4.5 billion-year history. Over the course of 15 million years, the “Great Dying” wiped out nearly 70 percent of terrestrial plant and animal species and over 95 percent of marine species. It consisted of three phases
The Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction: Does anything seem familiar here? Read More »
But, like so many other animals, these six-legged, exoskeleton-clad creatures are facing a crisis at the hands of human activity. Our planet is teeming with bugs. Over 1 million insect species are described, and scientists estimate that another four to 7.5 million have yet to be classified. Insects account for a large proportion of animals
Dropping like flies: Human threats to insects and the desperate need for more data Read More »
Numerous research institutions have taken the initiative to document the concentrations, distributions, and rates at which greenhouse gases are emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere. The accumulation of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane, and fluorinated gases from fossil fuel burning, industrial processes, and the agricultural industry poses a major threat to the already-depleting ozone layer. This
Climate confusion: Inconsistencies in greenhouse gas monitoring Read More »
In many ways, planet Earth is very much like a toxic relationship. It is beautiful in some moments, has destructive episodes via natural disasters, and is very secretive. Geologists have long been pondering a particular secret that the Earth has kept from us known as the Great Unconformity— a billion years missing from geological records.
The great unconformity: The billion-year gap in Earth’s geological history Read More »
As infinite as our universe may seem, everything is destined to come to an end. The question physicists are asking themselves is exactly what that end will look like. With the continuous, accelerating expansion of the universe, one of those theoretical endings predicts the universe will eventually hit a limit where matter will deconstruct into
The Big Rip: the universe’s final stand Read More »
The first time I fell in love was in the Sonoran Desert. I had just pulled over to the side of the road and there it was. An Ocotillo cactus, in all its glory, stood proudly before the rugged landscape. Its fluid tentacle-like stems pointed towards the sky, like a sea anemone frozen in turbulent
Masters of survival: Is the desert truly deserted? Read More »
From the deepest ocean trenches to the tap water in our kitchen, nanoplastics have pervaded virtually every last crevice of Earth. The minuscule particles, resulting from the degradation of plastic objects, are less than 100 nanometers (nm) and can be ingested, inhaled, or incorporated by dermal contact. It is estimated that just by eating, drinking,
Dangerously ubiquitous: The negative effect of nanoplastics on human health Read More »
What sets a group of monkeys on a mission to a new place? What compels large schools of fish to change direction from a predator? How do flocks of geese decide to land in the Fens or pick away at the grass on Centennial? On the individual level, researchers have explored decision-making capabilities, and studies
Herd harmony: Technology to study animal group behavior Read More »