Stars flicker faintly as the dark horizon reddens. Howling, freezing winds and desolate craters starkly contrast the lush tropical rainforests and coral gardens 10,000 feet below. As the blinding light finally emerges over a sea of swirling clouds, a bright reflection appears from the sparse, reddish slopes. It is a silver plant, radiating under the […]
Mirror of the sun: The Hawaiian silversword Read More »
When picturing the future of sustainability, renewable energy often comes to mind. However, solar panels may not be all that sustainable — especially when they eventually die. Solar panels are the face of the green energy movement. They accounted for 54% of new electricity added to the United States electrical grid in 2023. But what
The truth behind the end of a solar panel’s life Read More »
Yolanda Quispe, a park ranger at the Quelccaya glacier in Peru, is greatly saddened at the dismal state of what was once the world’s largest tropical ice cap, she told The Guardian journalists who joined her in the park. Located at the heart of the Peruvian Andes, the climate crisis has had a direct impact
Life without the ice cap Read More »
The ability to use language to establish relationships and dynamics within an ecosystem sustains the study of ecology. Charles Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” narrative describes the tendencies of natural selection and the likelihood of survival based on an organism’s environmental adjustment. Other terms used by ecologists to classify the relationships between species — mutualism,
An ecosystem of one’s own: The application of ecological theory towards genomics Read More »
As the possibility of deep space missions to Mars looms closer, scientists are actively addressing one of the biggest concerns: food. For previous space missions, scientists prioritized providing astronauts with necessary nutrition over food quality. However, this mindset is not sustainable when considering a long-term space mission. With factors like the weight of the food
A garden in the dark Read More »
For centuries, humanity has used windmills to convert wind energy into usable electricity. As the modern world faces an unprecedented climate crisis, scientists and engineers have endeavored to make windmills more efficient, and most windmills are now tall structures with massive spinning blades. Although this design structure allows for an abundance of sustainably produced energy,
Swords in the sky: The effect of windmills on winged species Read More »
We live with two different realities when we interact with animals. We call our pets our “four-legged friends,” appreciate their personalities, love them, and sense their emotions. But for our livestock, such as pigs, cows, and goats, we see eyes devoid of emotion that stare blankly into the distance and don’t think twice when biting
A shifting paradigm: Insight into animal cognition Read More »
While you are trying to listen to your professor lecture about derivatives and integrals, the person sitting less than three feet away from you sneezes: “ACHOO!” You shudder. Perhaps hold your breath. Or scoot your chair a few inches away from them. One person infected with an illness has the potential to infect 15 out
ACHOO: Spreading disease at 100 miles per hour Read More »
While some dangerous creatures opt for a more subtle approach, the poison dart frog is remarkably considerate for letting predators know ahead of time that it is not to be messed with. Its vibrant color is meant to signify its high toxicity, an example of aposematism or an animal advertising to its predators that it
Poison dart frogs: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger Read More »