“Go outside and take a breath of fresh air” is a phrase we have all heard before. When facing a mental block or feeling frustrated and stressed, stepping outside can be therapeutic and relaxing. In fact, nature can be so therapeutic that some psychiatric professionals have even begun prescribing nature breaks to their patients. Mental […]
Opinion: The Nature Pill Read More »
Preparations for ski season start early in Vermont’s Green Mountains. In early October, Greg Gleason, who runs snowmaking at Killington Ski Resort, gives his staff the all-clear. Over the next four hours the system of artificial snow production on which Vermont’s tourism industry increasingly depends roars to life. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water
New snowmaking tech is helping New England ski resorts beat climate change Read More »
Nature’s intricacies often reveal themselves in unsettling ways, and the cuckoo bird is a striking example. For hundreds of years, bird enthusiasts have been intrigued by the sight of a little reed warbler mother feeding a young cuckoo bird, a species that will grow to five times her own body mass. In fact, Aristotle recorded
How cuckoo are cuckoo birds? Read More »
In the year and a half since the Russia-Ukraine War began, there have been an estimated 500,000 casualties between the two sides. Ukraine has also experienced infrastructural damage totaling hundreds of billions of dollars. Yet these aren’t the only significant and tragic losses the region has suffered — the conflict has had a grave and
Redlining, a historical practice of discrimination, has had lasting effects on racial inequities that remain persistent today. However, recent analysis of ecological diversity has revealed that the effects of redlining reach far beyond impacting humans. Specifically, bird diversity and population experienced a marked decline in areas subject to redlining. This means that though one street
Redlining’s reach: Disparities in bird data Read More »
The ocean surrounding the Windmill Islands of East Antarctica is polluted, and an ecological research station is to blame. The pollution jeopardizes some of the most unique ecosystems on the planet — and scientists’ ability to study them. It’s a stark warning to the other hundred research stations at the South Pole, and now, the
In the state of Massachusetts, it is punishable by imprisonment to frighten a pigeon. This law may seem surprising to most modern-day Bay Staters, many of whom abhor the seemingly infinite number of so-called “rats with wings” multiplying across their urban areas, but to people from the not-so-distant past, this law is a way to
Venerated to vermin: A brief history of pigeons Read More »
As the days get shorter and the weather colder, keeping that frown upside down becomes an arduous task. While you might think you have what it takes to bear the elements through sheer willpower, your genetics and neurochemistry disagree. Studies of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in Iceland and in various regions globally show that genetics
Fishing for happiness: Omega-3 and seasonal affective disorder Read More »
In the Fenway Victory Gardens, just minutes from Northeastern University, lizards reign supreme. The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, is a non-native species that recently established itself in the gardens. This small green and tan lizard has remarkably managed to survive and thrive in Boston — and in several other cities and towns in the
Meet the lizards of the Fenway Victory Gardens Read More »