Glitter embellishes anything it touches. It turns any mundane and dull poster, project, or Halloween costume into an eye-catcher. That sparkly and glistening glitter, though, ends up as litter in the environment. Although a nostalgic childhood activity, dumping excess glitter that did not stick to your mother’s birthday card’s glue ultimately adds up to be […]
Ditch the plastic: Eco-friendly glitter made possible Read More »
As spring comes around, the Boston Public Garden boasts eye-catching colors of roses, tulips, and daffodils. Some of these plants, however, are not native or have been manipulated by humans for centuries to achieve their distinctive traits. These plants are cultivars. Cultivars are variants of wild plants, meaning they are not naturally occurring and require
Nearby a municipal landfill in Oregon, several witnesses discovered the bodies of eight incapacitated bald eagles. Flightless and convulsing, these animals appeared near death and were retrieved by National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory staff. One eagle was confirmed dead, while the others were moved for supportive care. What was the cause of this loss
Veterinary forensics: Sending criminals to the pound Read More »
Growing up, we all have those big life questions that catch our interest. Those with a penchant for nature, for instance, may ask such questions as: where do the Moon’s phases come from, what are rainbows, why is the sky blue? The answers to these questions, as may be given to a scientifically-inclined young mind,
Rayleigh scattering: Why the sky is blue and other miscellanea Read More »
Originally dubbed as the “dirtiest harbor in America” by George Bush in the 1980s, Boston Harbor was a cesspool of toxic sewage and wastewater. Large amounts of pollution were constantly dumped into the harbor, damaging marine ecosystems alongside the Massachusetts coastline and causing extremely poor water quality. If people were to swim in the water,
Rehabilitating the harbor of shame: Past and present solutions Read More »
Glass is an integral part of modern buildings, appreciated for its uniquely transparent nature that provides a literal window to the outside world. Made mostly of sand, sodium carbonate, and limestone, glass resists intense weather patterns and precipitation and is recyclable and relatively inexpensive to produce. However, glass has several weaknesses — it is thermally
Seeing through trees: Transparent wood as a next-generation glass Read More »
Carbon dioxide levels, sea levels, and temperature are rising – all indicators commonly associated with climate change. However, an indicator more complex and less well known is the movement of ocean water in the Atlantic, specifically the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The AMOC is the large-scale process of the movement of warm water on
Imagine water seeping up from the solid ground beneath our feet. Then imagine water falling from the sky — not as rain, but as a giant rock crashing into Earth. Both seem like ridiculous scenarios, but they closely relate to real theories about what may have happened billions of years ago. The origins of water
From rock to water: Studying the origins of water on Earth Read More »
In the scientific community, the consensus on human-caused global warming is almost universal — a recent study from Environmental Research Letters found that more than 99 percent of peer-reviewed papers agreed that humans are causing global warming and climate change. However, among Americans, the belief in anthropogenic climate change is not nearly as strong, with
How we can avoid polarization in conversations around climate solutions Read More »