“A hardline conservationist makes his way to the Pacific Northwest for the first time, and by the time he leaves, is thinking it might not be so bad of an idea to cut down a few of those trees after all.” A slightly disgruntled ferry operator and ex-logger living on Vancouver Island produced this semi-sarcastic […]
To log or not to log: A comprehensive review of the old-growth question Read More »
Dark, cold, and seemingly bottomless, the Mariana Trench is shrouded in mystery, being one of the least explored places on the planet. However, one of its secrets was finally revealed by identifying a rare whale species to be the source of an unusual sound coming from the trench called a “biotwang.” In 2014, autonomous underwater
Call from the deep Read More »
Often dismissed as slimy plants lurking beneath lakes and rivers, macrophytes may actually hold the key to the looming agricultural fertilizer crisis. Excess nutrients in water bodies, known as eutrophication, allow macrophytes to thrive. When aquatic plants die and eventually decompose, oxygen is consumed, creating anoxic conditions that can kill fish and other organisms. Eutrophication
Macrophytes: The next best solution to the fertilizer shortage? Read More »
Tidal flooding, extreme weather, climate migration: Rising sea levels have led to countless consequences that threaten people’s livelihoods. But beneath the alarm that headlines like “Oceanfront Home Collapses” incite, there is a slower, more insidious repercussion: coastal erosion. A new assessment by Climate Central predicts that 4.4 million acres of US citizens’ property will be
Utilizing voltage to slow coastal erosion Read More »
Along New York City’s East 14th Street looms the foreboding Climate Clock, an art installation with the mission of catalyzing environmental change. Standing four stories tall over Union Square, this spectacle features a massive digital clock ticking down to environmental catastrophe. The screen, which spans 80 feet wide and counts downward by seconds in orange-tinted
Time is running out on the New York climate clock Read More »
Host cities for the Olympics are immediately welcomed by boosted tourism, new jobs, and a sense of pride in their city. However, the environmental impact of traveling spectators and athletes, construction of infrastructure, and transportation has been detrimental in past games. To combat this, the Paris Olympics and Paralympics put an extra emphasis on making
Green games: A sustainable Olympics and Paralympics Read More »
Climate change is becoming increasingly prevalent and with it, flooding from rising sea levels is becoming a harsh reality for many coastal communities across the globe. Sea level rise causes flooding during high tide, larger storm surges during tropical storms, and coastal erosion. Due to the many impacts of rising sea levels, climate migrations are
Sink or float? Floating homes could make coastal communities resilient to climate risks Read More »
Everyone knows how common viruses work. A drink is shared, a doorknob is touched, a sneeze is spread. Come flu season, friends and families routinely begin washing their hands and keeping their distance to prevent viral genomes from entering their cells, injecting their genetic material, and hijacking their bodies. Now imagine a similar phenomenon, but
Transmissible cancer: A strange biological phenomenon Read More »
Often viewed as vampiric blood suckers and rabies vectors, bats have a notoriously negative reputation invoking fear and disgust. Yet, people’s preconceived notions exclude the importance of these flying mammals. Bats are essential to the environment, the economy, and human well–being by controlling insect populations, pollinating plants, and dispersing seeds. A new study published in
Bats and babies: The chilling connection between a bat epidemic and infant mortality Read More »