Think mushrooms. Other than juicy, beefless patty substitutes sizzling on a grill, your first thoughts may have ventured to vivid, orange blooms sprouting out of rotting tree trunks. Fungi — even the term evokes vague revulsion or apprehension — are synonymous with rot and decay. They are harbingers of death, macabre forest floor scavengers who […]
The mycelial cycle: Replenishing the world with fungi Read More »
The circle of life is an intrinsic part of existence. A flower buds from a seed, blossoms, loses its petals as it begins to frost, and slowly withers away, returning to the earth to be decomposed. From here, an orchestra of events occurs with microscopic creatures breaking down what once was alive and returning it
Human composting: A new future for our dead? Read More »
Cloning is evolving from sci-fi movies into laboratories. The idea of creating life — or even creating products of life — has always enticed humanity. Despite this fascination, the concept of cloning; whether of cells, animals, or humans; still fills most with unease and even disgust. Despite its unsettling connotations, billions of dollars have been
A salmon’s life begins with death. Hundreds of miles inland, adult salmon swim against fierce currents, passing hundreds of predators to reach the stream they were born in. There, they spawn and lay thousands of eggs in nests, called redds. For eggs to hatch and new life to begin, mature salmon commit themselves to death
There’s nothing quite like the brilliant shifting color of a butterfly’s wings. Humans have long been fascinated by the dynamic properties of anything that sparkles – gemstones, the feathers of a hummingbird, the scales of a fish. What makes this elusive property of nature so unique is not only the colors that it exhibits but
Glacial retreat due to climate change is currently one of the most concerning environmental transformations. As temperatures rise, glaciers recede, unveiling vast, barren landscapes called glacial drifts. These areas, once buried beneath ice, pose unique ecological challenges for the establishment and sustainment of life. However, recent research has revealed a surprising ally in the race
Llamas: The unlikely hero of ecological restoration Read More »
Plant a tree for every dollar donated, 10,000 steps walked, or 50 Google searches made. Across the globe, tree-planting initiatives such as these campaigns have skyrocketed in response to the rising threat of climate change. Numerous organizations, from nonprofits to governments to businesses, plant billions of trees each year in the hopes of offsetting greenhouse
Biological deserts: The harms of monoculture tree plantations for carbon storage Read More »
In the depths of the ocean, one true master of disguise steals the spotlight. The mimic octopus, scientifically known as Thaumoctopus mimicus, is a species of octopus native to the Indo-Malayan Archipelago and Great Barrier Reef. A sand dwelling cephalopod, the mimic octopus is found at depths ranging from 2 to 12 meters near river
Underwater impostor: A mimic octopus’s guide to identity theft Read More »
James E. Hansen’s congressional testimony in 1988 officially introduced American policymakers to the need for a climate intervention. In the same year, George H.W. Bush declared greenhouse gasses as the enemy, in response to Hansen, when he promised to fight the greenhouse gas effect with “the White House effect” on the campaign trail. However, a
Opinion: How fossil fuel corporations distorted the climate change conversation Read More »