Slowing down super salmon
AquAdvantage salmon could become the first genetically-engineered animal approved for human consumption. A 2010 Food and Drug Administration evaluation was supportive of commercializing the fish. Recommendations now await further White House review. [Read more…] about Slowing down super salmon
The Earth Observing System
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My most lasting memories of John Glenn’s space flight and Neil Armstrong’s 1969 landing on the Moon were the pictures they took of the Earth. We could see our marvelous blue planet against the black backdrop of outer space. [Read more…] about The Earth Observing System
In nature – there is no dead wood
Most people recognize the role living trees play in ecosystems. As individuals they provide shade and shelter, together they form the familiar landscape of the forest. [Read more…] about In nature – there is no dead wood
Andean villagers reel from the impact of disappearing glaciers
Within the shadow of towering, snow-capped Mt. Ausangate in the Peruvian Andes resides a pantheon of gods, spirits, and demons, according to local Quechua folklore. [Read more…] about Andean villagers reel from the impact of disappearing glaciers
Where did all the acorns go?
For many years, oaks in the Northeast were prolific acorn producers. The 2010 crop was record-breaking—many will recall getting hit with acorn rain or slipping on acorns underfoot. Last fall, however, acorns were scarce. [Read more…] about Where did all the acorns go?
Will you be one of the five million people who will visit the Grand Canyon this year?
Most people take in the Grand Canyon in from its rim, where the awe-inspiring view has earned its listing as one of the natural wonders of the world. Hidden from sight, at the heart of the canyon, is the river that helped carve it. [Read more…] about Will you be one of the five million people who will visit the Grand Canyon this year?
If flowers could fly, they’d be called butterflies
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Butterflies are the most charismatic of our insects. We appreciate the artistry of their colors and patterns, and we are also captivated by their four-part life cycle, from egg, to larva, to pupa, to mature butterfly. [Read more…] about If flowers could fly, they’d be called butterflies
Eavesdropping on your neighbors? Even the birds do it
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Most of us use the sounds around our homes to take measure of our neighborhood: the sounds of lawnmowers, the next-door neighbors having a party, an alarm system being triggered—it’s all part of the information we process about our surroundings. [Read more…] about Eavesdropping on your neighbors? Even the birds do it
The next front for environmental activism: your household laundry
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Refrigerators, lighting, and clothes dryers are the top energy consumers in modern households. Most of us would find it challenging to live without lights or refrigeration. But for dryers, there is an alternative–an inexpensive, solar-powered tool: the clothesline. [Read more…] about The next front for environmental activism: your household laundry
Where the river meets the sea
Simply put, an estuary is an inlet of the sea; a place where salt water from the ocean mixes with freshwater from a river or a stream. Influenced by the tides and sheltered by the land, estuaries are among Earth’s most productive and diverse ecosystems. [Read more…] about Where the river meets the sea
Dams can kill river ecosystems, so what’s the best way to kill a dam?
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John McPhee once wrote that for environmentalists, there is a dam “at the absolute epicenter of Hell.” Dams built in the twentieth century, impeded salmon and other migratory fish from reaching their spawning grounds. [Read more…] about Dams can kill river ecosystems, so what’s the best way to kill a dam?
Now your kitchen can smell like Yellowstone National Park
History is full of strange bedfellows. Air Wick recently debuted a new line of home fragrances inspired by four national parks. [Read more…] about Now your kitchen can smell like Yellowstone National Park
Ecosystem restoration: a long time coming
Much can change in a century, but can long-disrupted ecosystems ever be truly restored? Just over a hundred years ago, Americans realized that our nation’s extraction economy was wreaking havoc on our ecological capital. Natural resources of all kinds were under assault: hillsides denuded, rivers polluted, and wetlands paved over. More and more wildlife species are faced the threat of extinction. [Read more…] about Ecosystem restoration: a long time coming
Technology is helping ecologists on the job
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If you’ve ever used your car’s navigation system to find a nearby gas station, you’ve used a tool that is increasingly important to environmental science. Geographic Information Systems, known as GIS, are essentially three-dimensional databases. [Read more…] about Technology is helping ecologists on the job
Get the lead out!
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Lead has been mined and smelted for more than two thousand years, and it has been recognized as toxic for nearly as long. It can affect every organ of the body, but in particular, it is a neurotoxin associated with cognitive problems. [Read more…] about Get the lead out!
Older forests are allies in the fight against global warming
