Walking down the beach you see the perfect shell. You pick it up, put it in your pocket and decide to keep it to remind you of your trip to paradise. While different agencies, states, and countries have specific regulations on taking shells, vials of sand, or any other object from its natural environment, you…

The Moluccan Woodcock, also known as Obi Woodcock, is a medium-sized forest wader. With it’s long dark bill and orange buff, this elusive, rare bird is evaluated as Endangered and has been on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. But according to new research conducted by Oxford University…

Just in time for the gift-giving season, the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon.com continues to promote it’s Frustration-Free Packaging initiative. This initiative is a five-year effort to not only make products easier to open, but to create sustainable and recyclable packaging. In a 2008 letter written to customers, Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos describes…

The basic idea of a fish trap is that when a fish swims inside through it’s opening, it cannot get out, therefore trapping the fish and making it easier for populations to collect a decent catch. People around the world use different kinds of fish traps depending on the local conditions and behavior of the…

Most butterflies will become active or wake from hibernation during the first warm days of spring. However, emerging too early and facing unpredictable elements could be detrimental to the survival of the butterfly as they could encounter frost and harsher weather during consequent days of their short adult lives. According to new research from the…

Discovered by Charles Darwin in 1834, Rhinoderma darwinii (better known as Darwin’s frogs) have been declared extinct after a killer disease is thought to have wiped out entire populations across Chile and Argentina. According to scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB), Chile, chytridiomycosis is the main reason for…

Last year, over 9 million acres were burned in the US alone due to wildfires. While wildfires can be caused by natural events, they often burn out of control and may get to a point where they become uncontrollable, even when managed by firefighters. Despite their sparks of uncertainty and paths of destruction, researchers have…

With winter weather fast approaching, we start to look at how the big chill will affects our economy. And for the Great Lakes, frozen ice is bound to affect shipping lanes and local fishing industries. Connected to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Great Lakes Waterway, each year, millions of tons of cargo are…

In a 2005 study conducted by the Pesticide Data Program (under the US Department of Agriculture), out of 774 apples that were analyzed in the United States, 727 samples detected residues of pesticides – that’s a whopping 98%! Furthermore, apples rank number 1 on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list, which ranks fruits and…

From providing habitat to food sources, to regulating water cycles, plants are the backbone of all life on Earth. What often goes unrecognized, but is equally as important are plants’ roles as climate controllers. According to a new study conducted by researchers at Princeton University, Earth’s leafy greens have significantly slowed the planet’s warming by…