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Crossing the Northwest Passage: Cargo Ship Navigates Arctic Route
The Northwest Passage is a 900-mile long sea route through the Arctic Ocean that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Access through this passage would allow many short cuts and benefits for the shipping industry. However, it’s frozen waters and dangerous ice caps have proven to be obstacles for transport. That is, until now. This…
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Golden Eagle vs. Sika Deer
The golden eagle is a mighty powerful bird of prey. So powerful in fact that it has been linked to attack not only rabbits, squirrels, and other birds, but large mammals like deer and even bear cubs! And lucky for us, new evidence has captured one of these attacks on camera. During a routine survey…
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The Greenest Building in the World
In honor of Green Building Week, we have searched high and low to showcase one of the greenest buildings in the world -and on a recent press trip to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, we may have found a winner. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens may be known for its glass Victorian greenhouse…
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Groundwater Reserves Discovered in Kenya
It has long been known that Africa has been facing a water crisis. Not only is the continent stressed because of erratic rainfall patterns, arid climates, and hot temperatures, but access to clean, safe drinking water is depriving much of the population of a basic human necessity. Specifically in Kenya, 17 million people lack access…
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Tigers vs. Leopards: Who are you more afraid of?
Besides the obvious stripes vs. spots, tigers and leopards are very similar – two top predatory cats that have the power and stealth to capture just about any prey. And if you were to find yourself face-to-face with one in the wild, the average person would probably be equally scared of both. But this is…
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Hawaii Coastlines on Track to Lose 100 Feet of Beach
Hawaii is known for it’s pristine beaches and it’s 750 miles of coastline. However with looming sea water rise due to melting ice caps and climate change, a new study by the University of Hawaii shows the state is on pace to lose 100 feet of beach in the coming decades. According to the study,…
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Seabirds are Indicator Species for Climate Change
It has been said that seabirds are key indicators of the impact of climate change on the world’s oceans. How exactly? In Antarctica, for example, seabirds depend on ice: Seabirds eat fish, which eat krill. The krill eat algae, and the algae grow underneath sea ice. With warming oceans, and less ice, there will major…
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Woodpecker Species Benefit from Emerald Ash Borer
Many of us have heard of the Emerald ash borer (EAB) – a highly invasive beetle known for it’s destruction of ash trees. After being discovered in the United States in 2002, this pesky little beetle has killed tens of millions of ash trees in Michigan alone. In addition to the tens of millions of…
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Mussel Strength: Byssus Threads May Hold the Key to Better Glues and Biomedical Interfaces
With a name like ‘mussel’ one would expect that these bivalves must have one strong muscle to help them attach to rocks in order to prevent the risk of being torn by crashing waves and currents. But what helps these mussels stay attached to their home base is actually a collection of fine filaments known…
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Discovering Lake Vostok: Antarctica’s Largest Subglacial Lake
Looking for a trip to the lake this summer? Thinking about Lake Powell, Lake George, or maybe Lake Tahoe? What about Lake Vostok? Heard of it? Maybe. But you’re probably not going to plan your next vacation here – this sugblacial lake lies 4000 meters below the ice in East Antarctica! Confirmed in 1993 by…