Justin Schmidt, a researcher from the Southwestern Biological Institute, was in a tree in Costa Rica in 1987. He was trying to climb closer to a black wasp nest hanging in the limbs of the tree to gather a few specimens for research, and he was shimmying over a branch that hung perilously over a…
Observing what happens when a critical piece of technology fails suddenly is a surefire way to understand its value. E.g., most people probably don’t realize how important the Suez Canal is, but that changed in March when it was abruptly blocked by a grounded container ship. A usually dependable machine had gone down for the…
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is well-known for its extensive research. It is now grappling with what could be the most challenging problem it has ever faced: how to encourage the development of technology for three emerging sectors to harness, move, and store the climate-changing pollution of fossil fuels. The center, like other DOE…
In April, Vice President Joe Biden revealed plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. It is a required undertaking if we are to avoid catastrophic and irreversible climate change. However, increasing renewable energy does not come without its challenges. One issue is where to store all of these renewables. According to Bloomberg…
Since crawling out of its nest on a moonlit night and making its way to the sea, a green baby turtle disappears at sea for years before returning to shore. Until recently, scientists assumed that the turtles swam in the open ocean’s main currents. However, recent evidence indicates that the centre of such spinning waters…
We’ve also experienced the pain of our circadian rhythm pounding to a different drum than usual—perhaps after a particularly late night or a flight that landed us in a different time zone. And we all know that being back on board with our resting, dining, and even peeing schedules takes some time. The Plants, like…
Not only lepidopterists but also chemists have long been enthralled by the bright blue hues of morpho butterfly wings. The complicated nanoscale protein structures layered inside the wings pique the latter’s curiosity: their shapes behave as prisms, representing a beautiful cerulean colour. Materials scientists plan to use the properties of these structures to create things…
Karen D. Holl is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who specializes in restoration ecology. Professor of Forest Restoration at the Universidade de So Paulo, Pedro Brancalion This article first appeared in The Conversation. Arbor Day was observed in the United States on the last Friday in April for 149 years. To…
According to a recent report, the melting glaciers redistributed enough water to allow the polar wander to transform and accelerate eastward in the mid-1990s. The migration of the North and South poles is being altered by water loss due to ice melting and other human-caused causes. The writers of the study conclude that the lack…
Whose animal has the most genetic diversity? A butterfly with 20 different colours? A bacterium that divides every 20 minutes and accumulates genetic mutations? It turns out that the new record holder is a fungus that grows on decayed wood. On the other hand, the genetic diversity of the lynx is minimal. That’s terrible news…