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pine needles that turn to brown along the tips with small growths along the needles

How climate change makes trees sicker

         We are heavily entwined with forests. The structure of your house is likely southern pine. The package you ordered in the mail is encased in wood pulp. The stuff that makes your toothpaste thick is cellulose from wood. We rely on trees as a renewable resource for our daily activities and well-being. However, our

Coincidence? I think not, Mr. Rabbit

Bunny-pocalypse Image depicting the spread of rabbits in Australia from Alves, et al. 2021 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND).  In 1859, a wealthy English settler named Thomas Austin imported 24 European rabbits into Australia as game for shooting parties. This seemingly small event would soon reshape the continent. Thomas Austin was a member

milky way galaxy during nighttime

The Earth from ET’s Perspective

To date, researchers have identified over 5,000 exoplanets in the Milky Way, a small fraction of the billions hypothesized to exist in our galaxy. Among them, researchers catalog so-called “Earth-like planets,” or planets with a similar size, structure, and distance from the Sun as Earth. While of great interest to modern astronomers, no conclusive evidence

The small genetic quirk that could help us fight biodiversity loss

The numbers are in, and it’s official: we are losing the fight to save the many endangered species on our planet. Despite a growing number of global voices highlighting the importance of preserving biodiversity to worldwide human health and food security, the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 estimated we’ve lost 69% of monitored wildlife populations,

A bug-eat-bug world: why hyperparasites could be the future of disease control

Our guts are home to hundreds of microbial species (collectively called the gut microbiota) that are essential for normal digestion and immunity. What species are present and in what proportions can impact our ability to fight off pathogens, as well as our risk for obesity, metabolic disorders, and allergies. In fact, certain bacteria that can

The U.S. Courthouse built in 1930 by architect James A. Wetmore. First floor WPA Mural.

The Hoof or the Boot? Phylogenetics as Historical Evidence

“Pueblo Revolt 1680” by Loren Mozley. Public Domain. The horse is thought of as a symbol of the American West, but when and how domesticated horses arrived has been a matter of controversy. Lakota oral histories described the arrival of the horse occurring prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. However, the Spanish (and

The evolution of Pokémon evolution: 25+ years of Evolutionary misconceptions

        Without question, Pokémon is one of the most iconic entertainment franchises ever. In fact, it is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, coming in at a whopping $76.4 billion in revenue. All franchises come with some form of controversy among media and fans, and although Pokémon has avoided major contention, it has spread misleading

It actually isn’t that weird to see grey squirrels in the winter

Close your eyes and imagine the first snowfall in a forest from your favorite film. What are the wildlife doing? What are they preparing for? Now fast forward to the first day of spring: when all the snow melts, the grass grows greener, and the pink flowers immediately blossom. What are the wildlife doing now?

A Tale Of Two Shelterbelts

For decades, climate scientists have highlighted concerns about climate change caused by greenhouse gasses emitted by humans (through fossil fuel use as well as refrigerants). While reducing greenhouse gas emissions would solve the crisis, there is a lack of political will, particularly in the United States, which prevents significant progress towards meeting goals set by

Looking to the Future

As of 2020, the global consumption of energy is 580 million terajoules per year. Of this, 83.1% comes from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, 4.3% comes from radioactive sources, and about 12.6% comes from renewable sources like hydro, solar, and wind. We have currently 50 more years of oil reserves left available,

Becoming a Lump With Knobs

Driving down any rural road around this time of year, you’re likely to see rows on rows of corn blowing in the wind. You might notice that they look like twins of each other, almost exactly the same height and precisely the same color.  That uniformity is also why corn lovers can walk into near

Getting SAFER with Space Waste

When the International Space Station (ISS) reaches the end of its lifespan in 2031, where will it go?  No options for major recycling exist in outer space, so when a spacecraft is decommissioned, there are only three “trash cans” available. The first is a so-called “graveyard orbit,” where spacecraft are blasted away from Earth into

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