Environment

There’s a Mastodon in My Pond

Large, mysterious bones began to emerge amongst the backhoes and mud caked boots. Construction workers were told to continue digging the reservoir. The development finally halted when a massive, warped tusk confirmed that this was no rancher's bovine cemetery. Reputable scientists flocked to the scene, eager to get their hands dirty. Time was of the

All-You-Can-Eat Activism

Sustainable eating has been working its way into the mainstream for decades now, but what does it actually mean to eat sustainably? Wikipedia defines a sustainable diet as “one that promotes food sustainability and ecological well-being.” With that vague of a definition, it's no surprise that people are implementing sustainability in their lives in very

The Science of Acclimatization (aka How to Survive at 17,000 feet)

This past November two friends and I embarked on the Three Passes Trek, a hiking trail through Nepal that crosses, you guessed it, three mountain passes. The trail experiences drastic elevation changes, ranging anywhere from 9,000 to 17,500 feet. On Day 12 of our travels, I was struggling to fall asleep in Gorakshep, a small

Monarch Winter Numbers Released: Reinforcing a Historically Disappointing Trend

Banner photo credit: Hayley Schroeder As visitors wander through the Georgia State Botanical Garden, a flurry of life swells up to say “Welcome!” Daffodils greet you by the hundreds, insects buzz around your head and cherry blossoms come blushing into bloom. One might call this the perfect spring day…if it wasn't February. While we box

Tiny Microbes with a Titanic Impact

Whether you heard about it in your third grade history class or watched the iconic 1997 James Cameron film, almost everyone knows the story of the doomed luxury liner, Titanic. Trapped in a Murphy's Law situation, the ship sank on the night of April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg in the middle of the

Backyard Birds and Their Turds

Just when you thought the biggest philosophical debate about poultry was whether the chicken or the egg came first, a new urban and suburban trend of raising backyard chickens has exploded in popularity over the past few years. After all, who doesn't want an animal that makes your breakfast? However, the rise in popularity of

For the Love of Meat

To Be or Not To Be a Vegetarian: That is the Question. Or is it? Most people see a documentary about the meat industry and then they become a vegetarian for a week. – Jason Reitman Guilty. as. charged. After seeing Food, Inc. in college, I gave up meat for idealistic reasons. A week later,

The Ocean: A new frontier of exploration

Space! It is an amazing place to study and explore, but the ocean is equally fascinating. They are both vast realms of mystery that call out for us to explore the unimaginable. Throughout history we find ourselves seeking adventure, whether it is shooting into the black space above the clouds or sailing around the world,

Read Between the Layers

The world's greatest library lies centimeters below the surface of the Earth. We would know the planet's best-kept secrets if we could understand the text in which its stories are written. PhD Candidate, Danielle Haskett, has dedicated the last six years learning to interpret this earthly code, written in the form of fossilized bug heads.

A Matter of Milkweed

The Real Ultra-marathoners Pause for a minute and think about how far you travel in a day. The average American walks around 2.5 miles each day. If you are an ultra-marathoner you might cover up to 100 at most. As a runner myself, the furthest I've run at one time is somewhere around 16 miles.

Disaster Strikes and Disease Follows

When disasters strike we see images of destroyed buildings, injured individuals, and the far-reaching devastation that accompanies the forces of Mother Nature. The media covers the aftermath for a few weeks, but then coverage slowly dissipates and people watching from afar forget about the struggle still facing those affected. But for these individuals, devastation and

Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree – How Threatened Are Thy Branches

‘Tis the season for one of my favorite holiday traditions: selecting and decorating a Christmas tree. This annual holiday festivity became popular and widely adopted worldwide in the late 18th century as people started displaying ornately decorated evergreen conifer species (i.e. pines, spruces, firs) in their homes. Although the Christmas tree tradition now includes fake

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