Politics & Policy

The More You Know: Presidential Candidates’ Answers to Science Policy Questions

by Natalie Eldredge The White House, Washington, D.C. by Diego Cambiaso Here's why you should be paying attention to the latest presidential campaign news: whether you hate or love politics, the outcomes of our elections have very real impacts on all of our lives. To catch up on the most recent comments by both candidates,

Shake a Leg! Or a Branch…The Movement of Trees Under Climate Change

Florida torreya's (Torreya taxifolia) current habitats are threatened by climate change. The Torreya Guardians, a self-organized group of scientists and informed citizens, took it upon themselves in 2008 to move this tree species to new, suitable habitats north of its native range. This was the first assisted migration of an endangered species in the United

The World's Largest Lake is at Stake

Why is the world's largest body of freshwater (by volume), Lake Baikal, currently in danger and why does it matter so much? It is known for its unmatched biodiversity and happens to hold 20% of the world's freshwater. This impressive combination certainly makes it worthy of global attention. To better understand what's at stake, let's

Combating Climate Change with Photosynthesis

Fossil fuels are ingrained in American history. If you have ever driven a car, flown in an airplane, or heated your home, you have used fossil fuels. These fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) account for 85% of fuel use in the United States, and our dependence on them has become an increasingly important issue.

Them Old Sweet Ones: Remembering and Reintroducing the American Chestnut

“When you turned off Chestnut Grove Road towards the school, you went up another little road, and there were chestnut trees all up that road,” then 87-year-old Margaret Miller tells me while we sit sipping ice tea at her formica kitchen table in Meat Camp, North Carolina. “In the fall, if you got along first

The science behind fighting elephant poaching

I was always dimly aware of elephant poaching for ivory, but it didn't alarm me until I spent a year working as a tropical ecology research assistant in central Africa. I was in Gabon, a heavily forested small country in the heart of the Congo basin on Africa's west coast. Gabon is home to roughly

Food Waste in the 21st Century

In 2012, food waste was the most abundant kind of waste produced in America (see chart below), beating even plastic and paper. This has led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to choose food recovery as their theme for this year's Earth Week. Food waste affects multiple areas of the environment.  Wasting food means wasting our

Nuclear fallout or nuclear bailout: could nuclear power help save us from climate change?

In December, the US and 194 other countries signed the Paris Agreement, vowing to work together to prevent worldwide temperatures from rising 2 degrees C (3.6 °F) above pre-industrial levels. Temperatures have already risen 0.8 °C (1.4 °F), and the planet is warming at approximately 0.15 – 0.20 °C per decade. Preventing further rises in

Lions and Tigers, and Orcas! Oh my!

“For more than 50 years, we have been a leading theme park and entertainment company delivering personal, interactive and educational experiences that blend imagination with nature and enable our guests to celebrate, connect with and care for the natural world we share.” -SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment When you think of SeaWorld, what comes to mind?

Degradable Polymers: Plastics our Future Can Depend On

Consumer plastics is an immense industry, with over 200 million tons produced annually. Of these plastics, 22-43% end up in a landfill, where they sit, inert, slowly breaking down into small particles that enter the environment and interfere in the life cycles of many animals, especially aquatic creatures like fish and zooplankton. This negatively impacts

What's the cost? Predicting the consequences of climate change

If you're wondering whether Earth's temperatures are rising, or whether people are responsible for global warming, then check out Hilde’s previous posts on climate change. Would global warming be really all that bad? We associate wintertime weather with unpleasantries like halting the agricultural growing season, overflowing of homeless shelters, and imperiling drivers. What will happen if

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