Conservation
On National Arbor Day—which this year is on April 24—we typically recognize forests and trees for their essential roles in conserving soils, providing oxygen, reducing energy consumption through shade and serving as wildlife habitats.
Nature & Wildlife
When the island of Surtsey erupted from the sea near Iceland in 1963, it became a living experiment in how life begins anew. Decades later, scientists discovered that the plants colonizing this young island weren’t carried there by ocean currents or by the wind, but by birds, who served as winged gardeners.
Nature & Wildlife
I believe that we are drawn to certain terrains. We know instinctively what landscape feels most like home when we want to wander, whether it’s mountains, seascapes or wide, open ranges. Our inclination for peregrination is old.
Conservation
Virtual reality (VR)—a technology that simulates a three-dimensional (3D) environment, allowing users to interact with a computer-generated world as if they were physically present—can create dynamic, immersive and personalized experiences.
Conservation
While wildfires and controlled burns (also known as prescribed burns) are both fires, they differ significantly in their impacts, management and origins. Wildfires are unplanned and unrestrained, often caused by natural events like lightning or human error—such as unattended campfires or discarded cigarettes—and they can cause extensive damage.
Nature & Wildlife
Captivating remnants of ancient times, fossils offer a window into Earth’s history and the evolution of life. They document the past, providing clues about extinct species, vanished environments and the processes that shaped our planet.
Nature & Wildlife
Wild animals are not just the inhabitants of the natural world—they are its architects. That’s the exciting finding from a new study that reveals how hundreds of species have shaped the landscapes we depend on, from beavers creating entire wetlands to hippos carving drainage systems.
Conservation
Forests are vital to all life on Earth. They filter the water we drink and the air we breathe. They provide essential medicines, food, and fuel for billions of people, including Indigenous peoples who call forests home. They also provide habitat for most of the world’s life on land.
Nature & Wildlife
We know that spending time in nature is good for us, proven by hundreds—perhaps thousands—of scientific studies. But most of what we know about nature and its benefits have come from research focused on how seeing nature affects us.
Conservation
Drawing on her life as an Indigenous scientist, author Robin Wall Kimmerer in her now iconic 2015 book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants intertwines the knowledge she gained during her Potawatomi upbringing with the education she later received as a scientist—specifically, a plant biologist.
Nature & Wildlife
It’s just a little more than a month into spring, and I’m already wondering if the summer of 2024 will set a new heat record just as the summer of 2023 did. But, this time, more than setting records and reading dire statistics, I’m thinking about how those temperatures will truly feel to us.
Nature & Wildlife
Next week, I’ll mark another birthday. While I’m grateful for all the ones I’ve been fortunate enough to have so far, how quickly they seem to roll by now is somewhat daunting. That makes me a bit sad. In turn, that has me wondering: at what age are we our happiest?
