Feb 27 2024
International Polar Bear Day is celebrated every year on February 27, shining a spotlight on one of the Arctic’s most recognizable animals and the rapidly changing environment it depends on. Polar bears are remarkable animals. They can swim through frigid Arctic waters, survive months when food is difficult to find, locate seals beneath snow and …
Nov 04 2023
Few animals are as closely tied to the landscapes and history of North America as the American bison. Once numbering in the tens of millions, enormous herds moved across grasslands, river valleys, woodlands, and mountain country from Mexico into Canada and Alaska. Their presence shaped ecosystems, influenced the lives of countless other species, and played …
Sep 24 2023
A silverback gorilla sitting quietly in a forest can be more impressive than almost any dramatic wildlife scene. These enormous primates do not need to roar or charge to command attention. A glance, a gesture, or the sight of an infant clinging to its mother is often enough. Gorillas are the largest living primates and …
Aug 05 2023
Most beaches come in familiar shades of white, tan, gray, or black. Then there are the unusual coastlines where the sand appears distinctly green. Green-sand beaches can look almost unreal, especially when sunlight catches the tiny mineral grains scattered across the shore. But the color is not caused by algae, plants, or some photographic trick. …
Jul 28 2023
On a hot summer afternoon, cicadas can make a quiet neighborhood sound as though someone has switched on an enormous electrical machine in the trees. Their buzzing, whirring, rattling, and sometimes almost siren-like calls can dominate the outdoor soundscape, even when the insects themselves are nearly impossible to spot. For such relatively small animals, cicadas …
Jul 10 2023
With its bright pink skin, leafy-looking green scales, white or magenta flesh, and hundreds of tiny black seeds, dragon fruit doesn’t look much like something you’d expect to harvest from a cactus. But that’s exactly what it is. Dragon fruit—also called pitaya or pitahaya—is produced by climbing, succulent cacti in the family Cactaceae. Instead of …
May 20 2022
Today is Endangered Species Day, a time to remember the importance of different species on our connected planet and the importance of protecting them. Here we are observing seventeen of the most threatened animals on the planet. These are animals currently on the critically endangered list according to the WWF, which means that they are …
Apr 21 2022
One of the largest concerns on the planet today is plastic waste, especially with poisonous expanding landfills and the growing Pacific Garbage Patch. TED-Ed has an informative lesson on where plastic waste goes, how the patch is formed, points out that there are more patches in the ocean, and tells us why it’s important to …
Apr 21 2022
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living structure, yet at alarmingly rapid rates, it is becoming the planet’s largest dying structure due to rising ocean temperatures. The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 134,000 square miles off of the coast of Queensland, Australia, and is home to a vast array of fish species, turtles, …
Apr 21 2022
Earth Day is just around the corner on April 22, so I wanted to take a few days to share awareness videos and discussions. TEDTalks has an educational radio hour called “The Big Five,” where experts talked about five massive crises in today’s world, number one being climate change. One of the clearest and most …
