Inishfearglin, Puffin Island, & Puffin Rock In our last issue, we examined the distinctive, colorful birds of the planet’s northern oceans: puffins. These avians spend half the year on the open ocean and the other half nesting on often spectacular cliffsides. Puffins congregating on a cliff – photo by Steve Garvie One of the joys of […]
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Puffins We recently declared the Dalmatian to be one of the most recognizable dogs on the planet. Certain types of critters are so distinctive that most humans can identify them with just a glimpse. Some of these animals stand out because of their size or shape, such as the elephant or the crab, but not necessarily their
The Dark Lady of DNA For many decades following the 1950s, biology classes across the United States and the world drilled two names into the heads of students in relation to unraveling the “secret of life.” Which brilliant scientists unlocked the famous double helix of deoxyribonucleic acids – aka DNA – the coding chains of life on
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Mast Years In many parts of the Midwestern and Eastern United States (and perhaps more of the country), Autumn 2023 has contained a bit of an oddity. Yard owners and hikers have noticed a spate of squirrels on the prowl and a seemingly unending deluge of nuts on the ground. A member of my family
Ring of Fire During the summer of 2023, we learned about the Omega block, a weather pattern shaped like a Greek letter that locks in conditions for extended periods. Though this phenomenon is hardly rare, we often barely notice its existence. Sometimes it produces heat domes that trap high temperatures in regions for weeks or months
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Ring of Fire We’ve explored Rings of Fire in the sky, and we’ve investigated Rings of Fire in the ground. This imagery seems to be one humans are quite taken with, as today we have another Ring of Fire. This halo of conflagration mixes a bit of the previous examples. It’s associated with the sun, and
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The Ring of Fire Close your eyes and picture a real-world volcano. Where are you on the globe? You might be at one of Italy’s famous spewers, Etna or Vesuvius. You might be in Hawaii on Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa. Maybe you went to Africa’s High Point, Kilimanjaro. Or, likely, you’re in one of many spots where continental
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Ring of Fire If you’ve followed this project for a while, you know we’re big fans of eclipses. Lunar, solar, partial, full: we love them all. The United States is currently in the midst of a glittering age of eclipses. In 2017, many across the country glimpsed the “Great American Eclipse,” a full solar eclipse. Under seven years later
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Katahdin – Maine’s High Point Then here’s a hail to each flaring dawn!And here’s a cheer to the night that’s gone!And may I go a-roaming onUntil the day I die! — Robert Service, A Rolling Stone This was my Everest.In my fifth or sixth year on the planet, I embarked on a climb of Katahdin with my
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Dalmatia Make a list of the world’s 101 Most Recognizable Dog Breeds and one type of canine will likely top it. Photo by Bradlien Photo by Carlos Estrada Disney’s 101 Dalmatians A white coat punctuated by black dots can mean only one type of pupper. Adored by firefighters and bizarrely coveted by Disney villains, the Dalmatian is