Environment
Catching “Honey Pounding” on Camera
Last February, a producer and two cameramen from the Natural History unit of the British Broadcasting Corporation arrived at the Goualougo basecamp [in the Republic of Congo] ready to shoot one of the last sequences of the six-part epic series Africa. Initial inquiries about filming in Goualougo had started long before, in late 2010, and now the time had finally come to get down to work and show the world why Goualougo chimpanzees and their forest home are so special.
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Tracking El Niño
When El Niño winds blow in from the South Pacific, the winter weather in North America tends to be wet. Scientists have increasingly better ways to track the odds of whether the weather is going to be damp or dry, but we won't really know until the rain and snow start falling—or don't. Which will it be in 2013? Read the rest of this entry »
Woese’s Third Domain: Archaea and the Evolution of Life on Earth
American microbiologist Carl R. Woese passed away on December 30, 2012, bringing renewed attention to his groundbreaking discovery of the third domain of life, the Archaea, primitive single-celled organisms that may hold the secret to the evolution of life on Earth. Read the rest of this entry »
Almost Apocalypse: Five Questions for Writer and Explorer Craig Childs
Writer, explorer, and desert rat Craig Childs has written several books about his adventures in the deserts of the American West. With his newest book, Apocalyptic Planet, he steps outside the region to explore the edges of the world, where danger—and a view, perhaps, of our future—await. Read the rest of this entry »
The Gollum Diet: Cave Creatures from Around the World
Peruse our menu of cave-dwelling delicacies, prepared specially for the original raw-foodist: Gollum. Read the rest of this entry »
Down and Dirty: Do Men and Women Perceive Cleanliness Differently?
The world is a dirty place. Women know that—or so the scientific evidence suggests. But do men? Step inside to find out. Read the rest of this entry »
The Keystone XL Showdown
Now that the U.S. election is over, a final decision by President Obama on the northern section of the Keystone XL pipeline, and the fate of the project itself, is imminent. If completed, the pipeline would transport some of the “dirtiest, most carbon intensive fuels” on the planet. Read the rest of this entry »
Lemmings: Bent on Self-Destruction?
Are lemmings inherently suicidal? A nature documentary released nearly 55 years ago, and shown to generations of schoolchildren, gave us the resounding view that they are. The facts argue otherwise.
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2012 in Review: Southern Africa’s Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area encompasses some 36 protected regions, including more than a dozen national parks, as well as a variety of other reserves and wildlife-management areas. Check out Britannica's Book of the Year coverage after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Cape Hatteras Birds and Sea Turtles Get a Little Beach of Their Own
Some people visit Cape Hatteras National Seashore, in eastern North Carolina, for the quietude and the nature. Others go to play in the sand and surf. What really matters is how people get there, and beach driving is increasingly less an option, much to the relief of birds and sea turtles that nest on the beach. Read the rest of this entry »
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