Denmark is the largest producer of mink fur in the world. The country has fifteen to seventeen million animals on more than one thousand farms. Experts estimate that the 2020 population is worth more than four hundred million dollars US [1]. A coronavirus mink mutation, however, may destroy the industry. On November 4, 2020, the...
Piracy is the practice of robbing another ship at sea. It can also be used to describe stealing in other contexts like hijacking, or “air piracy”. River piracy, however, is a very new concept. Until four years ago, no one had ever documented it in modern times. In May 2016, the Slims River in Canada’s...
When it comes to making the transition to renewable energy, there is one concern on everyone’s minds: the cost. If renewables are more expensive than oil or gas, using them for large-scale power generation is not feasible. A recent report, however, has found that solar power cost is lower than every other form of energy...
Mount Vesuvius is one of the most dangerous volcanoes on earth. Its most famous eruption took place in 79 AD, when it covered the nearby town of Pompeii in several feet of volcanic ash. This eruption completely froze the entire city- and all its inhabitants- in time. The volcanic ash that rained down upon Pompeii...
The police shootings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the shooting death of Ahmaud Aubery, turned the world’s attention to one important realization: Black Americans don’t feel safe walking the streets of their own neighbourhoods. As the ensuing unrest began rippling across the nation, two women decided they’d had enough. If they don’t feel...
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest issues facing our environment. Sadly, the problem is only getting worse. In 1950, humans produced about 2.3 million tonnes of plastic annually. By 2015, that number had increased to 448 million tonnes. Experts estimate that production will double by 2050 [1]. This is why Canada’s new plastic ban...
In the 1980s, John Goodenough co-invented the lithium-ion battery. Initially, no one in the battery or consumer electronics industry took his invention seriously. Today, however, lithium ions power nearly every portable device on the market. They also power electric vehicles. Forty years later, now 94-year-old Goodenough has done it again. This time, however, he’s invented...
Honey bees are one of the most important agricultural commodities in the United States and around the world. They are essential for pollinating flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and support approximately twenty billion dollars worth of crop production in the US every year. Worldwide, that number is 170 billion [1]. Over the last fifteen years, however,...
Albino animals stand out from the pack because their partial or complete loss of pigmentation makes them much lighter in color compared to the other members of their species. Although they are very rare, they have been spotted in the wild around the world. Over the years, there have been sightings of albino turtles, seals, and...
You’ve likely heard the term “bird brain” before. Usually, it describes someone who lacks intelligence or who makes dumb decisions. Well, that saying may change because a new study has shown that crows have conscious thought. For many years, people considered birds to be unintelligent compared to mammals and humans. We thought conscious decision-making was a...
In 1999, Andrew Ginzel and Kristen Jones unveiled their mixed-media artwork, “Metronome”. The piece is a clock that covers a ten-story-high area on the north wall of One Union Square South, a residential building. The work also included concentric circles of gold-flecked brick. They rippled outward from a round opening, with clouds of steam and...
Plastic was invented in the late nineteenth century to replace materials derived from nature, like ivory from elephant tusks. For this reason, plastics were celebrated. They could protect the natural world from the destructive needs of human beings – it turns out, big oil misled us. After World War Two, the plastics industry began booming....
