Weeds — any plants that grow where they are not wanted — are the bane of agriculture. The preferred way to kill them is with herbicides. But these chemicals are expensive and deposit tons of poison into the environment, with the attendant risk of collateral damage. Is there a better way? There just may be.
In the Disney animated feature The Lion King, there is a scene in which Mufasa tells Simba about the Circle of Life — even though lions eat antelope, there are ways these animals benefit from lions. When carnivores die, their decaying bodies fertilize the grass the antelope and other animals eat. The environmental loop is
Are you worried about Christmas? Afraid that the supply bottlenecks will leave you bereft of gifts for everyone who expects them? Then perhaps you should try the Buy Nothing Project. Founded in 2013, the project’s purpose is to build community by connecting people through local giving, with a secondary purpose of helping the environment. In
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “When you have lemons, make lemonade.” We might also consider saying “If you have a problem, just eat it.” The problem in question is invasive species. From zebra mussels* to pythons in the Everglades**, some parts of the ecosystem are virtually under siege by plants and animals that aren’t
We know that dogs have a refined sense of smell. They’ve been used to sniff out illegal drugs, contraband at border crossings, roadside bombs, and reportedly even cancer. Recently, I ran across another use for the canine nose. When families lose a loved one, the most recent trend is to have the remains cremated. Frequently
It’s estimated that 12% of human pregnancies begin as multiple pregnancies, but less than 2% end that way. What happens to the other embryo? Recall that identical twins occur when one egg splits into two and results in two embryos. But sometimes one of the embryos simply vanishes, leaving only one to develop to term.
In 1984, radiation worker Stanley Watras set off an alarm that detected radiation exposure. A quick examination revealed Watras was not physically carrying any radiation source; the explanation was much more insidious: His body had absorbed large amounts of radon gas from his house’s basement. We tend to believe radiation is relatively rare and dangerous, but
Of all the COVID adaptations, one of the more imaginative is the community refrigerator. The idea is quite simple — put a fridge on a street corner, stock it with surplus food, and let people help themselves under the motto “take what you need, leave what you can.” Since the start of the pandemic, these
Catching up on my reading, I ran across an amazing story from the 9/11 tragedy. When the Twin Towers fell, people began running for their lives. Since this was the tip of lower Manhattan, people on the south side were quickly trapped at the waterfront. Their salvation came from the flotilla of more than 150
In my younger years when I was a Boy Scout, my small hometown had a street fair for a weekend one year. Our scout troop, in a moment of temporary insanity, decided to offer a goldfish booth as a fundraiser. I’m sure you’ve seen these somewhere before — toss a Ping-Pong ball at a table