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The World of Jurassic Flora

If you have ever seen the movie The Land Before Time, you are probably familiar with the scene where a young brontosaurus named Littlefoot stumbles upon a leaf referred to as a “tree star”. It most closely resembles the foliage of a sycamore tree, which personally rubs me the wrong way, and I’ll tell you why: sycamores are angiosperms, meaning […]

Can Science Be Anti-Colonial?

Scientists are trained to think in very specific ways, to focus on the individual by disconnecting our subject from the complex factors that affect it. We do this in an effort to make it easier to understand our discoveries and avoid bias. This method has brought us a wealth of knowledge about our world: helping to cure and prevent disease, develop technologies that connect us in meaningful ways, and identify and help to solve our problems. But, too often, it is seen as the only or best way of knowing. I argue that is not the case.

The Virtues of Volcanoes

– Featured Image By Mikayla Kauinana You may have heard about the numerous volcanic eruptions happening through the Spring of 2021, but did you know there were 45 active volcanoes as of March 12th?1 This fact may freak you out because we tend to only focus on the destructive power of volcanoes that impacts people, crops, and communities. However, objectively, […]

Ecoanxiety: Climate Crisis and Mental Meltdown

Have you ever learned something about the state of the environment that made you want to give up on life? Maybe it was the latest statistics on biodiversity loss, the realization of how much plastic is and will be in landfills for thousands of years, or maybe it was the latest and bleakest climate reports forecasting a future of environmental […]

Petrology: Rocks Origin Stories

By Simone Wright Rocks are cool. They’re like small time capsules that describe the Earth’s history. The variety of characteristics impies a natural process unique to that rock; like a game of mystery to describe the events leading up to them. Geologists study rocks not only to understand/model Earth processes, but to access fundamental knowledge about the universe around us. […]

(W)hooo Lives in the Box?

Owls come in many shapes and sizes as there are over 250 species around the world, living in different habitats like agricultural fields or thick forests. Most live in natural habitats like trees or caves, but some rest in human-made places like owl boxes or barns.