Science

This resting dog’s nose is at work all the time and is more than 1,000 times more sensitive than yours. (Photo of a tired-out Cora by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: The world according to a dog’s nose

A dog can tell you a lot about the outdoors. When a Lab vacuums the ground with her nose and her tail spins like a… Continue reading

 

Gerry Hatcher, left, and Drake Singleton drag a deflated boat pontoon over wet vegetation to reach Allison Lake near Valdez. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Lakes hold signs of past earthquakes

ALLISON LAKE, ABOVE VALDEZ — Three men dressed in full raingear crept like ants across a bumpy green landscape on Aug. 25, 2023. Using a… Continue reading

 

Fireweed rock glacier flows within the massif near McCarthy in 2023. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Glaciers made of rock, ice and bear scat

The grizzly hadn’t seen my dog or me, so I yelled and waved my arms. The bear stood, looked in our direction for three unforgettable… Continue reading

 

Scientists Jake Shaffer and Jared Clance collect samples on the Juneau Icefield earlier this month as part of a collaborative project between NASA and the Juneau Icefield Research Program. Participants hope the data and techniques will aid an upcoming mission to study the Jupiter ice moon Europa. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Holmes)

Juneau Icefield may be key to unlocking secrets of Jupiter ice moon

Researchers probe far beneath ice for clues to aid their search for extraterrestrial life

Scientists Jake Shaffer and Jared Clance collect samples on the Juneau Icefield earlier this month as part of a collaborative project between NASA and the Juneau Icefield Research Program. Participants hope the data and techniques will aid an upcoming mission to study the Jupiter ice moon Europa. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Holmes)
Hazel Sutton, 13, pauses at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge at the end of her shift monitoring tree swallow nest-boxes. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: A new teenager and her unusual bird

Hazel Sutton was eating lunch on an island at Tanana Lakes Recreation Area in Fairbanks with her family recently when a bird caught her eye.… Continue reading

Hazel Sutton, 13, pauses at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge at the end of her shift monitoring tree swallow nest-boxes. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

On the Trails: A mallard family, juncos, and tadpoles

One evening in late May, long after most female mallards had gone off to incubate their eggs, a group of three male mallards cruised around… Continue reading

A polar bear feeds near a pile of whale bones north of Utqiaġvik. (Courtesy Photo /Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Polar bears of the past survived warmth

In a recent paper, scientists wrote that a small population of polar bears living off Greenland and Arctic Canada increased by 1.6 times when they… Continue reading

A polar bear feeds near a pile of whale bones north of Utqiaġvik. (Courtesy Photo /Ned Rozell)
A newly hatched bald eagle chick is attended to by an adult. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Springtime fun and signs of new life

When spring finally came, it came in a rush. Cottonwood and alder leaves fairly leaped from the buds and grew rapidly toward full size. I… Continue reading

A newly hatched bald eagle chick is attended to by an adult. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Feltleaf willow leaves emerge beneath where a moose nipped off buds during winter of 2022-2023 in Fairbanks. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Feltleaf willows — Alaska’s most abundant tree

Imagine being a moose in late May…

Feltleaf willow leaves emerge beneath where a moose nipped off buds during winter of 2022-2023 in Fairbanks. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
A family of orcas swam along the shore (Courtesy Photo / DJ Kyser)
Video

On the Trails: Orcas, sand lance, and a junco

The highlight of our Berners Bay cruise…

A family of orcas swam along the shore (Courtesy Photo / DJ Kyser)
Video
Volunteer Educator Rosemary Walling shows a group of Montessori Borealis first through third graders images of the Earth on Friday at the Marie Drake Planetarium as part of a special presentation of the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

A journey to the stars was the final field trip of the year

Kids treated to the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight.

Volunteer Educator Rosemary Walling shows a group of Montessori Borealis first through third graders images of the Earth on Friday at the Marie Drake Planetarium as part of a special presentation of the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)
Ryan Becker, a teacher at the Eagle school, takes a photo of his students as part of a continuing Yukon River ice study on May 12, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: When river breakup came to Eagle

the Yukon River’s solid sheets were breaking into smaller pieces.

Ryan Becker, a teacher at the Eagle school, takes a photo of his students as part of a continuing Yukon River ice study on May 12, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
A skunk cabbage inflorescence shows the pointed stigmas of the female phase and the beginning of pollen presentation for the male phase. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)

On the Trails: Spring has sprung

Early avian harbingers have been joined by lots of other species…

A skunk cabbage inflorescence shows the pointed stigmas of the female phase and the beginning of pollen presentation for the male phase. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)
A pair of rough-skinned newts beginning the process of mating in a local pond this spring. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Rough-skinned newts

Breaking new(t)s.

A pair of rough-skinned newts beginning the process of mating in a local pond this spring. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
In October 2007, 1-year-old Anna Rozell admired a statue of Balto in Central Park of New York City. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Long after run to glory, Balto lives on

Balto gives scientists insight into what makes Alaska sled dogs and other working breeds unique.

In October 2007, 1-year-old Anna Rozell admired a statue of Balto in Central Park of New York City. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
Blueberry flowers provide early-season food for bumblebees. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Setting the seasonal clocks

Our spring is slow in coming.

Blueberry flowers provide early-season food for bumblebees. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Kristen Rozell skis past grizzly bear tracks pressed into a snowmachine trail near Fairbanks on April 23, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Bear tracks on snow a sign of the season

Melt season is a sad time for people who enjoy the magic of snow crystals bonding so well to one another, resulting in a web… Continue reading

Kristen Rozell skis past grizzly bear tracks pressed into a snowmachine trail near Fairbanks on April 23, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
A model of a DNA molecule is displayed in the New York office of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research on Oct. 18, 1962. The discovery of DNA’s “twisted ladder” structure 70 years ago opened up a world of new science — and also sparked disputes over who contributed what and who deserves credit. In an opinion piece published Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in the journal Nature, two historians are suggesting that while James Watson and Francis Crick did rely on research from Rosalind Franklin and her lab without their permission — Franklin was more a collaborator than just a victim. (AP Photo / Anthony Camerano)

Rosalind Franklin’s role in DNA discovery gets a new twist

The story dates back to the 1950s, when scientists were working out how DNA’s pieces fit together.

A model of a DNA molecule is displayed in the New York office of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research on Oct. 18, 1962. The discovery of DNA’s “twisted ladder” structure 70 years ago opened up a world of new science — and also sparked disputes over who contributed what and who deserves credit. In an opinion piece published Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in the journal Nature, two historians are suggesting that while James Watson and Francis Crick did rely on research from Rosalind Franklin and her lab without their permission — Franklin was more a collaborator than just a victim. (AP Photo / Anthony Camerano)
This December 2013 photo available under a Creative Commons license shows holly berries and leaves. A study of European holly in Spain showed that leaf browsing by mammals induces an increase of prickliness of the leaves. (Dendroica Cerulea / Flickr)

On the Trails: Inheritance of genetic and acquired traits

Fun with phenotype phenomenon.

This December 2013 photo available under a Creative Commons license shows holly berries and leaves. A study of European holly in Spain showed that leaf browsing by mammals induces an increase of prickliness of the leaves. (Dendroica Cerulea / Flickr)
Emiko and Syun-Ichi Akasofu serve tea to guests at their home in Fairbanks in December 2021. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Aurora expert helped expand Alaska tourism

When Syun-Ichi Akasofu walks by in the building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus that bears his name, I want to catch up and… Continue reading

Emiko and Syun-Ichi Akasofu serve tea to guests at their home in Fairbanks in December 2021. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)