Science

Nikki is an old favorite that we see near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center; here she is with a couple of new cubs. Black bears mate in early summer, but the fertilized egg is not implanted until fall; then gestation takes about seven months, resulting in a tiny cub that won’t emerge from the den until early summer. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)

On the Trails: Reproductive delays in mammals

By Mary F. Willson For the Juneau Empire Human animals have a simple, direct system: copulation and sperm delivery may lead to fertilization of an… Continue reading

Nikki is an old favorite that we see near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center; here she is with a couple of new cubs. Black bears mate in early summer, but the fertilized egg is not implanted until fall; then gestation takes about seven months, resulting in a tiny cub that won’t emerge from the den until early summer. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)
Two dogs greet each other Jan. 7, 2022, when the temperature was minus 22F and the sun set before 5 p.m. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Endless northern winter about to end

The end is in sight.

Two dogs greet each other Jan. 7, 2022, when the temperature was minus 22F and the sun set before 5 p.m. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
This photo, available under a Creative Commons license, shows a European robin. While its name is similar to that of the American robin, they are not closely related. (Courtesy Photo / Charles J. Sharp)

On the Trails: Same name, very different birds

A tale of two (or more) robins.

This photo, available under a Creative Commons license, shows a European robin. While its name is similar to that of the American robin, they are not closely related. (Courtesy Photo / Charles J. Sharp)
The paw of an anesthetized female lynx trapped north of the Arctic Circle that weighed 22 pounds. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Live-trapping lynx in the far north

By Ned Rozell NORTH OF COLDFOOT — The lynx looks out from inside a chicken-wire cage. Despite its loss of freedom and the nearby squeaking… Continue reading

The paw of an anesthetized female lynx trapped north of the Arctic Circle that weighed 22 pounds. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
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Sustainable Alaska: Cosmic consciousness, Earth Day, and the magic of time and space

Earlier this spring I had the great privilege of skiing from Knik Lake to McGrath…

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On the Trails: Whelks learning and hemlocks fluting

Whelk-learned individuals.

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UAF ecologist Knut Kielland listens for a lynx he collared last year not far from Wiseman, Alaska. Mount Dillon, part of the Brooks Range, stands in the background. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Happenings north of the Arctic Circle

Though the calendar calls it springtime, the thermometer on the truck reads minus 28 F…

UAF ecologist Knut Kielland listens for a lynx he collared last year not far from Wiseman, Alaska. Mount Dillon, part of the Brooks Range, stands in the background. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
An injured coyote with only three usable legs has survived over a year, hunting small mammals. (Courtesy Photo / Cheryl Cook)

On the Trails: Wild animals surviving serious injuries

To be adaptive, the benefits have to outweigh such costs.

An injured coyote with only three usable legs has survived over a year, hunting small mammals. (Courtesy Photo / Cheryl Cook)
Henry Allen a few decades after he — as a 26-year-old — crossed Alaska on foot and by boats in a U.S. government-sponsored expedition. (Public domain photo)

Alaska Science Forum: Across Alaska in one summer

Rotten moose meat unlikely to supplant birthday cake.

Henry Allen a few decades after he — as a 26-year-old — crossed Alaska on foot and by boats in a U.S. government-sponsored expedition. (Public domain photo)
Blueberry flowers bloom in some sites in early March (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Waiting for spring

Critters and plants are getting ready for spring

Blueberry flowers bloom in some sites in early March (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Chignik Lake is the first of two lakes in the Chignik River system; it is longer and deeper than the second lake, Black Lake, which is wide and shallow. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

The Salmon State: A tale of two salmon

Chignik has two genetically distinct runs of sockey

Chignik Lake is the first of two lakes in the Chignik River system; it is longer and deeper than the second lake, Black Lake, which is wide and shallow. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
A hawk owl surveys the ground around its perch; note the white patches on the side of the head and the facial disc. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Eagle-eyed birders spot a hawk owl

Owl’s well on the trails.

A hawk owl surveys the ground around its perch; note the white patches on the side of the head and the facial disc. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
A dead whale previously seen and necropsied on a small island near Angoon was spotted afloat on March 3. The cuts visible come from the necropsy effort, said a NOAA official. (Larry Talley / Courtesy photo)

Whale’s body spotted near Tenakee Inlet

The animal with a long history in the area has been necropsied.

A dead whale previously seen and necropsied on a small island near Angoon was spotted afloat on March 3. The cuts visible come from the necropsy effort, said a NOAA official. (Larry Talley / Courtesy photo)
This photo shows a least and crested auklet on Kasatochi Volcano in 2012 (Gary S Drew / United States Geological Survey)

On the Trails: Birds’ sense of smell

Old myth doesn’t pass the sniff test.

This photo shows a least and crested auklet on Kasatochi Volcano in 2012 (Gary S Drew / United States Geological Survey)
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Alaska Science Forum: Dave Covey made the world a calmer place

He left us last week — a quiet exit that was totally Dave.

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Lora Vess is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Department Chair of Social Sciences at the University of Alaska Southeast. (Courtesy Photo)

Sustainable Alaska: Recent events serve as reminders of nuclear energy risks

Nuclear power is not the panacea for climate change.

Lora Vess is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Department Chair of Social Sciences at the University of Alaska Southeast. (Courtesy Photo)
Pine siskins are feisty little birds, frequently aggressive against other birds and each other.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: February foragers were out and active

It’s a ‘seedy’ world.

Pine siskins are feisty little birds, frequently aggressive against other birds and each other.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
An olive-sided flycatcher perches atop a tree in Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Sara Germain, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Alaska Science Forum: Bird havens on a trans-continental journey

Right about now, songbirds in Brazil are shifting on their perches…

An olive-sided flycatcher perches atop a tree in Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Sara Germain, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
This photo shows a cross-section of a tree trunk, showing the asymmetrical growth induced when the tree leaned. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)

On the Trails: Wringing information out of wood

Wood as a biological entity, not as a commodity to be sold or a nuisance to be removed.

This photo shows a cross-section of a tree trunk, showing the asymmetrical growth induced when the tree leaned. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)
Todd Sformo looks for overwintering insects in the forest near Chena Hot Springs. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Hardy gnats survive winter half frozen

As sometimes happens in science, a chance decision led to a discovery.

Todd Sformo looks for overwintering insects in the forest near Chena Hot Springs. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)