Background Articles

Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutians — it’s had nearly 30 eruptions since 1824.

For countless US veterans, the Army’s mismanagement and careless disposal of hazardous substances since the early years of the Cold War have been an enduring source of debilitating and fatal consequences. Notorious instances such as the pervasive contamination at Camp Lejeune, where toxins leached into groundwater for over 30 years.

Adventures go wrong whether through failures of gear or navigation, not to mention the unpredictable weather and large, wild animals. Adventurers can make thinking errors that, in some cases, make an uncomfortable situation much worse.

The current outbreaks of avian influenza (also called “bird flu”) have caused devastation in animal populations, including poultry, wild birds, and some mammals, and harmed farmers’ livelihoods and the food trade. Although largely affecting animals, these outbreaks pose ongoing risks to humans.

An invasive species of mollusks, typically found in Southeast Alaska and established in Girdwood in 2015, have been reported in the Anchorage Bowl this year. “The European black slug is not necessarily new to Alaska,” Slowik said. “It was introduced into Cordova about the 1980s and it really stayed there for a long time.”

People spread Covid-19 to wild white-tailed deer more than 100 times in late 2021 and early 2022. The infection circulated widely in the deer population in the United States, and in at least three instances, researchers suspect the virus was passed between deer where it picked up unique genetic changes and then re-infected humans.

The virtual reality project Qikiqtaruk: Arctic at Risk is transporting people to Yukon's northernmost point without them ever having to leave home.

The Friends of the Landfill works with community partners to recycle aluminum cans and tech waste.

The Quebec government has allocated over $2 million to research and develop a plan to adapt public housing in Nunavik to the effects of thawing permafrost, which can cause damage to units built on jacks.

This rural part of the island of Oahu is not connected to city sewers — and waste from toilets, sinks and showers is mostly collected in hundreds of pits called cesspools. Rising seas are also pushing groundwater closer to the surface, allowing cesspool effluent to mix with the water table and flow into the ocean.

Rick Thoman is thinking hard about the cost of climate change and the benefits of better tracking, potentially influencing Alaska’s response to extreme weather and more.

The two Alaska grants are aimed at retooling mills to harvest young growth timber in the Tongass National Forest rather than old growth.

Scientists found that the glaciers are triggering the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that causes global temperatures to rise.

Scientists say they found the virus in one of five submitted chicken meat samples that the cats ate.

E-bikes offer riders added range, mobility and approachability. But they also potentially bring an added element of increased speed to mixed-use trails that are already buzzing with activity.

The state’s rural areas lead the world in renewably powered microgrids. So if the grid of the future is being incubated in rural Alaska, can urban Alaska, like the Railbelt, benefit from some of these strategies and lessons learned?

With recent events between Musk ox, humans, and dogs, Nome looks for solutions to mitigate the problem. As they graze on patches of grass, often within city limits, the potential for dog conflict and even human interactions are becoming common.

Heat waves like the one that engulfed parts of parts of the South and Midwest and killed more than a dozen people are becoming more common.

Voles breed like crazy. They can have three or four litters of six to eight kits each summer. Babies are born hairless, but are weaned and on their own in less than three weeks. Females are ready to breed at 30 days.

Scientists say that rising global temperatures are causing collapsing mountains as ancient permafrost begins to thaw.