Glorious End to a Tragic Year

A steady, wet snow has been falling in Columbia since early this morning and is expected to continue through most of the day.  Perfect for b...

Hypertension: the Silent Killer

Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, can lead to a wide range of health problems.  Unfortunately, this common condition i...

Snowy Owls

Among the most easily identified birds on our planet, snowy owls breed on the Arctic tundra of Alaska, Canada and Eurasia.  Their dense plum...

The Woodland Mouse

White-footed mice are common residents of woodlands from southeastern Canada to Mexico and throughout the eastern 2/3 of the U.S. (with the ...

Calendar of Life

As we approach the end of the human calendar year, it seems appropriate to revisit the calendar of life.  Current scientific evidence indica...

Natural History of Squid

Squid, like octopi, cuttlefish and nautilus species, are cephalopods, a branch of mollusks.  Ancestral squid, which had elongated, external ...

Christmas Storms

The latest winter storm system has dropped across the Southwest and, as of this morning, its central low is spinning just north of Lubbock, ...

Copahue Volcano Eruption

The Copahue Volcano, in the Andes on the border of Argentina and Chile, is erupting once again, sending a cloud of ash one mile into the atm...

The Evolution of Corals

Corals are a diverse group of marine invertebrates that first appeared in the Cambrian Period, some 550 million years ago (MYA).  Fossils of...

The Northern Goshawk

The northern goshawk is the largest accipiter in North America and the most widespread accipiter on our planet, breeding in coniferous or mi...

Feeding Birds

On this clear, cold morning following our first significant snowfall of the winter, I am paying close attention to our backyard sunflower fe...

Tornadoes & Blizzards

As of 6 AM, the latest winter storm was centered over northwest Missouri.  Ahead of its cold front, it was 50 degrees F here in Columbia, wi...

Humans, Empathy & Guns

Social creatures, we humans tend to be empathetic.  This trait, the capacity to recognize suffering and commiserate with those in distress, ...

Snows over Illinois

We left Cincinnati this morning and headed west under low, gray clouds.  The overcast cleared as we crossed the Wabash River, in western Ind...

In Familiar Terrain

Growing up in Cincinnati, I came to know its varied neighborhoods, towns, parks and suburbs but paid little attention to its topography and ...

Ohio's Glacial Lakes

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio harbors at least 50,000 ponds and lakes and, of these, only 110 are natural.  Th...

Flat Terrain, Hidden Geology

Following I-70 eastward from central Missouri to central Ohio, as we did today, one crosses relatively flat terrain, broken only by creek an...

Evolution of Marine Animals

Life, itself, evolved in Earth's primordial oceans about 3.6 billion years ago; these initial unicellular forms of life were likely chem...

Generation Labels

Thanks to Tom Brokaw, we all "know" that those Americans who guided us through WWII are "the Greatest Generation."  Whil...

The Muskox

Every year, when the first wave of Arctic air drops into the Heartland, I am inclined to consider those mammals that are able to thrive in s...

Gray Days

A stationary front has draped itself across Missouri for the past few days, bringing classic December weather.  Separating cold air to its n...

Compromise & Zealotry

Compromise is, in my opinion, the vital key to sustaining relationships, whether they be marital, political or economic.  It requires a cert...

North American Japan

The northeastern half of Japan lies on the North American Plate, which dips down from the Aleutian Chain, crosses the middle of Honshu (Japa...

Pine Birds

Throughout the American Midwest, deciduous trees dominate our forests and riparian woodlands and the majority of resident birds favor those ...

Red Wolf Controversy

When European explorers first reached North America, red wolves inhabited the southeastern quadrant of the Continent, from New England to th...

Modern Gladiators

Few of us would condone a resurrection of the Roman Colosseum, where throngs of rabid citizens were entertained by the suffering and death o...

Pascagoula River Basin

Of the many landscapes that we crossed on our trip back to Missouri from South Florida, the broad tidal marsh of the lower Pascagoula River ...

Waiting on Winter

It may be December 2 but it felt more like late September in central Missouri today. Since we just returned from South Florida, the mild con...

Traveling Blind

Those of us who love to travel look forward to seeing new landscapes, whether they are natural, rural or urban.  Some, including myself, als...