Life in the Universe

Current scientific evidence indicates that the Universe is 13.7 billion years old and that the galaxies formed 12 billion years ago.  Yet, o...

Desert Heat in the Midwest

Records are falling across the American Midwest this week as the first major heat wave of the season invades our region.  High pressure over...

Industrial Obesity

Not long ago, we humans could not help but get plenty of exercise.  We had to hunt and spend long hours in the fields to obtain our food.  W...

The Nature of Volcanism

Volcanoes develop in areas where the heat from Earth's mantle melts the overlying crust.  This occurs along subduction zones, where one ...

The Lena River Delta

On satellite imagery, the Lena River Delta on the northern coast of Siberia gives the appearance of a fan coral, its braided channels and nu...

Dubious Debby

After forming in the eastern Gulf of Mexico over the past 48 hours, Tropical Storm Debby is going nowhere fast.  Parked west of Tampa and so...

Avalonia

There are few terranes that illustrate the science of plate tectonics and continental drift better than Avalonia.  This micro-continent form...

Australia's Great Basin

The Lake Eyre Basin of east-central Australia is a vast topographic bowl within which streams drain toward the lowest part of the basin, nev...

Racing Past the Solstice

Last evening, the Northern Hemisphere crossed the summer solstice, its annual maximum tilt toward the sun.  Over the next six months, the su...

Colorado's Beetles & Wildfires

After dealing with an overwhelming pine beetle blight for the past few years, Colorado residents now face what, so far, is a devastating fir...

The Congo River

Almost 3000 miles long and second only to the Amazon in its annual flow volume, the Congo River curves counterclockwise through the Democrat...

Missisquoi NWR

As heat and humidity grip much of the country over the next few months, those of us in the Midwest and Southeast will look for escapes to co...

Glacial Lake Souris

Near the end of the Pleistocene, 10-15,000 years ago, large meltwater lakes formed along the retreating edge of the Continental Ice Sheet. ...

The Flathead River

The Flathead River of northwest Montana rises via three primary forks. The North Fork heads in the mountains of southeast British Columbia ...

Mt. Washington, NH

When I climbed Mt. Washington with a group of friends, in 1974, it was my first experience with mountain hiking. Standing atop the treeless...

High Deserts

To most of us, deserts are landscapes of dryness, sparse vegetation and perpetual heat. But, in high deserts, the interplay of elevation an...

House Wren Mystery

Having spent a great deal of time in central Missouri over the past 15 years, I have become accustomed to the arrival of house wrens in late...

Siberian North America

Contrary to a popular assumption, the major tectonic plates of Planet Earth do not correspond directly to the contour of the continents and ...

The Rise of Independence

A recent poll of Americans, reported on the PBS News Hour, revealed that 38% of us identify ourselves as being politically independent; some...

Dry Rivers on the High Plains

Most of the rivers that cross the High Plains of the American West would hardly be recognized as creeks farther to the east. While the prim...

Rock Squirrels on the Piedmont

Rock squirrels have long been common residents of canyons throughout central and western Colorado and of the varied rock formations that ris...

Denver's Monster Storm

Late yesterday afternoon, a line of thunderstorms developed across northeastern Colorado, a typical occurrence in early summer. One of thes...

A Morning Chat

On this bright, cool morning, we opted for a hike through the South Platte Valley, looping past several lakes that border the river channel....

Front Range Drought

Following a lackluster snow season and spotty rain throughout the spring, Colorado's Front Range is tinder dry and wildfires have become...

High Plains Thunderstorms

Our trip from Missouri to Colorado today was almost entirely under sunny skies, with afternoon temperatures near 90 degrees F. The one, sig...

American Creationists

This week, CNN reported on a recent survey of American adults that revealed almost half of us reject the concept of human evolution and beli...

The Birding Doldroms

For the amateur, summer is a good season to engage in birdwatching; a wide variety of species are present and the weather is conducive to bo...

A Breath of Spring

After weeks of summerlike heat, cool, Canadian air has dropped into the Heartland. The jet stream is ushering in this fresh breath of sprin...