Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery With Daily Postings Since 2002
National Geographic – This year, a gecko, a songbird, and a minnow joined the short list of recovered American endangered species. “…The list of 27 (plus specific recovered populations of an additional five animal species) is modest when put into context. Since the Endangered Species Act took effect in 1973, 719 animal species native to …
Future Crunch – If we want to change the story of the human race in the 21st century, we have to change the stories we tell ourselves. “…There were other stories out there, stories of conservation, better health, rising living standards, tolerance, peace, cleaner energy and environmental stewardship. Most of them didn’t make it onto …
gizmodo: “Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island tortoises, died in 2012. George’s story is the perfect extinction story. It features a charismatic character with a recognizable face, an obvious villain, and the tireless efforts of naturalists. The population of the Pinta Island tortoise species was decimated by whalers hunting and eating them during …
Five Books – Best Books of 2019 – “Every year, we approach experts and ask them to recommend the best books that have been published in their field that year. Below you’ll find all our best books of 2019 reading lists as they are published on Five Books. (Our best books of 2018 and 2017 …
The New York Times – The Great Recycling Con – The greatest trick corporations ever played was making us think we could recycle their products. “In the Video Op-Ed, we debunk a recycling myth that has lulled us into guilt-free consumption for decades.This holiday season, the United States Postal Service expects to ship almost one …
“Our annual Outsiders of the Year list honors the most influential people changing our outdoor world. For 2019, our staff and contributors nominated an original list of 81 candidates, then got busy whittling them down to a select few. The U.S. women’s national soccer team handily won the top spot, not only bringing home their second …
Amy Brady – Chicago Review of Books – “This year has been the best in recent memory for nature writing. There were so many great nature books out this year that I broke up my annual round-up of favorites into four separate lists. You can read the first three here , here, and here. Below is …
TIME Person of the Year: “Greta Thunberg began a global movement by skipping school: starting in August 2018, she spent her days camped out in front of the Swedish Parliament, holding a sign painted in black letters on a white background that read Skolstrejk för klimatet: “School Strike for Climate.” In the 16 months since, …
Vox – But can we protect them? “Dozens of countries have extraordinary tropical forests, but three stand out: Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries not only have the largest areas of tropical forest within their borders; they also have the highest rates of deforestation. We traveled to protected areas deep inside …
Reuters – “An eccentric group of citizen-scientists called Old Weather has transcribed millions of observations from long-forgotten logbooks of ships, many from the great era of Arctic exploration. As the polar regions grow ever warmer, the volunteers have amassed a rich repository of climate data in a 21st century rescue mission… Meteorologists have long recorded …
“NOAA’s 14th Arctic Report Card recounts the numerous ways that climate change continued to disrupt the polar region during 2019, with near-record high air and ocean temperatures, a massive melt of the Greenland ice sheet, record low sea-ice extents, and major shifts in the distribution of commercially valuable marine species. The Arctic Report Card is …
The New York Times – See How the World’s Most Polluted Air Compares With Your City’s – “We visualized the damaging, tiny particles that wreak havoc on human health. From the Bay Area to New Delhi, see how the world’s worst pollution compares with your local air. …Outdoor particulate pollution was responsible for an estimated …
