Science

Natural hydrogen gas may be trapped under the surface of Alaska in many areas, such as here in the Brooks Range. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Geologic hydrogen may be an answer

The internal combustion engine is less than 100 years old. Same for the technologies we have developed to pull oil and gas from the ground.… Continue reading

 

The Tlingit and Haida Elder Dance Group performs during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Áakʼw Tá Hít building at the University of Alaska Southeast on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

New Áakʼw Tá Hít building at UAS seeks state-of-the art science with traditional wisdom

Building that hosted ribbon-cutting Friday is first at Juneau campus with a primary name in Lingít.

 

Elizabeth Djajalie, a Juneau resident attending Harvard University, explains the science of DNA metabarcoding, in a video at the Mendenhall Glacier for the Khan Academy Breakthrough Junior Challenge. (Screenshot from video by Elizabeth Djajalie)
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TMHS grad Elizabeth Djajalie among 30 global contenders in $400,000 Khan Academy Challenge

Award includes $250K scholarship to winner, $50K for a teacher and $100K for high school STEM lab.

 

La Perouse Glacier in Southeast Alaska retreats from a campsite in summer 2021. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Number of Alaska glaciers is everchanging

A glaciologist once wrote that the number of glaciers in Alaska “is estimated at (greater than) 100,000.” That fuzzy number, perhaps written in passive voice… Continue reading

La Perouse Glacier in Southeast Alaska retreats from a campsite in summer 2021. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Astrophysicists Lindsay Glesener, left, and Sabrina Savage enjoy the sunshine on an observation deck at the Neil Davis Science Center on a hilltop at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Waiting for the sun at Poker Flat

POKER FLAT RESEARCH RANGE — Under a bluebird sky and perched above a resilient winter snowpack, two sounding rockets point upward, ready to blast through… Continue reading

Astrophysicists Lindsay Glesener, left, and Sabrina Savage enjoy the sunshine on an observation deck at the Neil Davis Science Center on a hilltop at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
UAF Ph.D. student Audrey Rowe trowels loess soil at an archeological site in the uplands of Interior Alaska. (Photo by Mat Wooller)

Alaska Science Forum: On the ancient trail of a woolly mammoth

The female woolly mammoth was 20 years old when she stumbled amid the grasslands. She fell in a cloud of dust, then gasped her last… Continue reading

UAF Ph.D. student Audrey Rowe trowels loess soil at an archeological site in the uplands of Interior Alaska. (Photo by Mat Wooller)
A coyote pauses on its way through the Presidio of San Francisco, a two-square mile former military base that is now managed by workers for the National Park Service. (Photo by Heather Liston)

Alaska Science Forum: The coyotes of San Francisco

A person is bound to notice changes if he bicycles the same pathways for 20 years. Such is the case in San Francisco, where the… Continue reading

A coyote pauses on its way through the Presidio of San Francisco, a two-square mile former military base that is now managed by workers for the National Park Service. (Photo by Heather Liston)
Henry Fleener, hatchery manager at Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute Mariculture Wet Lab, talks about a NOAA Fisheries project that involves building a small hatchery to house, condition and spawn oyster broodstock in order to find ways to improve existing processes. (Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire)

Pushing to expand mariculture in Alaska (Part 2): The pearl in mariculture, for now, are the oysters

Shellfish is still small business, but on the rise as Alaska works to diversity food sources.

Henry Fleener, hatchery manager at Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute Mariculture Wet Lab, talks about a NOAA Fisheries project that involves building a small hatchery to house, condition and spawn oyster broodstock in order to find ways to improve existing processes. (Meredith Jordan/ Juneau Empire)
This resting dog’s nose is at work all the time and is more than 1,000 times more sensitive than yours. (Photo of a tired-out Cora by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: The world according to a dog’s nose

A dog can tell you a lot about the outdoors. When a Lab vacuums the ground with her nose and her tail spins like a… Continue reading

This resting dog’s nose is at work all the time and is more than 1,000 times more sensitive than yours. (Photo of a tired-out Cora by Ned Rozell)
Gerry Hatcher, left, and Drake Singleton drag a deflated boat pontoon over wet vegetation to reach Allison Lake near Valdez. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Lakes hold signs of past earthquakes

ALLISON LAKE, ABOVE VALDEZ — Three men dressed in full raingear crept like ants across a bumpy green landscape on Aug. 25, 2023. Using a… Continue reading

Gerry Hatcher, left, and Drake Singleton drag a deflated boat pontoon over wet vegetation to reach Allison Lake near Valdez. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Fireweed rock glacier flows within the massif near McCarthy in 2023. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Glaciers made of rock, ice and bear scat

The grizzly hadn’t seen my dog or me, so I yelled and waved my arms. The bear stood, looked in our direction for three unforgettable… Continue reading

Fireweed rock glacier flows within the massif near McCarthy in 2023. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Scientists Jake Shaffer and Jared Clance collect samples on the Juneau Icefield earlier this month as part of a collaborative project between NASA and the Juneau Icefield Research Program. Participants hope the data and techniques will aid an upcoming mission to study the Jupiter ice moon Europa. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Holmes)

Juneau Icefield may be key to unlocking secrets of Jupiter ice moon

Researchers probe far beneath ice for clues to aid their search for extraterrestrial life

Scientists Jake Shaffer and Jared Clance collect samples on the Juneau Icefield earlier this month as part of a collaborative project between NASA and the Juneau Icefield Research Program. Participants hope the data and techniques will aid an upcoming mission to study the Jupiter ice moon Europa. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Holmes)
Hazel Sutton, 13, pauses at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge at the end of her shift monitoring tree swallow nest-boxes. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: A new teenager and her unusual bird

Hazel Sutton was eating lunch on an island at Tanana Lakes Recreation Area in Fairbanks with her family recently when a bird caught her eye.… Continue reading

Hazel Sutton, 13, pauses at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge at the end of her shift monitoring tree swallow nest-boxes. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

On the Trails: A mallard family, juncos, and tadpoles

One evening in late May, long after most female mallards had gone off to incubate their eggs, a group of three male mallards cruised around… Continue reading

A polar bear feeds near a pile of whale bones north of Utqiaġvik. (Courtesy Photo /Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Polar bears of the past survived warmth

In a recent paper, scientists wrote that a small population of polar bears living off Greenland and Arctic Canada increased by 1.6 times when they… Continue reading

A polar bear feeds near a pile of whale bones north of Utqiaġvik. (Courtesy Photo /Ned Rozell)
A newly hatched bald eagle chick is attended to by an adult. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Springtime fun and signs of new life

When spring finally came, it came in a rush. Cottonwood and alder leaves fairly leaped from the buds and grew rapidly toward full size. I… Continue reading

A newly hatched bald eagle chick is attended to by an adult. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Feltleaf willow leaves emerge beneath where a moose nipped off buds during winter of 2022-2023 in Fairbanks. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Feltleaf willows — Alaska’s most abundant tree

Imagine being a moose in late May…

Feltleaf willow leaves emerge beneath where a moose nipped off buds during winter of 2022-2023 in Fairbanks. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
A family of orcas swam along the shore (Courtesy Photo / DJ Kyser)
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On the Trails: Orcas, sand lance, and a junco

The highlight of our Berners Bay cruise…

A family of orcas swam along the shore (Courtesy Photo / DJ Kyser)
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Volunteer Educator Rosemary Walling shows a group of Montessori Borealis first through third graders images of the Earth on Friday at the Marie Drake Planetarium as part of a special presentation of the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

A journey to the stars was the final field trip of the year

Kids treated to the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight.

Volunteer Educator Rosemary Walling shows a group of Montessori Borealis first through third graders images of the Earth on Friday at the Marie Drake Planetarium as part of a special presentation of the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)
Ryan Becker, a teacher at the Eagle school, takes a photo of his students as part of a continuing Yukon River ice study on May 12, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: When river breakup came to Eagle

the Yukon River’s solid sheets were breaking into smaller pieces.

Ryan Becker, a teacher at the Eagle school, takes a photo of his students as part of a continuing Yukon River ice study on May 12, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)