Our Stories

The Latest by Jessica A. Knoblauch

Senior Staff Writer

Jessica is a former award-winning journalist. She enjoys wild places and dispensing justice, so she considers her job here to be a pretty amazing fit.

March 25, 2013

Friday Finds: Kraft’s Blue Box Chemical Blues

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Bloggers think chemicals in macaroni are cheesy

January 25, 2013

Friday Finds: Fracking Lands In Hot Water In City of Bath

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

People have taken part in the restorative waters in the city of Bath for thousands of years, but this centuries-old tradition may no longer be available if fracking companies are allowed to drill near the Mendip Hills, where the Bath water originates, reports the UK Express. Members of the Bath community are concerned.

January 10, 2013

Friday Finds: The Ocean’s Plastics Predicament

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Tiny plastics clog the world’s oceans By now we all know about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—a giant mess of trash in the ocean—but in turns out that the world’s oceans are also full of tiny plastics, reports CNN. These so-called microplastics are used in everyday products like exfoliating face soaps and hand cleansers to give …

January 3, 2013

Friday Finds: Facebook’s Climate Change Status

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Climate change could flood Facebook, Google by 2050 Facebook can’t be brought down by angry fans irritated with its privacy policy and data mining tendencies, but it could be swept away by climate change- induced sea level rise, reports Climate Wire. Though much of the California coastline is at risk, Silicon Valley is especially vulnerable …

December 18, 2012

Poisoning The Well

By Jessica A. Knoblauch  /  California Office

She was one of 26 mountain lions being studied by National Park Service biologists. Collared back in August along with her brother, Puma-25 had been dead for about a week before hikers found her on an October Sunday in Point Mugu State Park, located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Her death, though, didn’t come at …

December 7, 2012

Friday Finds: Fido’s Chemical Body Burden

By Jessica A. Knoblauch  /  Northeast Office

Your favorite four-legged companion may get a dose of toxic chemicals the next time you throw him/her a chew toy. That’s the conclusion of an as-yet unpublished study, which found that dogs that chew on plastic toys may be exposed to hormone-altering chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. The new study, conducted at Texas …

October 4, 2012

Friday Finds: Climate Change Leaves Wine Connoisseurs Dry

By Jessica A. Knoblauch  /  Mid-Pacific Office & Washington, D.C. Office

Climate change leaves CA wine lovers with fewer options California’s popular wine varieties may soon be hard to find thanks to drier and hotter temperatures caused by climate change, reports the Center for Investigative Reporting. Though by now farmers are used to Mother Nature’s unpredictability, a slightly wetter or drier season is nothing compared to …

October 1, 2012

Friday Finds: The Extreme Food Edition

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Climate change may ruin BLTs and loaded baked potatoes You know Americans may be a little food-obsessed when the only time we get concerned about climate change is when it affects our favorite meals. According to the USDA, this year’s drought is so bad that it’s expected to negatively impact next year’s pork production, reports …

July 27, 2012

Friday Finds: Greenland’s Meltdown

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Greenland's record ice melt blows scientists' beakers.

July 20, 2012

Friday Finds: The Risky Business of Fracking

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Insurance agency says fracking too risky to cover.