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.

July 13, 2012

Friday Finds: Fracking Causes Ice Cream Headaches

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Extreme gas drilling fracks up ice cream ingredient Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, may cause a worldwide ice-cream headache by eating up supplies of a food additive that’s used in everything from ice cream to cosmetics, drugs and explosives, reports the Houston Chronicle. It turns out that guar gum, a magical white flour-like substance that’s added …

June 28, 2012

Friday Finds: Bumblebees Get Stung By Climate Change

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Bumblebees join honeybees in buzzing off It turns out honeybees aren’t the only pollinators experiencing mysterious, massive die-offs, reports Grist. Bumblebees, those fuzzy, buzzy bees that pollinate everything from alfalfa to apples, are also disappearing. That’s bad news for farmers…and anyone who happens to like eating food. According to research published last year, the abundance …

June 21, 2012

Friday Finds: An Oceanic-Sized Miracle

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Mexican government saves miracle reef Cabo Pulmo, an ecological treasure and the jewel of California, recently received a stay of execution after the Mexican government announced its decision to cancel a mega-resort development project near the reef in Baja California Sur, reports the LA Times. The cancelled Cabo Cortes resort development was by far the …

June 15, 2012

Friday Finds: Australia Plans World's Largest Marine Reserve

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Australia announces world’s largest marine reserve Just in time for this week’s Rio+20 Earth Summit, Australia has announced its plans to create the world’s largest marine reserve, reports the BBC. The protected zone will cover more than a third of Australia’s waters (about 3 million square kilometers) and will include restrictions on fishing as well …

June 8, 2012

Friday Finds: Big Win for Great Barrier Reef

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Coal project kept out of Great Barrier Reef This week, Australian environment minister Tony Burke put a stop to a billion dollar coal project that could have negatively impacted the Great Barrier Reef, reports CorpWatch. The world’s largest coral ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef contains an abundance of marine life, is one of the seven …

June 1, 2012

Friday Finds: Backpacking Brain Boost

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Taking a hike may boost your brainpower Spending time outside doesn’t just make you happier and calm your frazzled nerves, reports the Wall Street Journal. It can also improve creativity. According to a yet-to-be-published paper by University of Kansas researchers, a group of hikers that spent four days in the woods outperformed another set of …

May 25, 2012

Friday Finds: Fracked Beer’s Killer Buzz

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Breweries worry that extreme gas drilling will frack their beer It turns out that hydraulic gas drilling or fracking doesn’t just contaminate the air and water; it could also mess up your favorite brew, reports Mother Jones. Brewmasters like Brooklyn Brewery and upstate New York’s Ommegang Brewery are raising the alarm about toxic fracking chemicals …

May 11, 2012

Friday Finds: Flame Retardant Flameout

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Investigation sets flame to chemical retardant claims Flame retardants have long been heralded as life-saving chemicals that slow fires, but a recent investigative series by the Chicago Tribune has found that the toxic chemicals, which are found in American babies at the highest recorded levels among infants in the world, both may not be safe …

April 16, 2012

Friday Finds: The Government's Toxic Love Affair

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

EPA disses green chemistry program.

April 6, 2012

Friday Finds: Maple Syrup Mayhem

By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Climate change ruins breakfast for everyone This year’s early arrival of spring is devastating maple production, which generate the most sap when freezing nights follow cool days, reports the Washington Post. Typically a month-long season, maple syrup producers who rely on traditional taps and buckets saw their maple season cut dramatically this year, which means …