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The Latest by Jessica A. Knoblauch

Senior Staff Writer

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.

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 …