Blog Content

What Does the Fox Poop Say?

Katherine E Kerlin — June 04, 2021 - 8:53pm

There’s an elusive fox roaming the southern Sierra Nevada, and experts are trying to learn more about its behavior and breeding success by analyzing one of the few traces of its presence — poop.

Living in areas above 9,000 feet in elevation, the fox is smaller than most, has fuzzy paws, and a thick fur coat–all adaptations to help it survive the heavy winter snows and challenging alpine conditions. Its fur can range in color from red to black to grayish-brown.

Amphibian Declines Affect Human Health

Katherine E Kerlin — December 08, 2020 - 1:58pm

New research has found the global collapse of frogs and other amphibians due to the amphibian chytrid fungus exacerbated malaria outbreaks in Costa Rica and Panama during the 1990s and 2000s, providing some evidence that preserving biodiversity and preventing species extinction helps protect human health.

10 Tips for Climate Action

Katherine E Kerlin — September 17, 2020 - 1:28pm

We are in a special moment, to say the least. Climate change is both a crisis and an opportunity. There are many ways we can collectively and individually take action. Here are 10 ideas to get you started.

Kelp is on the Way

Katherine E Kerlin — July 06, 2020 - 2:47pm

Scientists are mobilizing to aid California’s crashing kelp forests, which have been decimated due to a combination of stressors, including warming oceans, the disappearance of sea stars and an associated population explosion of purple urchins.

Climate Fiction for a Change

Katherine E Kerlin — June 16, 2020 - 1:03pm

69��’ top graduating senior, Jumana Esau, has long been drawn to imagined stories. Her studies at the university have focused on Palestinian injustices, African futuristic works, and the struggles of climate refugees from developing countries. She hopes to use climate fiction to expose inequities and change the world, a goal she’ll be pursuing this fall at the University of Cambridge.

COVID-19 Put the Brakes on Traffic and Emissions, But Will it Make a Difference?

Katherine E Kerlin — June 12, 2020 - 4:36pm

Shelter-in-place orders related to COVID-19 have nearly eliminated gridlock on California’s roadways. With fewer vehicles in use, carbon-dioxide emissions are down significantly. By some accounts, global daily emissions dropped by 17 percent in early April. But will the pandemic have any lasting impacts on how we use transportation and plan for the future?

Chocolate in a Time of Climate Change

Katherine E Kerlin — February 14, 2020 - 3:12pm

There’s something about that first satisfying snap into a bite of chocolate. It’s almost transportive. From the tropical regions where cacao is grown to the companies that produce the confections we see in the store, that chocolate had to make a journey of its own, as well.

Farmers and scientists from around the world are connecting at 69�� to ensure this fragile bean continues to grow into one of the world’s most prolific foods for generations to come.

Australia’s Wildfires in a California Context

Katherine E Kerlin — January 08, 2020 - 12:01pm

So far, Australia’s wildfires have burned more than 25 million acres and killed 25 people and an estimated (and staggering) 1 billion animals.

The Role of Art in Climate Change Activism

Katherine E Kerlin — October 28, 2019 - 3:57pm

The 2019 Netflix series, Our Planet, received a huge Twitter uproar this past spring over a particular walrus scene during Episode 2, “Frozen Worlds.”

Who Owns Energy, Anyway?

Katherine E Kerlin — September 24, 2019 - 10:25am

Can revenue generated by wind power be put to community well-being rather than corporate profit? 69�� professor Keith Taylor explores this question in his book, Governing the Wind Energy Commons (West Virginia University Press, May 2019).

“Who owns wind energy development, and does it matter for rural livelihoods?” asks Taylor, a faculty specialist in community economic development with the Department of Human Ecology.