Science

New Philippine Butterfly Subspecies Is Discovered Thanks to a Field Guide

New Philippine Butterfly Subspecies Is Discovered Thanks to a Field Guide

By Keith Anthony Fabro Filipino lepidopterist Jade Aster T. Badon is accustomed to traveling to some of the remotest parts of the Philippines in search of new butterfly species. In August 2019, he made a discovery in a more unexpected place: a field guide he had published himself five years earlier. In 2014, Badon even […]

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    California Makes Face Masks Mandatory to Fight Pandemic

    California Makes Face Masks Mandatory to Fight Pandemic

    Californians stepping out of their homes to enter most public spaces are now required by law to wear a face mask. The new order was issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday amidst an uptick of coronavirus cases in the state. “Our numbers are going up, not going down. Hospitalization numbers are just starting to […]

    Discover How Trees Secretly Talk to Each Other Using the “Wood Wide Web”

    Discover How Trees Secretly Talk to Each Other Using the “Wood Wide Web”

    By Fino Menezes Imagine an information superhighway that speeds up interactions between a large, diverse population of individuals, allowing individuals who may be widely separated to communicate and help each other out. When you walk in the woods, this is all happening beneath your feet. No, we’re not talking about the internet, we’re talking about […]

    Mystery as Indian Crater Lake Turns From Green to Pink

    Mystery as Indian Crater Lake Turns From Green to Pink

    A crater lake in India has mysteriously turned pink, and scientists aren’t sure why. The 56,000-year-old Lonar Crater Sanctuary Lake in the state of Maharashtra transformed from its usual blue-green to a reddish pink over the last few days, The Times of India reported Thursday. The lake, around 500 kilometers (approximately 311 miles) from Mumbai, […]

    Fungal Disease Is Threatening Native Hawaiian Trees

    Fungal Disease Is Threatening Native Hawaiian Trees

    By Shannon Brown Hawaiian myth says that ‘ōhi’a lehua trees were created by Pele, the goddess of fire and creator of the Hawaiian islands. Spurned by a handsome young warrior, ʻŌhiʻa, she turned him into a twisted tree; the other gods, out of pity, turned his heartbroken lover, Lehua, into a flower, so that they […]

    A New Hybrid Fungus Found in Hospitals Is Linked to Lung Disease

    A New Hybrid Fungus Found in Hospitals Is Linked to Lung Disease

    By Jacob L. Steenwyk and Antonis Rokas From the mythical minotaur to the mule, creatures created from merging two or more distinct organisms – hybrids – have played defining roles in human history and culture. However, not all hybrids are as fantastic as the minotaur or as dependable as the mule; in fact, some of […]