Every year, more than 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced globally. Half of that is for single-use plastics, which leads to a staggering eight million tonnes of plastic that gets dumped into our oceans annually [1]. That plastic that we use for sometimes mere minutes, takes multiple lifetimes to break down. A single-use plastic...
The world is full of undiscovered mysteries and many of these seem to hide in the sea. During this pandemic, nature has tossed so many strange things our way, from bioluminescent beaches to wild animals trekking into cities. Now, a new otherworldly creature has entered the scene. Blue dragons have washed up at the Padre Island National Seashore in...
The under-sea world is one that is equal parts beautiful, fascinating, and strange. When looking specifically at the cold parts of our oceans, you can double up on the strange part. After all, it takes some pretty uniquely-evolved organisms to survive underwater in the world’s harshest seas. This is exactly what marine biologist and underwater...
It has been years since anyone spotted the extremely rare Blue Calamintha Bee in Florida. So long, in fact, that scientists and conservationists were afraid that the insect may have gone extinct altogether. That speculation was put to rest this month when Chase Kimmel, a researcher for the Florida Museum of Natural History, found one...
Underwater is considered a silent place, the total opposite of The Little Mermaid, where fish and crabs sing about life “Under the Sea.” However, the Disney film might be a little closer to reality than we realize. On land, nature is noisy. A walk through a forest would entertain a person with numerous bird calls that...
Imagine the beauty of the Northern Lights combined with the romanticism of a beach at night. Although that sounds like something from Fantasia, this magical event has occurred for the first time in 60 years. Mexican residents walking along the Puerto Marqués beach in Acapulco saw the shore light up with bioluminescence on the 20th of April. This magical blue...
Bees are vitally important pollinators of wild plants and agricultural crops around the world. Over the last several years, however, bee populations in North America have been rapidly declining. Some species have lost up to 96 percent of their population in the last twenty years. Scientists are still not sure exactly what has caused such...
Despite their enormous size, humpback whales are powerful yet gentle creatures that live in every ocean. They are a favorite among whale watchers since they are incredible swimmers who can leap in and out of the water. They are also known for their magical “songs” that can be heard over large distances. These songs sound...
If you’re an avid lover of flowers, you’ve probably heard of the magical Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, Netherlands, often referred to as the Garden of Europe. This 32-hectare garden has often been called the most beautiful spring garden in the world, where 7 million bulbs of different species are planted every year. The garden is...
Whether you are a geology aficionado or you just love pretty things that sparkle, the American Museum of Natural History in NYC has given you yet another reason to visit the Big Apple. After three years of renovations, the redesigned Allison and Roberto Mignone Hall of Gems and Minerals is set to reopen for the...
The opportunity to witness wildlife in action is rare, but always exciting. Even rarer is the chance to see a wild animal with her babies. Visitors to Kruger National Park in South Africa, before the park closed due to the coronavirus, had the opportunity to see just that. Mother Leopard Stops Traffic As tourists looked...
A sadly preventable tragedy occurred at an abandoned marine park near Tokyo, in Japan. Honey the bottlenose dolphin, who made headlines back in 2018 for being left alone in a small, murky tank, has died. The Plight of Honey the Dolphin Nicknamed “the world’s loneliest dolphin”, Honey was one of the animals left behind at...
