Robert Boos

Sturgeon

Pacific Northwest sturgeon suffer as worldwide demand for caviar soars

Most caviar comes from the Caspian Sea, but the decline of sturgeon there is driving fishermen and poachers to fish populations in the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia River. Wildlife managers have resorted to patrolling along the shorelines, looking for signs of illegally caught sturgeon. They've even gone undercover to meet with poachers.

Pacific Northwest sturgeon suffer as worldwide demand for caviar soars
Colorado River

The Colorado River is crucial to the West's water supply — and harnessing it was a feat

The Colorado River is crucial to the West's water supply — and harnessing it was a feat
Silicon sphere

A kilogram just isn't what it used to be — and it might never be again

A kilogram just isn't what it used to be — and it might never be again
Ice cream sandwich

Why are some brands of ice cream 'meltier' than others?

Why are some brands of ice cream 'meltier' than others?
Lake Hermitage’s marsh creation project

The $50 billion plan to save Louisiana's wetlands

The $50 billion plan to save Louisiana's wetlands
Easton Glacier, Mount Baker

How will the Pacific Northwest change when its glaciers are gone?

Glaciers are key contributors to drinking water supplies, hydropower generation and salmon survival in the Pacific Northwest. Scientists aren’t sure exactly when the glaciers will disappear. It could be within a few decades. It has been 4,000 years since the glaciers have receded this much.

How will the Pacific Northwest change when its glaciers are gone?
Man on bicycle

Survey finds bicyclists and motorists ignore traffic laws at similar rates

Whether it’s driving five miles over the speed limit or breezing past a stop sign on your bike, chances are, we have all broken a few — or more — rules of the road. When it comes to obeying traffic laws, “we’re all criminals,” says the author of this survey.

Survey finds bicyclists and motorists ignore traffic laws at similar rates
Solar flare, May 5

Biggest solar flare of the year showers the Earth

The largest solar flare of the year erupted from the sun earlier this month. Space weather is the stuff that gets spewed out by the sun and other stars -- electromagnetic energy, solar material. It travels through the solar system and interacts with everything it comes across, including the Earth's magnetic field. While we're mostly protected from harmful radiation, solar activity is sometimes disruptive and predicting it is difficult.

Biggest solar flare of the year showers the Earth
Mackenzie Scott, aka Torres

TORRES gets personal in her new album, Sprinter

Singer Mackenzie Scott didn't think she could sing until she was 16 and didn't discover rock and roll until college. Now, she's breaking the stereotype of the confessional singer-songwriter.

TORRES gets personal in her new album, Sprinter
Baby powder commercial

Women are suing Johnson & Johnson over talcum powder

Talcum powder has been used for more than a century on babies and many people use it for daily hygiene. But a spate of recent lawsuits and some studies suggest using talc could lead to ovarian cancer in adult women. Still, the science is far from settled.

Women are suing Johnson & Johnson over talcum powder
Aided by reintroduction programs and changing public attitudes, wolves are making a comeback in the rural American West. On Isle Royale, however, they’re in a steep decline and unlikely to recover.

The world's longest animal population study has bad news for wolves

At its height in 1980, the wolf population on Isle Royale National Park numbered as many as 50 individuals. But now, with just three individuals remaining, the wolves’ doom is virtually assured.

The world's longest animal population study has bad news for wolves
CRISPR is different from other gene editing techniques. It emerged from basic research into how bacteria fight off infections. Scientists realized they could use CRISPR to identify and cut apart specific DNA sequences in any cell.

A promising gene editing method causes ethical controversy

Even with good intentions and legitimate potential medical applications, gene research poses ethical debate and concern among scientists, many of whom have called for a worldwide moratorium on its use. That's no different for a new method called CRISPR, which is splitting scientific opinion.

A promising gene editing method causes ethical controversy
Shrimp trawler

A bright idea could help eliminate a fishing problem

Having to dump 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of shrimp is an economic and environmental problem for commercial fishing. But a team of government scientists may have found a simple, affordable solution to help shrimping trawlers avoid scooping up the wrong catch.

A bright idea could help eliminate a fishing problem
An image of a Patagonia beaver taken from a video by Motherboard.

It's open season on Patagonia's voracious, disruptive ... beavers?

In their natural habitats, beavers and their dams are vital parts of the ecosystem. But in Patagonia, where the beaver is an invasive species, they're wreaking havoc on the local environment. Now the government is responding to stop the damage, and even local cooks are doing their part.

It's open season on Patagonia's voracious, disruptive ... beavers?
Ben Mirin, beatboxer, bird watcher

His beats are pretty fly for a bird guy

“My craft is about using beatbox to build a bridge to the natural world,” says Ben Mirin, a world-traveling field ornithologist who mixes his passion for beats with his beatboxing ability to create music.

His beats are pretty fly for a bird guy