Currently browsing: nature

Ben Lecomte is currently (right now!) in the middle of swimming 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. While this is awesome on its own, what’s truly amazing is the amount of scientific data they’re picking up along the way.

Image: American Grizzly in the middle of a paved road

27 minutes

[ Innovation ]

Why Wild Animals May End Up On Your Street

These communities in Canada are helping us all reimagine what we can do to have healthy relationships with the wildlife that lives around us!

Image: Microsculpture is a photographic project be British photographer Levon Biss. Please email Levon for any enquiries. Longhorn Beetle, Nigeria.Species of the genus Sternotomis (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae).Once magnified the secret to the spectacular patterning of this beetle is revealed – a covering of extremely fine pigmented scales similar to those of butterflies and moths.

8 minutes

[ Creativity ]

Insects Have Never Looked So Good!

The amazing, intricate structures of insects are something that belongs in museums—oh wait, they’re already there! Photographer Levon Biss has teamed up with one exhibit to bring us closer than we’ve ever been to these tiny creatures with his Microsculptures. You’ll never look at a bug the same way after you see these.

25 minutes

[ Food ]

Are Sea-Greens the New Superfood?

The benefits of kelp farming are too extensive to list in full here (but one of the most important may just be that it’s cleaning the ocean—naturally.)

Image: Magnification of normal human gastric mucosa, also known as the inner most layer of the stomach. Dyed.

6 minutes

[ Health ]

Mucus Does A Lot More Than Just Leak From Your Nose

We’re thinking it’s about time we all give this goop a little more credit for being the amazing innovation it really is!

Image: hand holding yellow and blue pigment powder

6 minutes

Why Does Human Skin Come in So Many Shades?

The way humans have adapted to suit life in all corners of the planet tells the extraordinary story of our history as a species. Here’s the science behind it all!

Image: Chef carefully puts the final touches on a bug inspired dish

15 minutes

[ Animals ]

Should We All Be Eating Insects?

We know it’s a reach, but the best innovations always are! Insect protein takes fewer resources to produce, has all of the amino acids we need, and can be pretty tasty. Are bugs the food of the future? Let’s risk knowing more…

7 minutes

[ Food ]

An Excuse to Not Eat Your Vegetables?

By Abigayle Fugere

The tastes we’ve come to enjoy from various fruits and vegetables may stem from these plants trying to kill us. Let’s find out who the culprits are, and if salads are truly good for our health or if we’ve all just been blindly following instructions on what to eat.

Image: An abstract photograph of a school of fish

9 minutes

Exploring Emergence, The Universal Property That Shapes Us

At what point do you become you? How many neurons does it take to make you who you are? How many cells? Today, we celebrate emergence, the universal property that makes us who we are and shapes every corner of our world.

Image: Cross-Section of a blade of grass with cells that look like smiling faces of plants communitating

40 minutes

Are Plants “Talking” to Each Other? They Are!

Trees may seem like some of the planet’s quietest living things, but it turns out that they and their other plant friends are actually communicating with each other in amazing and complex ways!

9 minutes

[ Art ]

Turning Pollution into Paint: A Kickstarter Success Story!

Here’s an update on a project we featured two years ago when it was still a primordial concept. Now it’s an inspirational story with all the elements of the best kind of progress!

Image: Green wheat, with the sun rising behind it

8 minutes

So… Why Are Plants Green and Not Black?

There are a LOT of plants out there and the majority of them seem to be wearing various shades of the same color. So, why is this?

12 minutes

[ Animals ]

The Remarkable Powers of… Spider Silk?

Let’s talk spiders. These creatures may scare some, but their silk is one of the most remarkable substances in the natural world!

17 minutes

Sustainable Energy from Algae and Much More!

As we argue about the future of our fuel sources, we may be swimming right past the answer! Algae can produce Sustainable Energy and much more!

6 minutes

[ Animals ]

You Should Really Thank the Fruit Flies

Would you believe that your genes are super similar to a fruit fly’s? They’ve been helping us discover our own bodies for years, here’s how…

Image: Mount Bromo erupting at sunrise in Java

8 minutes

[ Culture ]

Life at the Base of a Volcano

A vast majority of us don’t live anywhere close to a volcano — especially not an active one. Indonesia has the largest number of active volcanos in the world, so how do the residents handle the constant threat? What’s the appeal? Here’s a gorgeous film that may give us a hint.

7 minutes

[ Animals ]

Strides Towards Combating the Deadliest Organism on the Planet

Dare we propose that it could be possible that humans and mosquitos can actually become… friends? Here’s a little insight that could point the way to beating one of the most deadly and pervasive diseases in the world!

Image: Dozens of Himalayan Honey Bees also known as Apis Dorsata; the largest honey bees in the world that produce hallucinogenic honey collected by honey hunters.

15 minutes

[ Animals ]

The Last Hallucinogenic Honey Hunters of Nepal

What could come from documenting some of the most remarkable human traditions? Today we head to breathtaking heights on the steep cliffs of Nepal and have the privilege of looking behind the scenes of what’s said to be the last traditional hallucinogenic honey harvest. You won’t want to miss this!

5 minutes

A Collection to Inspire Endless Curiosity!

Are natural history museums the best place to inspire curiosity? Maybe we shouldn’t archive them just yet. Here’s Sir David Attenborough to tell us why!

16 minutes

The Wonder of the Salish Sea

There are places on the planet where millions of people still live with natural wonders that span thousands of years. We take you to one of them today, closer than you think!

16 minutes

Not Your Average Museum Specimens

Ever wanted to be a part of a museum? Not just a donor or visitor, an actual living part of the museum! The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is making that dream a reality with an innovative program that brings the museum and its collections to life!

17 minutes

[ Art ]

The Future of Designing Our Environments

Today we meet a team who are working to bridge the gap between nature, technology, and art with hopes for a more beautiful future! Daan Roosegaard’s TED Talk creates a spark that can enlighten us all.

5 minutes

[ Animals ]

Replacing DEET with Ducks?

With help from our friends, we could waddle our way into a healthier future! Lets see how this is happening in parts of our world today…

Image: Abstract Water Color painting of mountain range done by artist and activist Sarah Uhl

5 minutes

[ Art ]

Finding Flow: Art & Mountain Biking

Artist, activist and adventurer, Sarah Uhl, aids us in discovering our environments in the name of finding our flow in life!

Image: Shredded Cash and handful of fresh vegetables

5 minutes

Growing Veggies with Shredded Cash?

Ever wonder what happens to cash after it gets taken out of circulation? What the Federal Reserve in New Orleans does with it may plant a little inspiration in you. Check it out!

13 minutes

[ Animals ]

Pollen as a Micro-Wonder of the World!