The big spill: Tanker and barges collide in Galveston Bay
In the Houston shipping channel on May 10, 2019, a tanker navigating in heavy rain collided with two barges, dumping a smelly liquid called reformate into the water. Reformate, which is used to increase octane levels in gasoline, is highly toxic to marine life, flammable, and potentially deadly if swallowed…
Broken record: American explorer dives deep
In May 2019, American explorer Victor Vescovo and his team completed the deepest-ever ocean dive—35,849 feet below the surface. Descending in a submersible to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, Vescovo identified new species of shrimp-like creatures called amphipods, collected rock samples, and found plastic pollution on the…
People vs. the planet: A new look at a looming crisis
An exhaustive U.N. report outlines the massive impact human activity has had on the natural world, suggesting that one million plant and animal species could face extinction within decades without major changes. What’s behind the crisis? A number of factors, from clearing of forests for crop production to overfishing to…
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