by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories
Day: May 8, 2024
How Scientists and Teachers Brought Rare Dolphins Back from the Brink of Extinction
The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) is one of the most common cetaceans in Brazil but also one of the most vulnerable, with numbers dwindling by up to 93% in the last 40 years. One of the worst affected regions is Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro, where Guiana dolphins face daily industrial contamination, sewage and […]
Environment Expert: ‘Our life support system is at risk’
At the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Athens, Mongabay’s Elizabeth Claire Alberts interviewed oceanographer and marine biologist Sylvia Earle about the pressures facing our oceans, actions needed to turn things around, and how to find hope for the future. Earle has been a trailblazer in her career as a scientist, with more than 225 publications […]
Q + A with County Supervisor Candidates: District 5
Betty Ellis (R), who served as Wright County Auditor since 2001 and Treasurer of the District II Auditor’s Association for 13 years, is running to
Local Animal Rescue Ranch to be Featured on ‘Wizard of Paws’ TV Show
Loretta is a miniature zebu cow who was surrendered to the care of the Lazy J Rescue Ranch, nestled in the Goldfield countryside, due to
“Pride and Prejudice” Performed by the Iowa River Players
(Wright County, IA – May 2024) The Iowa River Players have had another successful production with their performance of "Pride and Prejudice" by Kate Hamill,
NASA plans to put rail system on Moon by 2030
(Photo by Mike Petrucci via Unsplash) By Dean Murray via SWNS America is set to put a railway on the Moon by 2030. NASA has announced they are funding a rail system to support daily operations of a sustainable lunar base. Dubbed FLOAT (Flexible Levitation on a Track), the project has this month been selected […]
Tesla layoffs now an ongoing “bloodbath”
Tesla’s layoffs expanded over the weekend with staff involved in software, service and engineering all reporting that they’d gotten their pink slips. The 10 percent workforce reduction announced earlier by CEO Elon Musk is, Electrek’s Fred Lambert writes, closing in on 20 percent. The layoffs were expected after CEO Elon Musk made an example of Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla’s former […]
What’s Keeping the US From Allowing Better Sunscreens?
Michael Scaturro May 7, 2024 When dermatologist Adewole “Ade” Adamson sees people spritzing sunscreen as if it’s cologne at the pool where he lives in Austin, Texas, he wants to intervene. “My wife says I shouldn’t,” he said, “even though most people rarely use enough sunscreen.” At issue is not just whether people are using […]
Billions of cicadas are about to emerge from underground in a rare double-brood convergence
John Cooley, University of Connecticut and Chris Simon, University of Connecticut In the wake of North America’s recent solar eclipse, another historic natural event is on the horizon. From late April through June 2024, the largest brood of 13-year cicadas, known as Brood XIX, will co-emerge with a midwestern brood of 17-year cicadas, Brood XIII. […]