Citizen scientists use their eyes, ears and smartphones to protect birds, frogs and other wildlife
By Teresa Manring Ribbit. Croak. Chirp. Peep. Every frog has a unique call. You can stand at the edge of the pond in your local forest preserve and listen for the throaty, exuberant rattle of the cricket frog, or try to pick out the high-pitched chortle of the northern leopard frog — and you can […]
Artist couple exhibits pillows to highlight immigration injustice
By Wen-Yee Lee T-shirts and other clothing donated by undocumented immigrants become memoirs of collective experiences as artist Cara Megan Lewis and her husband Alejandro Figueredo Diaz-Perera turn them into pillows. Their “34,000 Pillows” exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center represents the 34,000 beds in U.S. detention centers for undocumented immigrants. The couple makes the […]
Cosmic rays from the galaxy help track retreat of glaciers on Earth
By Lakshmi Chandrasekaran Cosmic rays, hurling across the galaxy near light-speed, generate a time machine on Earth for us to measure the retreat of the glaciers and the pace of climate change. Ph.D. student Peter Strand, at the University of Maine, drilled samples of quartz from boulders in Mongolia’s Altai Mountains this summer to tap […]
Bitter consequences: Pipeline protesters batten down the hatches for North Dakota winter
By Pat Nabong and June Leffler [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] CANNON BALL, NORTH DAKOTA — Opponents of a controversial oil pipeline being constructed near Standing Rock Sioux Reservation are about to face a bitter winter. Camping near tents near Cannonball River, current temperatures hover in the mid-30s and are […]
Chicago Marathon champion outruns cancer
By Siyan (Jen) Huang Cancer, a relentless killer, gave hope to Serena Burla. Her cancer in her right hamstring brought her the courage and strength to run marathons. Burla, 34, was the first American woman to cross the finish line in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9. With an overall rank of […]
Acclaimed artist combats violence with innovative graphic design
By Grant Rindner The air of protest is undeniable in Rick Valicenti’s newly opened (maybe) This Time exhibit at Loyola University’s Ralph Arnold Fine Arts Annex, on view through Nov. 26. But the veteran graphic designer and current Loyola Artist in Residence uses his collection to do much more than revisit the same statistics and […]
Chicago women call foul on Trump’s ‘Grab ’em’ comments at #GOPHandsOffMe protest
By Anna Foley and Teresa Manring Women activists in Chicago want Republicans to take their hands off them–quite literally. Nearly 200 of them chanted their outrage early Tuesday morning outside Trump Tower as part of a national movement: #GOPHandsOffMe. “The Republican party right now has just kind of gotten so far off. They have absolutely […]
The long road to Chicago: L.A. runner returns for his 59th marathon
By Kelly Calagna Blue Benadum, 36, took to the streets of Chicago last weekend to attempt completing his 59th marathon. Benadum, a Los Angeles resident, has been competing in the Chicago Marathon for the last four years. But, in 2015, his race was cut short. Benadum had to pull out mid-race due to an injury—the […]
Argonne’s x-ray beam shines on Sue and shows she didn’t use those little arms
By Hannah Moulthrop T. rex decimated prey with those mighty jaws and powerful legs and tail. But one of the great mysteries of the mighty dinosaur is how it used those tiny arms. Preliminary study of T. rex Sue’s right arm shows a lack of use and possible evidence of gout in her fingers.
A climate change for ‘glaciogenic’ art
By Lakshmi Chandrasekaran Glaciers and forests show jagged retreats in Jill Pelto’s paintings while the sky above heats up. Pelto, a graduate student studying climate science at the University of Maine, uses her art to convey the impacts of climate change on world environments. She overlays climate change research data with striking colors and vivid […]