By fact-checking Thoreau's observations at Walden Pond, we showed how old diaries and specimens can inform modern research

Journals, museum collections and other historical sources can provide valuable data for modern ecological studies. But just because a source is old doesn’t make it useful.

Richard B. Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston University • conversation
Oct. 26, 2022 • ~10 min

January warm spells, March freezes: How plants manage the shift from winter to spring

Trees and shrubs in cold-weather climates rely on certain signals, such as temperature and light, to know when to leaf out and bloom. Climate change is scrambling those signals.

Richard B. Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston University • conversation
March 4, 2021 • ~9 min

Citizen scientists are filling research gaps created by the pandemic

COVID-19 kept many scientists from doing field research in 2020, which means that important records will have data gaps. But volunteers are helping to plug some of those holes.

Kathleen Prudic, Assistant Professor of Citizen and Data Science, University of Arizona • conversation
Feb. 3, 2021 • ~10 min

Spring is arriving earlier across the US, and that's not always good news

Climate change has advanced the arrival of spring by as much as several weeks in some parts of the US. This can mean major crop losses and disconnects between species that need each other to thrive.

Theresa Crimmins, Director, USA National Phenology Network, University of Arizona • conversation
March 4, 2020 • ~7 min

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