Stories by Emily Schwing

Researchers attached cameras to humpback whales and found that they flap their flippers to help power forward swimming.

Salmon excavate streambed holes in which to lay eggs, setting off a chain of events that has surprisingly large geographical effects.

Cannibalistic caterpillars prevent disease from decimating their populations by removing infected individuals. Emily Schwing reports.

A petroglyph spotted in Chaco Canyon may depict a total solar eclipse witnessed by the Pueblo people.

Sea ice is drifting faster in the Arctic—which means polar bears need to walk farther to stay in their native range. Emily Schwing reports.

DNA analysis of skeletons found in the Pacific Northwest backs up traditional oral histories, and suggests there could have been more than one colonization of the Americas. Emily Schwing reports.

Ecologists say wolves should be allowed to roam beyond remote wilderness areas—and that by scaring off smaller predators like coyotes and jackals, wolves might do a good service, too. Emily Schwing reports.

With 700 new greenhouses, Alaska is growing its own produce as deep into winter as the sun keeps rising.

A Pacific Northwest housing boom is encroaching on songbird habitat, forcing the birds to flee their homes—and their mates.  

Birds of prey work where other traditional methods of bird abatement—like scarecrows, pyrotechnics and netting—fail. Emily Schwing reports.

A technique called “biosparging” relies on pumping oxygen underground to help naturally occurring microorganisms multiply and consume oil spills.  

An aquaculturist used selective breeding to create strains of farmed fish that fatten up fast on cheap, plentiful feeds such as soybeans and corn. Emily Schwing reports.

A reexamination of museum mastodon specimens provides evidence that that last ones were gone from what's called the Beringia region well before any humans showed up. Emily Schwing reports