Robert FitzRoy and the Laws of Storms
When FitzRoy distributed barometers to local fishing communities, he empowered individual sailors to use their own judgment about the weather forecast.
Why the Worst Weather on Earth Is in New Hampshire
A combination of factors makes the weather at New Hampshire’s Mount Washington arguably the most brutal in the world.
Long Before Sputnik: An Explosion of Federal Science
The National Academy of Sciences was created by the United States Congress during the American Civil War. The timing wasn’t coincidental.
Wanting to Believe In Rainmakers
A form of entertainment and outgrowth of desperation, self-styled rainmakers allowed the powerless people of the Great Plains to seemingly take action.
Ecosystems and Extreme Weather Events
Cyclones, droughts, and other severe climate events produce a variety of ecological responses, some of them irreversible.
Sewing Saved Us from a “Cold Snap” 13 Thousand Years Ago
Sewing a full winter outfit from animal hides took 105 hours. And we needed lots of them to survive the Younger Dryas Cold Event.
Aeroplankton: The Life in the Air We Breathe
Just as the ocean is full of plankton, the air we breathe teems with microorganisms.