I’m halfway through Kenneth McGoogan’s excellent biography of John Rae, “Fatal Passage: The Story of John Rae, the Arctic Hero Time Forgot.” I love a good story about a forgotten scientific explorer, and McGoogan’s energetic and dramatic book has so far made a strong case for remembering Rae as a polar pioneer—not as the guy …
Read more ““Fatal Passage:” Arctic Explorer John Rae and the Fate of Sir John Franklin”
Yay, another valuable use for recycled plastic bags! Instead of throwing away 100 billion of them a year, Americans might want to look into gassing up their SUVs with fuel made from the petroleum-based bags. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (go Illini!) say that plastic shopping bags can be converted into diesel, natural …
Read more “Plastic Bags Yield More Diesel, Using Less Energy, than Crude Oil”
Was the Franklin Expedition doomed by its badly canned food? Or did the men succumb to a combination of unfortunate factors? A new study asserts that all 129 British sailors on the fated expedition died from a “marvelously catastrophic” mix of causes—and lead poisoning was just one of them. Professors Keith Millar and Adrian Bowman …
Read more “New Study Questions Franklin Expedition Lead Poisoning Theory”
The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled on January 22 that the Department of the Interior illegally sold offshore oil and gas leases in the Chukchi Sea, off the northwest coast of Alaska. The court found that the government had failed to adequately evaluate the impacts of drilling—and inevitable mishaps—in the Arctic environment. …
A current exhibit—that I wish I could see for myself—at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Wa. explores my favorite subject: the intersection of art, polar science and the history of exploration. Vanishing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art, 1775-2012, is on view through March 2. “First and foremost, this show is a tribute to …