By Dr. Robert Thorson The climate-change disaster movie “The Day After Tomorrow” is finishing its opening run in the theaters. For most adults, I think it was a pretty neat film, especially the special effects. For schoolteachers, however, it may end up being a bigger disaster than the movie itself. My prediction — one supported […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson My wife often reminds me that I take things too literally. Of course, she’s correct. Nonetheless, the phrase “going green” bugs me like a pebble in my shoe. The naturalist in me knows it’s unethical, the scientist knows it’s inaccurate and the writer laments the ruination of yet another perfectly good […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Earth, air, fire and water: These were Aristotle’s four fundamental elements. Each is associated with specific threat to the safety of underground coal miners: cave-ins, suffocation, incineration and floods. The 12 miners from West Virginia who recently lost their lives were more than just a few guys trying to support their […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson On my first trip of the summer, I visited Franconia Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I went there to see the place where the “The Old Man of the Mountain,” New Hampshire’s state symbol, used to be before he collapsed into rubble in May 2003. Though part of […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Biodiversity and cultural diversity are being measured from opposite directions. What are the consequences? Very recently, geneticists proved what field biologists and anatomists have long since suspected. The so-called African elephant is really two distinct species. Most iconic is the savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana). It’s larger and accounts for nearly three […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Imagine a hybrid between a Wall Street financier and a field geoscientist. That’s what’s coming our way, thanks to a growing fear of natural disasters and a rapidly changing physical environment. In the popular image, geo guys wear lug-soled boots, work outdoors, swing rock hammers at outcrops and create nearly impossible-to-read […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Hurricane watchers lost something special this year: hurricane season. Vermont still has mud season, thanks to its unique combination of cold winters and slate-rich soils. Accountants still have tax season, thanks to the insanity of our tax code and the April 15 filing date. But this past year, we’ve been watching […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson How can I use it? Will it harm me? These two basic questions lie beneath all land-use decisions. Humans live wherever the benefits of using the land for habitat, resources or disposal outweigh the risk of being harmed by the land. This is smart. But there are three problems associated with […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson The difficult working conditions for field soldiers are widely appreciated. Those of field archeologists are not. Though never in danger from enemy fire, their work environments — baking sun, cold drizzle, attacking bugs, dust, poison ivy — can actually be quite hostile. Real foot soldiers risk their lives for freedom. Cultural […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson The case of cougars in Connecticut is getting curiouser and curiouser. Of course they exist. One became roadkill earlier this month on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. Though this particular animal may have escaped or been released from illegal captivity, it does not change the fact that it was prowling […]