Scientists have found thousands of microplastic particles floating in the Great Lakes. They are concerned that the particles may disrupt aquatic food webs.
Wildlife officials have detected the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats from Arkansas. The fungus could reach the Rocky Mountains as early as 2015.
A persistent heat wave over southern China has been due to a stationary subtropical high in the region. Temperatures may begin to drop slowly this week.
"You feel like you are in some sort of fairy world, with these huge stumps covered in anemones and crabs, and swarms of fish swimming all around you." - Ben Raines
Deanna Erin Conners is a biologist and science communicator from Western New York who has been contributing to the conversations on EarthSky since 2011. Her overarching hypothesis is that we have vastly underestimated the intelligence of non-human species. She is endlessly fascinated by the interconnectedness in nature and occasionally chimes in with stories about birding, Earth science, and the Great Lakes. (Portrait taken at Buckhorn Island State Park, NY, appears courtesy of Karen Lee
Lewis.)