The Moon is always with us. Even when we can’t see it, it’s there, gently tugging on our oceans and causing our tides. It hasn’t always been with us; the […]
Science
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
Mars Attacks? Not Anytime Soon
But while it’s close by, take a close look at the red planet
In the very first issue of the Independent, I wrote about Jupiter and Saturn, which were prominently in view at the time. After making their way across the sky and […]
WILDLIFE
Kerry Reid’s World of Birds
In-depth knowledge is what makes wild animal rehabilitation work
EASTHAM — Three years ago, several Eastham residents began noticing a small flock of blue jays making the rounds about town. These birds weren’t just poking around yards and bird […]
SHARK WATCH
Is Awareness Just a Sometime Thing?
New technologies are adopted, but they still have a long way to go
WELLFLEET — A familiar foe still lurks in the summer waters, but the unfamiliar foe floating in the air may be distracting from it. With Covid-19 keeping beachgoers vigilant about […]
Right Whales Are Now ‘Red Listed’
Scientists fear the worst as whales are designated ‘critically endangered’ by IUCN
Population trajectory is very simple, so simple a fourth-grader could calculate the formula, according to Center for Coastal Studies scientist Stormy Mayo. Take the number of animals born and subtract […]
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
How to Watch the Earth Spin Through This Summer’s Stardust
Averted vision can bring a fading comet into view
A few nights ago, I stood on a deck in Truro that looked east over the National Seashore. In the distance, I could hear the Atlantic surf; from the opposite […]
SCIENCE AT RISK: PART 3
Shaping Local Knowledge and Activism
Collaboration is the key to conducting and applying research in the Seashore
This is the third and final article in a series on the Cape Cod National Seashore’s science program. It explores why science matters at the Seashore and why it’s at […]
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
Beauty and the Beast
Look up at the wonders of Cygnus; just don’t fall in a black hole
The stars of summer have returned! Step outside after dark and look east, about halfway up the sky. You’ll see three bright stars that form a triangle. If you’re not […]
SCIENCE AT RISK: PART 2
Education Is ‘on Pause’ at Seashore
With budgets squeezed, retiring scientists and educators are not being replaced
This is the second in a series of articles on the Cape Cod National Seashore’s science program. It explores why science matters at the Seashore and why it’s at risk. […]
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
Tilting Toward the Summer Solstice
Through our intergalactic free fall, pause to notice the new season
This month we reach the summer solstice. June 20 will be the longest day of the year and start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s […]
SCIENCE AT RISK: PART 1
Seashore’s Scientists Search for the Way Forward
Budget cuts could undermine research efforts
This is the first in a series of articles on the Cape Cod National Seashore’s science program. It explores why science matters at the Seashore and why it’s at risk.
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Comet
Dirty snowballs travel alone in their long orbits
I no longer know what day of the week it is. I have friends and family across the street, or right upstairs, that I haven’t seen in weeks. My wife […]
ENVIRONMENT
Science Research Is Cut to the Essentials
Outer Cape naturalists’ fieldwork is postponed, leaving holes in data sets
With the ongoing pandemic, scientific research has been interrupted across Cape Cod. Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has placed five staff members on partial furlough due to funding freezes, […]
Obituaries
Serge Le Gendre, 55, found peace in P’town
Serge Jean Luc Le Gendre of Provincetown died on Feb. 27, 2020. He was 55. Born in New York City, Serge lived most of his life in New York, but […]
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
Venus, if You Will
Finding optimism in the night sky
I have never met a pessimistic astronomer.” A New York Times reader recently posted this comment, inspired by another reader’s delighted account of looking through a telescope. I haven’t either. […]
