“I’m, um… just getting ready for my camping trip!”
Credit: © Anna Hoychuk, Shutterstock

Think of your favorite food. Imagine the cheesy or chocolaty or crispy delight. You might want to eat that food forever and ever. You might want to roll around in that food and change your name to that food. (Okay, maybe that’s a little too far.) But cats feel that strongly about a particular treat. They might not want to roll around in pizza or chocolate cake. But, they may want to roll around in their favorite herb: catnip. Catnip is a strong-smelling plant that many cats love to sniff. When exposed to catnip, a cat might rub its head and body on the herb, roll around in it, chew it, meow, and generally act crazier than usual. In addition, new research from Japan suggests that all that rolling around in catnip actually has health benefits for cats. Chemical compounds in catnip may help our feline friends ward off mosquitoes, pesky insects whose bites can transmit heartworm infections in cats.

The way in which scientists came to this conclusion may surprise you. No, researchers did not invite a dozen or so cats to a camping weekend. They did not give the cats supplies for feline-friendly s’mores—made with catnip and tuna sandwiched between kibble crackers. Researchers did not then examine whether mosquitos munched on cats while they told ghost stories around a campfire. No, none of this happened.

Instead, researchers gave some cats scraps of paper soaked with iridoid, a chemical in catnip that affects pleasure areas in the cat’s brain. The cats then rolled around in these slips of paper, reveling in the scientific process. Some cats did not receive these slips of paper. The researchers then placed the cats—both iridoid-perfumed and not—within reach of many mosquitoes. The mosquitoes bit the faces of the cats who had not received the iridoid-soaked paper. However, the mosquitoes did not bite the faces of the cats who had received the iridoid-soaked paper.

We know what you’re thinking: “Wait, if I rub some catnip on my body, will mosquitoes stay away from me?” And, unfortunately, the researchers don’t recommend that humans use catnip as a natural repellent (although it may help you attract the neighborhood kitties). In fact, researchers don’t even recommend that cats should use catnip as a natural repellent, until there is more evidence.

But, you can use catnip in other ways. Catnip has been cultivated for centuries and used for medicinal purposes. A tonic made from the plant is said to be a good remedy for colds. Catnip is also used as an herbal tea and provides a seasoning for cooking. So, if you can get your hands on some traditional human foods seasoned with catnip, enjoy! You will not have to share with mosquitoes. But, as for your cat, that might be a different story . . .

A koala mother and her joey (young) rest in a eucalyptus tree. Eucalyptus leaves and shoots make up the main part of a koala’s diet.
© Shutterstock

It’s summer in Australia, so you know what that means—time for a koala count! The Australian government has funded a project to count the population of the beloved teddy-bearlike mammals, as well as record where the marsupials (pouched mammals) live. The government commissioned this project because, in recent years, estimates of the koala population have varied greatly. In 2016, for instance, there were an estimated 300,000 koalas in Australia. Three years later, that number was down to 80,000, with some scientists saying the number was as low as 43,000.

In previous counts, people merely counted how many koalas they saw. But, koalas spend almost all their time in eucalyptus trees, making it difficult for people to spot them among the leaves. For the new count, humans will still venture into the forests to search for koalas. But, to ensure a koala-ty count, the government has also introduced some new methods. It will employ heat-seeking drones. A drone is an aircraft designed to operate without a pilot on board. The drones will detect the body heat that a koala gives off. The government will also use dropping-detection dogs—that is, dogs that identify koala droppings. The droppings serve as evidence that koalas live in the area. In addition to detecting droppings, these dogs can sniff out koalas themselves.

In recent years, the koala population has declined. People have cut down eucalyptus forests for housing developments, resorts, and farmland. In addition to spending most of their time in the forks of eucalyptus trees, koalas eat mainly the leaves and young shoots of eucalyptuses. They even get most of the water they need from eucalyptus leaves. Koalas are also vulnerable to natural disasters. Tens of thousands of koalas were killed when bushfires devastated large areas of Australia in late 2019 and early 2020. In fact, a study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimated that more than 60,000 koalas had been either killed, injured, or displaced by the fires. This staggering number led some scientists to say that the animal was “functionally extinct.”

There are efforts to increase the koala population in Australia. For instance, the WWF hopes to use drones to drop eucalyptus-tree seeds in forests. The WWF will also create a fund to sponsor koala sanctuaries (safe spaces).

In Peru, a unique conservation effort is taking place near the city of Cusco at the Parque de la Papa (Park of the Potato). Located outside the Andes Mountains town of Pisac (or Pisaq), the park celebrates the Peruvian potato, of which there are some 3,000 varieties. The park is also a living tribute to the cultural heritage of the region’s indigenous (native) communities.

Potatoes originated in the highlands of Peru and nearby areas of the Andes Mountains. Credit: © Shutterstock

The Parque de la Papa is administered and farmed by the local Amaru, Chawaytire, Pampallacta, Paru Paru, and Sacaca indigenous communities. Within its grand boundaries—the park covers over 22,000 acres (9,000 hectares)—are grown more than 1,300 varieties of potato native to that area of the Andean highlands. Many potato varieties in the park are found nowhere else in the world. The cultivation of such rare potatoes helps ensure their existence for future generations, as does the park’s sharing of precious seeds with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a long-term seed storage facility in Norway.

The Parque de la Papa demonstrates the ability of potatoes to survive in the region’s harsh but changing conditions. The park sits in the cold and thin air at an altitude of 12,000 feet (3,700 meters) above sea level. Climate change is bringing warmer temperatures, however, forcing farmers still higher to reach the optimum growing environment for some potato varieties.

Peru is home to some 3,000 varieties of potato. Credit: © Shutterstock

Visitors to the park learn about traditional potato cultivation, harvesting, cooking, and storage. They are also treated to delicious local potato dishes. Hiking trails allow people to walk off their meals while also providing panoramic views of the Andean highlands. The Parque de la Papa features a variety of local crafts and products—from cosmetics and teas to medicines and textiles—made from potatoes and other plants native to the area.

A patchwork of potato fields covers this section of the Altiplano, a cold plateau in the Andean highlands. Credit: © Roux Frederic, Shutterstock

The potato originated in the Andes Mountains of South America. Scientists believe cultivated potatoes came from a species that first grew around Lake Titicaca, in what are now Bolivia and Peru. People living there and in surrounding areas were growing potatoes long before Spanish explorers arrived in the early 1500′s. Potatoes were then introduced to Europe and other parts of the world. The nutritious potato became a vital food crop in many regions.

April 22, 2020

Australia on Earth as seen from space.
Credit: © Harvepino/Shutterstock

How are you going to improve the world today? On this date, 50 years ago, an estimated 20 million Americans, both young and old, took part in the very first Earth Day. The number of people who participate in Earth Day grows each year as the world becomes more connected via social media and internet access. This year, public Earth Day celebrations in many areas will be curtailed as a result of social distancing measures undertaken to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. However, billions of people around the globe will take time examine human impacts on the environment.

Perhaps the most serious issue facing the environment today is climate change due to global warming. Global warming is an observed increase in Earth’s average surface temperature, driven by human activities. Global warming drives changes to the climate that can damage ecosystems, drive species to the brink of extinction, and increase the frequency and severity of such disasters as wildfires. 

Earth Day began in the United States on April 22, 1970. In 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord A. Nelson of Wisconsin suggested that a day of environmental education be held on college campuses, similar to the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called “teach-ins.” The following year, the lawyer and environmentalist Denis Hayes, then a recent graduate of Stanford University, led hundreds of students in planning and organizing the observance of the first Earth Day. 

While working around colleges’ academic schedules, Earth Day was also a tip-of-the-hat to another notable environmental action day, Arbor Day. Nebraska newspaper editor and politician Julius Sterling Morton began Arbor Day once he realized how much trees enrich and conserve moisture in soil. Through his efforts, April 10, 1872, was set aside as Nebraska’s first Arbor Day. The Nebraska Legislature later made Arbor Day a legal holiday and changed its date to April 22, Morton’s birthday. Today, however, National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April.

The observance of the first Earth Day helped alert people to the dangers of pollution and stimulated a new environmental movement. That same year, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set and enforce pollution standards. Congress also passed the Clean Air Act of 1970, which limited the amount of air pollution that cars, utilities, and industries could release. Other new environmental laws soon followed.

April 1, 2020

Today is the first day of April, the fourth month of the year according to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in most of the world today. In the Northern Hemisphere, April is the first full month of spring. (In the Southern Hemisphere, April occurs in autumn.) Many flowers bloom in April, including the pink phlox, a type of garden plant with brilliantly colored blossoms. The profusion of blooming pink phlox gives April’s full moon its name. The “Pink Moon“—the second of three consecutive supermoons—rises on April 7. A supermoon occurs when the moon is at perigee, the point when it is nearest the Earth and thus appears slightly brighter and larger in the sky.

The full moon of April is known as the “pink moon” because of the widespread blooming of pink phlox during the month. Credit: WORLD BOOK illustration

The name April comes from the ancient Roman word for the month, Aprilis. This name might have come from a word meaning to open, or from the name of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love (called Venus in Roman mythology). April was the second month in the early Roman calendar. However, it became the fourth month when the beginning of the year was moved from March to January. On the first of April, April Fools’ Day, people all over the world cause mischief and play tricks on each other.

Many cultures celebrate the arrival of spring, or other aspects of the natural world, in April. Walpurgis Night is a spring celebration held in Germany, Finland, and Sweden on April 30. People there welcome spring with bonfires, singing, and parties. The Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival Sakura Matsuri takes place in April. In the Netherlands, flower parades are held toward the end of April, when the tulips are blooming. Many people plant trees on Arbor Day, which occurs on different dates in different countries. Many nations celebrate Earth Day on April 22. This holiday was organized in 1970 to raise awareness of the environment. The Angolan Feast of Nganja, a celebration of the corn harvest, always occurs in April.

Some cultures welcome the New Year in this month. Nava Varsha, the Nepalese New Year, falls on or near April 13. Several countries in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, also celebrate the New Year at this time. In Thailand, the holiday is called Songkran.

Chakri Day, April 6, marks the date in 1782 when King Rama I took control of the government of Siam (now Thailand). Matatirtha Aunsi, Nepalese Mothers’ Day, also falls in April. The Christian celebration of Easter often occurs in this month, as does the Jewish festival of Pesah, also known as Passover.

March 13, 2020

This Sunday, March 15, is the bicentenary of the northeastern state of Maine. Throughout 2020, bicentennial celebrations and events are commemorating Maine’s entrance to the Union as the 23rd state in 1820.

The beautiful, rocky coast of Maine attracts thousands of vacationers to the state each year. The Portland Head Light, in Cape Elizabeth, is one of the best-known American lighthouses. It was built in 1791. credit: © Shutterstock

A special bicentennial flag is flying above Maine’s public and government buildings in 2020. This Sunday, Statehood Day celebrations in Augusta, the capital, include birthday cake, music, poetry, and speeches. Events later in the year include a bicentennial parade, a sailing ships festival, and the sealing of a time capsule. Special bicentennial programs include a “Maine in the Movies” series, which celebrates the state’s role in Hollywood films, and the mass planting of white pine saplings in new or existing public parks. The state is even publishing The Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook to showcase the state’s unique culinary traditions.

Maine state map. credit: World Book map; map data (c) MapQuest.com, Inc.

The Maine region was the home of Native Americans for thousands of years before English colonists first settled the area in 1607 (13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock). Such difficulties as cold weather and a lack of leadership, however, forced the settlers back to England in 1608. Colonists, primarily fishermen, returned to make permanent settlements in Maine in the 1620′s. Maine was a part of Massachusetts throughout its colonial history and for 44 years after the Declaration of Independence established the United States in 1776.

The Maine quarter features a lighthouse on a granite coast and a schooner. The lighthouse is the Pemaquid Point Light, northwest of Portland. The lighthouse dates from the 1820’s and is a popular tourist attraction. Granite is a common feature of Maine’s coastline and one of the state’s leading mined products. The schooner resembles one of Maine’s famous windjammers (sailing ships). credit: U.S. Mint

In 1785, a movement began for the separation of Maine from Massachusetts and for Maine’s admission to the Union as an individual state. Many people in Maine protested heavy taxation, poor roads, the long distance to the capital city of Boston, and other conditions. But before the War of 1812, most voters wanted Maine to remain a part of Massachusetts. The separation movement grew much stronger after the war. Many of those who favored separation won election to the legislature. They swayed many voters to their side. The people voted for separation in 1819, and Maine entered the Union the next year.

The name Maine probably means mainland. Early English fishermen used the term The Main to distinguish the mainland from the offshore islands, where they settled. New Englanders often refer to Maine as Down East. They call people who live in Maine Down Easters or Down Easterners. These terms probably come from the location of Maine east of, or downwind from, Boston. Ships from that port sailed down to Maine, and ships from Maine traveled up to Boston.

The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is from Portland, Maine’s largest city, and the American Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain is from the town of Brewer. The author Stephen King, a native of Portland, sets many of his novels in Maine.

March 9, 2020

The month of March brings spring and promises of warmer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere. (In the Southern Hemisphere, March is the beginning of autumn.) The warmer weather thaws earth frozen from a harsh winter, allowing roots to push up through the soil and begin the rebirth of spring. Earthworms also appear in March, attracting birds such as robins—a sure sign of spring—and giving name to the month’s full “Worm Moon.” In 2020, the full Worm Moon appears today, March 9. It is also a supermoon (the first of three in 2020) when the moon is at perigee, the point when it is nearest the Earth and appears slightly brighter and larger in the sky.

The full moon during March is known as the Worm Moon because of the reemergence of earthworms during the month. Credit: © Maryna Pleshkun, Shutterstock

March is the third month of the year according to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in most of the world today. It was the first month of the early Roman calendar. Later, the ancient Romans made January 1 the beginning of the year, and March became the third month. The Romans called this month Martius in honor of Mars, the Roman god of war. March has always had 31 days. Assassins killed the Roman emperor Julius Caesar on March 15, also known as the Ides of March, in 44 B.C.

The equinox which marks the start of spring or autumn occurs on March 19, 20, or 21. On this day, the sun shines directly on the equator, and the lengths of day and night are nearly equal all over the world. Equinox celebrations are widespread and varied. In Iran, Nowruz (Persian New Year) celebrations begin on the date of the March equinox and last for 13 days. Some people in other countries of central and southern Asia, including Afghanistan and Iraq, also celebrate the Persian New Year. Japanese  Buddhists celebrate Higan on both the vernal equinox in March and the autumnal equinox in September. All businesses close for the celebrations. The Japanese use this time to honor their ancestors.

March 3 is Hina-Matsuri, a doll festival in Japan. On this day, kids display a set of dolls on a special stand in their homes. These dolls represent members of the royal court and are usually family heirlooms. Many countries celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. This day honors women, especially working women. March is Women’s History Month in the United States. It is a time to recognize women’s achievements and contributions to society. March 17 is celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day in the United States and other countries where Irish immigrants have settled. Many people wear green clothing and eat traditional Irish foods, such as corned beef and cabbage. In Ireland, the celebrations are usually more solemn and religious in nature.

The Jewish festival of Purim usually falls in March. It occurs on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. Purim marks Queen Esther’s rescue of the Jews of Persia from a plot to kill them. Jewish people celebrate this holiday by reading the Book of Esther in the Bible and with masquerade parties, charitable giving, and feasting.

December 23, 2019

Saturday, December 21, was the winter solstice in the United States and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere—which includes Australia, New Zealand, and other lands south of the equator—the solstice marks the beginning of summer. In Australia, summer is a season known for bushfires. Such wildfires are common in Australia, due in part to the country’s hot and dry climate. Many wildfires start in the remote countryside known to Australians as the bush. Bushfires can be extremely destructive, especially if they reach urban areas. The fires often kill people and destroy property and farmland. They also devastate forests, along with the koalas and other animals that live there.

Police in Jimboomba, Queensland, rescued this koala and her joey from a bushfire in late November 2019. Many other koalas were not so lucky. Credit: Jimboomba Police

A number of major bushfires have plagued Australia in 2019. Late last summer, in February, bushfires consumed more than 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of land in northern New South Wales. Far more destructive bushfires ignited again in New South Wales in September, burning nearly 5 million acres (2 million hectares) there and in neighboring Queensland. Some of those fires lasted for weeks, while others continue to burn, turning skies black or orange, causing severe damage, and killing a number of people. The bushfires also killed thousands of vulnerable and slow-moving koalas trapped by the rapidly spreading flames.

Bushfires are relatively common in Australia. These fire-damaged buildings are seen alongside a house that survived Christmas Day bushfires near Melbourne in 2015. Credit: © Julian Smith, EPA/Landov

Koalas live only in the forests of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, in eastern Australia. They are found in significant numbers in only a few areas, and the animals are protected by law. Bushfires, however, ravage the koala’s natural habitat and its population. Koalas cannot escape the fast-moving fires, and their only defense is to climb to the top of a tree, curl into a ball, and hope the flames do not rise to reach them. Koalas sometimes survive this way, but they often burn their paws and claws descending charred trees, leaving them unable to climb properly again.

Koalas are not officially listed as endangered, but the population in New South Wales and Queensland has decreased by more than 40 percent since 1990. The animals are threatened by deforestation and habitat loss, as well as the effects of climate change, which is causing longer and more intense heat waves and droughts, leading to more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting bushfires. Beyond the flames and smoke of the fires, many koalas die from lack of water or exposure to prolonged periods of high temperatures. Australia just suffered through the driest spring in its history, and a brutal heat wave peaked on Dec. 19, 2019, when the highest ever nationwide average temperature—107.4 °F (41.9 °C)—was recorded.

November 18, 2019

Tomorrow, November 19, marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Zion National Park in southwestern Utah in 1919. The park covers nearly 150,000 acres (60,000 hectares) and has many colorful canyons, some of which are extremely narrow and have steep, plunging walls. The Zion National Park Forever Project’s “We the Keepers” centennial campaign included a benefit performance featuring the rock artist Sting and the Utah Symphony. A centennial film also encouraged the park’s 4.3 million annual visitors to care for Zion’s delicate habitat.

A hiker splashes through a fork of the Virgin River in the Narrows, a popular site within Zion National Park. Credit: © Galyna Andrushko, Shutterstock

Zion Canyon is the main feature of the park. It is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) long and from ½ mile (0.8 kilometer) to less than 50 feet (15 meters) wide. Its walls tower as high as 3,000 feet (910 meters), in some places almost straight up and down. Rock formations at Zion National Park range in color from dark red and orange to light purple and pink. These colors change continuously as the light changes. Wild plants and such animals as mule deer and bats flourish there.

Steep cliffs rise behind the visitor center at Zion National Park. Credit: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

The park was originally set aside in 1909 as Mukuntuweap National Monument. In 1918, the park was enlarged, and in 1919 it became Zion National Park. Zion National Monument, a vast area of rugged land adjoining the park, was added in 1956.

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Zion National Park lies in southwestern Utah. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

October 4, 2019

Since the beginning of winter in South America (summer in the Northern Hemisphere), more than 200,000 wildfires have struck the Amazon rain forest of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Some 30 million acres (12 million hectares) of wilderness have been lost in the fires, causing incalculable damage to the environment. The unusually severe fire season was blamed on winds and high temperatures as well as the ancestral practice of chaqueo (slash-and-burn farming). But many fires were thought to have been illegally set to clear land for large corporate agriculture, logging, and mining interests. Blame also fell on lax policing and the weakening of the environmental protection system in Brazil, where most of the fires occurred.

On Aug. 27, 2019, smoke rises above charred trees in the Amazon rain forest of northern Brazil. Credit: © Joao Laet, AFP/Getty Images

Forest fires are common in the Amazon during the dry season, from July to October. The fires are sometimes caused naturally by lightning strikes and exacerbated by drought, but most of the recent fires were probably started by people wanting to clear the land for other uses. There has been a vast increase in large, intense, and persistent fires along major roads in the Amazon, for example, something inconsistent with the randomness of lighting strikes. Climate change too is making the fires worse, as dry seasons in the Amazon become ever dryer, hotter, and longer.

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The Amazon rain forest covers much of northern South America. About two-thirds of the rain forest lies in Brazil. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

The fires (and the fire starters) have received divided attention in the Palácio do Planalto, the official workplace of the president of Brazil in Brasília, the capital. There, President Jair Bolsonaro has decreased environmental protections since taking office in January 2019, allowing an increase in deforestation—both legal and illegal, and always a problem—in the Amazon. Bolsonaro too has refused much international aid to help fight the fires, which continue to burn and destroy large portions of the rain forest. Bolsonaro eventually deployed some 44,000 soldiers to help the understaffed firefighters in the rain forest, and he agreed to coordinate firefighting efforts with other Amazonian countries. At the end of August, after the fires had raged for months, Bolsonaro also announced a 60-day ban on the legal setting of fires to clear land.

Deforestation results in the loss of vast areas of tropical rain forest each year. This photograph shows an area of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil that has been destroyed as part of slash-and-burn agriculture. In this method, farmers cut down trees and burn them. The ashes enrich the soil for only a brief period before the nutrients are depleted. The farmers then clear another area of forest. Credit: © Julio Etchart, Alamy Images

All seven Brazilian states that include parts of the Amazon have experienced sharp increases in fire activity in 2019. Numerous wildfires are also consuming alarming amounts of rain forest in the Amazonian regions of Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. The massive number of wildfires has greatly increased emissions of toxic carbon monoxide and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, a leading contributor to global warming. Smoke from the fires has obscured skies and aggravated such health problems as asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in people throughout the region.