Ever wondered what is scientifically the fluffiest animal? It’s this week’s animal spotlight, the sea otter! These balls of fluff are known best for being, quite frankly, adorable, but they are also pretty clever, and have had to show a lot of resilience. In this plog we will be looking at their clever behaviours, their … Continue reading 62: Sea Otters
A few times in our wanderings of the Arctic so far, we have come across the creatures that live under water, but when we talk about narwhals, bowhead whales, salmon and chad, what really is the difference between these animals, apart from size obviously. Well, that’s what we’ll be finding out this week when we … Continue reading 61: Whale vs Fish, what’s the difference?
The news seems to be full of scientists lately. Scientists developing vaccines and trying to understand how COVID 19 is spread, scientists commenting on the extent and issues related to climate change, scientists finding gases on mars and discovering new species in the Amazon. What really is a scientific researcher though, and how do you … Continue reading 60: How to become a scientific researcher
In plog 11: The Inuit, I said I'd write some plogs about various indigenous groups in the Arctic. Well, it’s been a long time coming but here is the second in that series! This time we're exploring the Evenki in Northern Russia, looking at their history, beliefs, stories and activism. I should of course mention … Continue reading 59: Evenki- People of the Russian North
The animal kingdom is an incredible place. It was once only enjoyed by those in the countryside or those who have gone out of their way to venture into nature and study the wildlife there. However, thanks to folks like David Attenborough who have made documentaries in recent years, we have all become more accustomed … Continue reading 58: Tracking animals with tech- Camera traps and GPS tags
The animal spotlight this week is the wolverine! Though known best because of its namesake played by Hugh Jackman in Marvel Movies, this animal has quite the superpowers of it’s own without Hollywood’s help. A smallish brown fluffy creature, perhaps quite cuddly in appearance, these animals are powerful predators with some practical but potentially grisly … Continue reading 57: Wolverines
Do you know who has the record for reaching the summit of Mount Everest the highest number of times? Some grand moustached Victorian gentleman explorer? Adrenaline junkie American climber? Austrian mountaineer? Nope, it’s Kami Rita, a Nepali Sherpa who has been to the top 24 times. In fact, the highest number of ascents by a … Continue reading 56: Assistants, Sherpas and Locals on Expeditions
We like to think of our planet as a solid ball of rock. Perhaps it’s comforting to think that no matter what happens to our left, right, or above our heads, at least what’s beneath our feet is solid. Alas, it is once again not so simple. Whilst slow, the ground beneath our feet is … Continue reading 55: Tectonic Plates and Volcanoes Under Ice
Sports, exercise, keeping fit, it’s pretty important for us. Many of us have pretty stationary lifestyles nowadays, as lunch doesn’t involve having to run, hunt and catch something, but our bodies still need this level of movement to keep us healthy and ticking over well. To make moving more fun, many people do sports, adding … Continue reading 54: Exercise in the Arctic
Hello and welcome back to Notebook from the North. This week we will be having a look at how creatures have changed over time to give us the huge diversity of life we see today, as well as what some of the traces of these changes are, and why not all changes are useful. It’s … Continue reading 53: Evolution, the hand and useless body parts
