The Secret Life of a Red Fox Family
One year ago, in a world with the same mountains and valleys but feeling very different, we made a discovery. My wife, daughter, two neighbor kids, three dogs and…
Village Grave Led to Virus Breakthrough
One-hundred-two years ago, a strain of influenza virus spread across the globe, eventually reaching Brevig Mission in Alaska. Five days after the flu hit the Seward Peninsula, 72 of…
Heading Farther North than She has ever Been
On the cusp of Interior Alaska’s springtime, Melinda Webster will not experience it this year. She’ll miss most of summer, too. Webster will soon head north of Earth’s…
Remarkable Groove Slides Gold into Alaska
Nate Becker lives with his family on a quiet stretch of the Yukon River as it flows into Alaska. On a recent ski trip, I visited the Beckers’ home…
Winter Journey along the Yukon River
We just skied 100 miles of the frozen Yukon River, two friends and I, until it got too cold for our skis to glide, and we flew back to…
Sundogs, Light Pillars Enliven the Dog Days
Fairbanks’s recent mornings in the minus 30s Fahrenheit may be extending local residents’ winter fatigue, but there are some rewards that come with cold, clear skies. Sundogs are two…
The Physics of Slapshots and Mid-Ice Collisions
When two National Hockey League hockey players collide, their pads and body tissues can absorb enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for a minute and a half.…
Keeping the Carbon in Alaska Forests
A scientist has an idea for reducing global carbon-dioxide emissions — fight Alaska forest fires more aggressively. Carly Phillips, an ecologist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, thinks there…
Rocket on the Chilled Rail at Poker Flat
In cold, dry, subarctic air, a rocket taller than a house tilts northward, awaiting the moment when a person inside a nearby concrete building pushes a button. The ink-black…
