Can Government Spending Really Increase Happiness?
Research suggests it can—but the real answer is more complicated.
Alaska
Meet the Young Alaska Natives Pursuing a Successful Career in the STEM Fields
Pushing back against stereotypes, students in the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program outperform students of all backgrounds in math and science.
The Trump Administration Approves the First Offshore Oil Facility in Federal Waters Off of Alaska
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke on Tuesday announced the approval of the first offshore oil production facility in federal waters off the coast of Alaska.
Fat Bear Week Is Over, but the Glory of America's Fattest Bears Lives on
The competition, which ended Tuesday, provided flashes of joy during this tumultuous news cycle.
A Man Assaults a Native Woman—and Never Sees a Day in Jail
Seeing these crimes go unpunished can make indigenous communities feel hopeless. But in dark times, I take inspiration from our grandmothers.
In Kotzebue, Alaska, Hunters Are Bringing Traditional Foods—and a Sense of Comfort—to Their Local Elders
In one tiny city in Alaska, hunters are working to provide the local elderly population with access to traditional foods. By making that effort, they have become a model for a person-centered approach to care.
Chantal Bilodeau Brings Climate Change to the Theater
Through a cycle of eight plays, Canadian playwright Chantal Bilodeau explores the inner lives of the Arctic's inhabitants during a time of dramatic change.
The Department of Education Is Trying to Promote Native Language Learning
The DOE's new programs will also support improvement in English proficiency.
As Climate Change Intensifies, Here Are the Most—and Least—Resilient Counties in America
A recent EPA survey takes into account extreme weather, but also social factors such as poverty, health, and governance.
Microplastic Contamination Is Affecting People and Animals in Remote Alaska
Scientists are studying the stomachs of Alaskan seabirds to discover the extent to which plastic pollution is impacting wildlife and human populations in the Aleutian Islands.
The Department of the Interior to Pilot Restructuring Efforts With Alaska Office
The department is planning to re-adjust its regional boundaries and revamp its organization system in 2018, starting with a pilot management office in Alaska.
Alaska Ends Cash Bail System
In Alaska, a point-based system will replace cash for determining who the state will release on bail.
Field Notes: Waiting for Whales in Utqiagvik, Alaska
Utqiagvik, Alaska: High above the Arctic Circle, on a slab of sea ice a mile from shore, an Inupiaq whaling crew watches for a passing bowhead whale under the light of the midnight sun.
The Grassroots Social Network Documenting Real-Time Climate Change
The LEO Network is bringing together scientists and citizens to monitor climate change and spot trends.
Senate Republicans Court Lisa Murkowski With Budget Plan That Opens Alaska to Oil and Gas Drilling
The appropriations bill asks the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for an extra billion dollars in new revenue, which could come from oil reserves beneath the refuge.
Can a Podcast Revitalize an Endangered Alaska Native Language?
One Juneau-based nonprofit has decided to give it a try.
A Conversation With Blair Braverman, Author of ‘Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube’
Two writers with roots in Alaska talk landscape, identity, survival, and the problem with the term alpha male.
How the Fairbanks Four Finally Found Freedom
George Frese, Kevin Pease, Marvin Roberts, and Eugene Vent — better known as the Fairbanks Four—spent 18 years in prison for a murder they didn’t commit. On the anniversary of the crime, a look at how their incarceration exposed the deep racial divides within the local community.
The Part We Play in—Not Just on—Our Environment
A study of ancient inhabitants of Sanak Island, Alaska, points to a new understanding of our impact on the natural world.
How Do You Take Down Two Tons of Blubber and Tusks?
As warmer summers melt the Arctic, Pacific walruses have to work a lot harder to reach their seafloor feasts.
How Juneau Handles Its Garbage
Alaska's capital city is surrounded by ocean and glaciers, with no roads in or out. Waste management? It's complicated.
How to Build an Ice Road
In the Northwest Territories, remote towns depend on their frozen highways.
Is a Warming World to Blame for the Syrian Refugee Crisis?
Experts say climate change will be a growing driver of global migration like the Syrian exodus into Europe.
Shell's Big Back-Down
The oil giant announced that there simply isn't enough oil and natural gas to warrant any more drilling.