December 16, 2020 5:07 PM EDT
On December 1, 2020, the 900-tonne platform that held most of the instruments of the Arecibo Observatory (AO) at a height of more than 500 feet above the ground came crashing down. People from all walks of life, old and young, scientists and non-scientists, for whom this iconic telescope meant so much, have watched the footage of the collapse in disbelief. Soon after the collapse, students, scientists and the general public began a campaign to rebuild the AO. Read more >
February 28, 2020 12:31 PM EDT
“Trees are the answer.” The maxim was on a sticker on my PhD mentor’s office door at Arizona State University (ASU). But what was the question? Turns out, there were a lot of them.
December 19, 2019 12:31 PM EDT
We’ve all just lived through a most consequential ten years.
Some decades, like the 1860s for the Civil War and the 1960s for the Civil Rights Movement, are seismic and stand out in history for generations. The 2010s weren’t like that (though politically it’s been one long mixed-martial arts cage fight) but in this decade, amidst the stampede of everyday life, climate changes, sometimes subtle or invisible, have locked down their profoundly consequential influence on our future–with us, until recently, scarcely noticing. Read more >
September 18, 2019 5:04 PM EDT
Durante los últimos dos años, Puerto Rico ha vivido el episodio más tumultuoso de su historia moderna. En 2017, el Huracán María pasó factura climática a una isla que ya no tenía recursos políticos, económicos ni de infraestructura (urbana, energética) para saldar tal deuda. El huracán—como me dijo un colega hace tiempo—no fué lo que destruyó a Puerto Rico: la crisis de gobernabilidad, la crisis por la agobiante deuda pública que melló servicios públicos, educativos, y sociales, así como la rentabilidad de la isla—la misma crisis que pensamos había tocado fondo durante el cierre del gobierno en 2006—fue lo que destruyó a la isla, y sus escombros fueron barridos por María. Read more >
May 23, 2019 10:10 AM EDT
A new agreement on Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) debt represents a major setback for the future of the island. Read more >
