Research news
Mendenhall Glacier to pull toe from lake
October 09, 2025
In the near future, Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier will withdraw its icy toe from the lake of its making, scientists say.
UAF receives $3.26 million grant for tribal heart health research
October 09, 2025
The National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Fairbanks a $3.26 million grant for a new research project to address coronary heart disease among Yup'ik ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Native people in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region.
Scientists aim to map Mount Edgecumbe volcano's upper plumbing
October 09, 2025
Mount Edgecumbe volcano in Southeast ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ sits in a place where a volcano shouldn't really be sitting. Research underway with new federal funding aims to solve that mystery.
Biologist to discuss ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ's bats in free webinar
October 08, 2025
An ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ wildlife biologist will lead a free lunch-and-learn webinar on bats in ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ hosted by the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. Arin Underwood, who works with the Threatened, Endangered and Diversity Program with the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Department of Fish and Game, will discuss ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ's tiny flying mammals.
ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ climate report: Sea ice growth and other winter transitions
October 08, 2025
Sea ice has returned to its annual growing season, though it's a slow turnaround as usual. The Arctic sea ice extent likely reached its 2025 seasonal minimum Sept. 10, at 1.85 million square miles.
October 04, 2025
While applying to attend John McPhee's writing seminar at Princeton University in the fall of 2017, Ben Weissenbach wrote his 86-year-old instructor "I want to follow in your footsteps, literally." In completing his first book, "North to the Future: An Offline Adventure Through the Changing Wilds of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ," Weissenbach penned a compelling portrayal of wild places that are similar but not identical to the ones McPhee explored in his classic 1977 book "Coming into the Country."
State alerts beekeepers of discovery of 'economically significant' pest
October 03, 2025
A beetle that harms honey bees has been found in ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ, according to the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Division of Agriculture. Small hive beetles eat pollen, bee eggs, larvae and pupae (bee brood), and honey inside the hive. Their activity turns the honey foul and slimy. Their presence can lead to colony loss and reduced honey production, resulting in financial losses for the beekeeper.
Two UAF students awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
October 01, 2025
Two University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Fairbanks graduate students are among the 1,500 recipients of the 2025-2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. Willa Johnson and Xochitl Muñoz will each receive three years of financial support, including a $37,000 annual stipend and funds to cover tuition and fees, in addition to professional development opportunities.
The quietly essential salmon stream
September 26, 2025
On this rainy September afternoon, Erik Schoen vacuums water from a backwater slough. The liquid will tell him if there are predators in this body of water.
Registration open for 2025 ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Invasive Species Workshop
September 25, 2025
The annual ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Invasive Species Workshop, a forum for land and invasive species managers and scientists to discuss current issues, will be held Oct. 28-30 in Anchorage.
The season of senescence is upon us
September 19, 2025
The glorious paper birch outside the window that has for the past three weeks beamed a sunny glow is losing its luster, one golden coin at a time.
Slugs slither into Fairbanks gardens
September 17, 2025
This summer, the real enemy in many Fairbanks gardens wasn't drought or moose — it was slugs. "I get more calls about slugs every year," said Gooseberry Peter, agriculture and integrated pest management program assistant with the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. Most people calling have never had slugs before, making these slimy critters a major topic of conversation for Fairbanks gardeners this season.
Research highlights rapid permafrost thaw at Point Lay, ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ
September 16, 2025
A team of scientists working with local residents has detailed the rapidly accelerating "catastrophic" permafrost thawing and infrastructure damage at the northern ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ coastal community of Point Lay.
UAF webinar examines climate change impacts on salmon
September 12, 2025
A warming climate is both harming and helping salmon in northern regions, according to a University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Fairbanks fisheries researcher. Peter Westley, principal investigator of the Salmonid Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Lab, will discuss the variable role of warming on ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ’s salmon in a free statewide webinar hosted by the UAF Cooperative Extension Service.
From the Bronx to Barrow to Ghana
September 12, 2025
It's a long way from the Bronx to Barrow. It's even farther from Fairbanks to Ghana. Lewis Shapiro covered a lot of ground during his 90 years.
ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ climate report: August, a time of meteorological change
September 10, 2025
The ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Climate Research Center, a part of the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, released its statewide August climate summary earlier this month.
Researchers reject geo-engineering as a climate-warming response
September 09, 2025
Proposals to reduce climate warming in the polar regions through geo-engineering rather than carbon emission cutbacks would be dangerous and ineffective, according to an international team of scientists that includes two from the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ Fairbanks.
The long fade of ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ's largest glacier
September 05, 2025
While paddling a glacial lake complete with icebergs and milky blue water, I dipped my left hand, then tasted my fingers. Salty.
Calling lost chickadees in far north poplars
August 29, 2025
"Chick chick whirrr, chick whirrr." Although it was a recorded birdsong that chattered through each of the poplar stands we entered, I still occasionally caught myself believing we were hearing the real thing -- the call of the gray-headed chickadee, last heard in ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ in 2018.
Botanical garden collection showcases global diversity of currants
August 22, 2025
The Georgeson Botanical Garden in Fairbanks is home to a collection of over 80 varieties of currants. For the past three years, the garden has celebrated these fruits with the annual Far North Currant Festival, which returns Saturday, Aug. 23, from 1 to 4 p.m.
