Science & Tech

The Kvichak River, which already provides Igiugig with drinking water and sockeye salmon, could also serve as its primary source of electricity.

Over the last 80-some years, there’s been a noticeable change in Fairbanks: The more recent cold snaps haven’t been as cold, and they’re occurring less frequently than they used to.

Much of salmon-counting in Alaska is done by watching salmon swim through specially designed stations. But what if you could count the number of fish just by testing for DNA in a bottle of river water? There’s a new technique that could make that happen, according to a newly published study.

A 9,000-year-old child’s tooth found in a cave near Deering, Alaska, belonged to a “relative of all other Native Americans,” says archaeologist Jeff Rasic. The tooth is the oldest human remains found in the Arctic.

A researcher at the University of Washington said this study is a concern for all salmon from the Pacific Northwest to Alaska — particularly for populations that are currently struggling.

New research shows higher cavity procedure rates among Juneau children on Medicaid compared to when the city fluoridated its tap water.

If there’s a partridge in a pear tree, birders in Haines will count it. The Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count–a conservationist twist on traditional Christmas hunts–may be the longest running citizen science project in the nation. According to Audbon, Alaskans have participated in the count since before statehood.

“Every summer driving through Fairbanks, I will see somebody adding this kind of retrofit to their home,” said research engineer Robbin Garber-Slaght. 

Alaska has a program that helps schools around the state pay for internet. However, the need for faster internet is outgrowing the program, and the divide is even wider for rural schools.

“This was the second-warmest year on record in the Arctic,” said Emily Osborne, a climate scientist with NOAA. “And to add to that, (the) last five years have been the warmest on record.”