European Corn Borer: Bt’s Landmark Target
The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, became a serious North American pest after its arrival in the early 1900s. Its larvae tunnel into stalks, weakening plants and cutting yields. In the 1990s it became a landmark target of genetic engineering: Bt corn was modified to produce insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis, killing borers as they fed. Its success also made resistance management and non-Bt refuges essential. #agriculture
Dark-Sky Policy for Wildlife
Artificial light at night is more than wasted illumination: it can disrupt wildlife that depends on darkness. Migrating birds may be drawn off course toward bright buildings, while beachfront lighting can lure sea-turtle hatchlings away from the ocean. Dark-sky policies give municipalities practical tools: shield fixtures, direct light downward, limit unnecessary brightness and hours, and adopt stricter coastal rules during nesting seasons. #conservation
Harlan County, USA: Labor on Film
Barbara Kopple’s 1976 documentary Harlan County, USA embeds viewers in the Brookside coal miners’ strike in Kentucky. Beginning in 1973, workers and their families fought for a union contract amid poverty, intimidation, armed confrontations, and the killing of striker Lawrence Jones. Kopple gives miners’ wives unusual prominence as organizers and picketers. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary and became a landmark of American labor cinema. #labor #film
Northern Giant Hornet: Invasion Stopped
The northern giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, became notorious as the “murder hornet” after appearing in North America in 2019. The world’s largest hornet threatens honeybees: groups can attack a hive, decapitating workers and taking brood as food. Washington tracked hornets to nests and destroyed them before the species became established. After three years without a detection, officials declared it eradicated from the United States in 2024. #hornets