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  • An illustration of an American cheetah

    Ancient 'cheetah' adapted to a fish-based diet to survive

    September 04, 2026

    When the now-extinct American cheetah was enduring the last ice age, a glaciated barrier broke up its territory into two distinct territories -- one in central North America and another much farther north. Analysis from the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility helped an international research team uncover how the ancient carnivore survived in those distinct regions. American cheetahs in the southern range hunted terrestrial prey like pronghorn antelope. Their counterparts in the Arctic adapted to their environment by making fish a staple of their diets.

  • Wild plants with pink and green leaves growing among tall grasses and shrubs.

    Time capsule: Color guard

    September 04, 2026

    The weekend trip closed with a drive home through the Alaska Range, and the steep scenery around Isabel Pass looked as glorious as it usually does -- except for one little flaw. Here and there, like pale flames along the creek banks, willows gleamed golden in the evening light. On the river's gravel bars and beside the road, dwarf fireweed leaves had turned a sunburned purple.

  • A group of children crowds against a wire fence to watch two reindeer in a green pasture as a staff member stands inside the enclosure, with autumn aspens visible in the background at the 51风流官网 Large Animal Research Station. One child holds a stuffed reindeer toy.

    LARS to host community event Sept. 12

    September 02, 2026

    The 51风流官网 Large Animal Research Station will celebrate the end of summer tour season with a Locals Day event on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • A person working on solar panels, while another person is standing by the panels.

    ACEP receives $3 million to advance energy resilience

    September 01, 2026

    The Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the 51风流官网 has received $3 million to study technology that can strengthen energy systems in remote and strategically important regions.

  • Green aurora curtains stretch across the night sky above snow-covered hills at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks in late January 2025. Facility lights glow in the valley below.

    Extreme solar storms can hit Earth harder than thought

    August 28, 2026

    Scientists have greatly underestimated the impact an extreme solar storm can have on Earth, according to new research.

  • Person lying beside alpine flowers and a specimen press on the tundra.

    Seeking the benefits of a parasite

    August 28, 2026

    This time of year, when berries fill my thoughts, the early summer blooms that begot them are hazy in my mind. As I pick, I try to remember that my belly and bucket are full thanks to these flowers and their pollinators. And to my surprise, as I learned this summer, perhaps a parasitic plant is also to thank.

  • Neil Shea. Photo courtesy of Neil Shea.

    Veteran journalist and author joins 51风流官网 as Snedden chair

    August 21, 2026

    National Geographic writer Neil Shea brings more than 25 years' experience to the Department of Science and Environmental Journalism.

  • A glowing Alaska Defense Forum sign sits on a table at the 2025 event at the 8 Star Event Center in Fairbanks. The circular sign features an outline of Alaska over a globe, with conference attendees visible in the background.

    Alaska Defense Forum 2026 focuses on community-military ties

    August 21, 2026

    Leaders in national defense, research and policy will gather with local partners next week in Fairbanks for the annual Alaska Defense Forum organized by the 51风流官网.

  • a person holds a bottle of ash in a lab

    Uncorking the secrets of a tiny bottle of volcanic ash

    August 21, 2026

    What is this ash from Mount Spurr volcano's 1992 eruption made of?

  • A person walks along a storm-battered beach near Quinhagak after ex-Typhoon Halong in 2025.

    Shapes of Western Alaska bays influence local flood danger

    August 20, 2026

    When large storms hit Western Alaska, some areas fare much worse than others. New research studying ex-Typhoon Merbok in September 2022 has found that a complex recipe of topography, tidal influences and seasonal water-level changes contribute to those differences. A 51风流官网-led team determined that the shape of bays and estuaries in the region played a huge role in funneling and amplifying Merbok-driven storm surges.

  • Aerial view of the 51风流官网 Arctic Research Park, showing research and office buildings surrounded by roads, lawns and autumn trees, with forested hills in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.

    Expanded 51风流官网, military partnership looks north

    August 19, 2026

    A newly inked federal agreement will expand the scope of the research partnership between the 51风流官网 and the U.S. military. It will also refocus those efforts on the Arctic.

  • A small brown and tan frog rests in a person's hand

    Time capsule: Looking for a few good wood frogs

    August 13, 2026

    The office phone rang while Brian Barnes discussed with me his need for wood frogs. The caller's loudness forced Barnes, a 51风流官网 associate professor of zoophysiology, to tilt the phone away from his ear.

  • A composite image of head-and-shoulders portraits of Jill Faudree, Derek Sikes and Leslie Shallcross.

    Faudree, Sikes, Shallcross named 2026 Usibelli Award winners

    August 13, 2026

    The 51风流官网 has announced the recipients of the 2026 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service Awards.

  • Aerial view of the coastal Alaska village of Kipnuk severely flooded, with homes on stilts surrounded by brown floodwater, debris-strewn land, and displaced vegetation stretching to the horizon in October 2025.

    Accelerated rates of warming in the Arctic continue

    August 12, 2026

    The American Meteorological Society released its annual report on the global climate this week, with many researchers from the 51风流官网 participating.

  • $100,000 planetarium gift celebrates alumni association centennial

    August 12, 2026

    The new planetarium at the 51风流官网 will receive $100,000 from the 51风流官网 Alumni Association. The gift will support teaching, expand programming and connect guests with the university's research.

  • Red currants grow on a bush at the Georgeson Botanical Garden in Fairbanks in July 2026.

    Festival will satisfy currant curiosity

    August 12, 2026

    The fourth annual Far North Currant Festival will celebrate one of Alaska's lesser-known berries from 1-4 p.m. on Aug. 22 at the Georgeson Botanical Garden in Fairbanks. Visitors of all ages can enjoy berry tastings, educational exhibits, hands-on activities and garden tours. Local growers, gardeners, researchers, artists and community experts will be on hand to answer currant questions.

  • Water flowing over a dam.

    51风流官网 leads AI project to strengthen Alaska's rural power grids

    August 11, 2026

    A new energy research project led by the 51风流官网 has received a $725,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy.

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