Research news
State alerts beekeepers of discovery of 'economically significant' pest
October 03, 2025
A beetle that harms honey bees has been found in Alaska, according to the Alaska 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 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø students awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
October 01, 2025
Two 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø 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 Alaska Invasive Species Workshop
September 25, 2025
The annual Alaska 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 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø 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, Alaska
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 Alaska coastal community of Point Lay.
51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø 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 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø fisheries researcher. Peter Westley, principal investigator of the Salmonid Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Lab, will discuss the variable role of warming on Alaska’s salmon in a free statewide webinar hosted by the 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø 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.
Alaska climate report: August, a time of meteorological change
September 10, 2025
The Alaska Climate Research Center, a part of the 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø 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 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø.
The long fade of Alaska'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 Alaska 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.
August 21, 2025
The recent landslide-generated tsunami in Tracy Inlet of Southeast Alaska recalls the granddaddy of them all: the giant wave that scarred Lituya Bay in 1958.
2022 Pacific volcano eruption made a deep dive into Alaska
August 20, 2025
Atmospheric waves from a massive 2022 South Pacific volcanic eruption created seismic waves that penetrated Earth to at least 5 kilometers in Alaska, creating an opportunity to employ an unusual method of peering into the state's deep subsurface.
If a mountain fell in the wilderness...
August 14, 2025
Camped on an island in Southeast Alaska a few mornings ago, Sasha Calvey heard a commotion outside her tent.
State of the climate continues to track global change
August 14, 2025
The American Meteorological Society released its annual State of the Climate report this week, providing a comprehensive overview of global conditions in 2024. 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø scientists contributed data and analysis for the Arctic and Alaska regions, as they have for years.
Tsunami-causing slide was largest in decade, earthquake center finds
August 13, 2025
Sunday's massive tsunami-causing landslide in Southeast Alaska likely sent more than 100 million cubic meters of debris into an icy fjord and onto a prominent glacier in one of the largest slides in at least 10 years, according to analysis by the Alaska Earthquake Center.
Alaska climate report: Above and below normal, July had it all
August 12, 2025
Nome was a hot place to be in early July. The temperature was 20 degrees above normal at one point during that period, according to the monthly summary of the Alaska Climate Research Center. The center, part of the 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø, released its July summary earlier this month.
