Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: Olympians aim for gold medals; pro football teams strive to win the Super Bowl; actors aspire for Oscars. But what are the metrics of success for natural scientists? They are often defined as personal “eureka moments” after decades of field work, including the discovery of a new […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: It has become an onerous challenge to eat healthy and with a clear conscience. Fish is either endangered or overdosed with mercury, not to mention the ethical issues associated with harvest techniques. Beef and milk are laced with antibiotics, and the industrialized production associated with chicken and […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: As a child, I never dreamed that someday I would buy a bottle of water in an airport. What commodities will be marketed next? Fresh air? Aerated soil? Natural products obtained without monetary costs from healthy ecosystems are part of a bountiful harvest called natural capital or […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: The recent film “The Lorax” provides a whimsical way to learn an important message about the science of sustainability. Simply stated, humans need forests to live, and the entire planet needs forests for global health. Forests provide humans with a multitude of free services that operate while […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: Thanks to first lady Michelle Obama’s healthy-eating campaign, and to a number of recent medical reports, Americans are looking more closely at their diets. Most countries have evolved a cuisine over many centuries based on their environment and culture. The French stay healthy with a long-standing affection […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: What do a young Philippine clothing designer, an American social networker, an Indian medic, an Ethiopian teacher and a Nigerian farmer have in common? They are all winners of the first-ever Rolex Young Laureates Awards for Enterprise (http://young.rolexawards.com). Though best known for their watches, Rolex also funds […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: It sounds like a horror movie – billions of miniature, bear-like creatures crawling through the lawns and shrubbery in Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham. Neither drought nor flood nor extreme temperature will kill them. During a heat wave, they curl into a ball and wait for better conditions […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: Christmas lists abound with “stuff” that is usually manufactured, bought, discarded, and ultimately piles up in landfills. With the current economic downturn, what about a gift list centered on special places in nature that inspire and nurture our souls? Many special natural places are close to home […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: Cutting-edge technology helps save rhinos in India The North Carolina Museum of Natural History’s new Nature Research Center, opening spring 2012 in Raleigh, will employ cutting-edge technologies to convey scientific discoveries to students, policy-makers and citizens. Using remote cameras in distant field sites such as forest canopies, […]
Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com: Yttrium, promethium, europium and luterium may sound like mythological characters, but they’re rare-earth elements that comprise the backbone of new technologies for the 21st century. Their discovery in recent years has advanced the electronics industry. Yttrium, when alloyed with other elements, forms part of aircraft engines; promethium […]
