The New Yorker reports on the controversy surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. Columnist Michael Specter interviewed Cary disease ecologist Richard Ostfeld about the ecology of ticks and the spread of the disease.
How green is your grass? An upcoming scientific study in Conservation Letters shows that illegal marijuana farms can have serious environmental effects.
In the Housatonic River, zebra mussels -- non-native bivalves that can move into a water body and just dominate it -- were found in 2009 in Massachusetts and in 2010 in Connecticut at Lake Lillinonah and Lake Zoar.
With today's challenging and emotionally charged environmental issues, its essential that current scientific information is communicated effectively and in ways stakeholders can understand.
Health officials and researchers are scratching their heads, wondering whether there will be a repeat this summer of last year's spike in the West Nile virus, a potentially fatal illness that mosquitoes transmit.
This week the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is hosting eighteen leaders in lake science. They hail from around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Hungary, Ireland, Taiwan, Argentina, Canada, Ireland, and China.
Cary scientists David Strayer and Emma Rosi-Marshall delivered expert testimony at a May 5, 2013 congressional briefing that highlighted problems with aquatic invasive species and “natural infrastructure” solutions. The briefing took place on Capitol Hill as the U.S. Senate debated the Water Resources Development Act.
The havoc wrought by hurricanes Sandy and Irene heightened awareness of the impacts of flooding. The Millbrook Independent reports on a flood-management forum hosted by Cary on May 4, 2013.
Richard S. Ostfeld, a disease ecologist specializing in Lyme disease and West Nile Virus, said while "large advances have been made even with rather paltry funding," there needs to be "rapid improvements," such as better diagnostics for early-stage Lyme.
Some of my friends and relatives don't believe in climate change, so I regularly get emails containing evidence that climate change isn't real. The "evidence" contained in these emails usually falls into one of two categories.
Many of us eagerly anticipate summer, when fishing, boating and swimming can happen at a favorite lake. This year, though, there may also be a bit of trepidation — what lies ahead for Lake Auburn? Will we see another fish kill?
Aquatic ecologist Dr. Stuart E.G. Findlay was recently honored with an Environmental Quality Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for his work on the Hudson River.
There has been a lot of concern over the possibility of pharmaceuticals ending up in freshwater and disrupting populations of wildlife. Now, new research shows that these concerns may be completely legitimate
Are invasive species killing us? This question must sound a little over the top if you think that invasive species are just garden pests, but history is filled with examples where they've killed humans.
Former Cary writer-in-residence Akiko Busch writes about modern citizen science endeavors and how individuals are getting involved by helping to gather data about the environment.
Bubbling brooks and streams are a scenic and much loved feature of forest ecosystems, but long-term data at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest suggests that more productive forests might carry considerably less water.
Sticker shock drove my family to start making maple syrup several years ago. In the long hours around the cooker, we figured out the science of maple sugaring. Satisfyingly, it takes biology, chemistry and physics to explain the process.
Video Three members of Congress joined forces with a Lyme disease advocacy group to host a forum to discuss the fight against tick-borne diseases. As a panelist, Cary's Rick Ostfeld shared his research and insights.
One of the first signs of spring in the Northeast is the unmistakable calling of the spring peeper. The peeper is a small frog, weighing only a few grams, but its mating call is louder than many songbirds weighing 10 times as much.
The inauguration of President Obama in late January, and his public emphasis on tackling climate change, brought new urgency to the scientific work at the Cary Institute.