Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon
Amputations and broken bones are among the injuries caused by winches on fishing boats
Over a 20-year period, there were 125 serious injuries to Alaska fisheries from winches, according to a newly published study.
Catching up: Researchers track 6,000 Alaskans’ paths after their 2005 high school graduations
Nearly 18 years ago, about 6,000 young Alaskans left high school and launched into adulthood. Where did they end up?
Diminished population of sunflower sea stars may get Endangered Species Act listing
The huge sea stars, which help conserve kelp beds by eating sea urchins, have been devastated by a wasting disease that is linked by scientists to climate change.
Crab crisis in Bering Sea a sign of ‘borealization’ and big changes in the future, scientists warn
In coming decades, the ocean conditions that triggered the snow crab crash and harvest closure are expected to be common.
Alaska health officials and providers work on strategies for responding to tuberculosis surge
Effective prevention and treatment requires an understanding of past tuberculosis-related trauma, experts at an Anchorage health summit said.
Student project tracking microplastics found in Bering Strait-area spotted seals
A UAF graduate student has found microplastics in the stomachs of spotted seals harvested in the Bering Strait region.
Tuberculosis, a disease that devastated Alaska in the past, took a big jump in 2022
Documented active cases of the disease increased dramatically, and pandemic-related interruptions to medical services are getting some of the blame.
Southeast Alaska’s porpoises have separate populations, and 1 may be vulnerable
The breakdown of Southeast Alaska’s porpoises into northern and southern populations contrasts with current management, which treats them as a single population.
Construction to start on bridge over landslide site in Denali National Park
A contractor has been chosen to address problems at perilous Pretty Rocks, but full access to the park road is not expected until 2025.
Study analyzes moose-vehicle collision risks, with results that could be used to improve road safety
A new study, funded by NASA, analyzes the relationships between moose movements, snowpack and traffic patterns in Alaska and areas of western Canada.
In northernmost Alaska, a battle is on to limit the damages of permafrost thaw
Warming soils beneath Utqiagvik are triggering erosion that threatens homes, infrastructure and cultural resources.
Climate change seen as suspected factor in Western Arctic Caribou Herd decline
Alaska’s Western Arctic Caribou Herd population is lower than at any time in over four decades.
Dramatic decline in teen smoking largely offset by boom in e-cigarette use, state report says
Electronic cigarettes are not taxed by the state. But some legislators have been trying to change that to discourage youth vaping.
COVID-19 pushed Alaska’s death rate higher and life expectancy lower in 2021
The report documented noticeable increases in alcohol-related and drug-related fatalities in 2021.
Alaska crab fishery collapse seen as warning about Bering Sea transformation
The loss of snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab harvests poses immediate hardships and raises worries about future seafood prospects.
Alaska tribes join with Lower 48 allies to seek protections from impacts of Canadian mines
The tribes are seeking protective action under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, the framework for resolving disputes over shared waters.
Syphilis cases in Alaska continue to climb, compounding the state’s STD challenges
Syphilis cases increased dramatically last year in Alaska, which has had some of the nation’s highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in recent years.
In new bipartisan Alaska Senate majority of 17, members vow compromise and consensus
All nine elected Democrats and eight of the 11 elected Republicans have joined what the incoming Senate President Gary Stevens calls "a very healthy majority."
State, North Slope Borough file lawsuit seeking to remove ringed seals’ threatened listing
The agency’s threatened listing for Alaska’s population of ringed seals was granted in 2012.
Study tracks Arctic animals’ exposure to disease better known in Interior Alaska: tularemia
A wide variety of Arctic animals including polar bears are being exposed to a tick-borne pathogen normally associated with rabbits and hares, a newly published study said.