On September 15, 1982, Dollie Burwell dropped her 10-year-old daughter Kim off at the bus stop, went home, and prepared to be arrested. That morning, 125 people were gathering at the Coley Springs Baptist Church in Afton, NC, steeling themselves to walk the mile and a half to the sight of a hazardous waste landfill where 60 police officers dressed in full riot gear were waiting for them. As she was preparing to leave her house she turned and saw Kim standing at the door. “I want to come with you”

On January 14, 1991, Scott Lancaster, 18, left for a trail run on a rocky hillside above his Idaho Springs high school. He was never seen alive again. A few days later his body was found about a half mile away. A 100 lb mountain lion was spotted nearby. Scott had become the first confirmed mountain lion fatality in Colorado history.

Solving the puzzle of Scott’s death requires an understanding of a complex network of social and ecological factors that developed over many decades. A recent study adds a new piece to this puzzle: light pollution. Learn more about how light pollution affects mountain lion behavior, possibly resulting in more encounters with humans.

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean – roll! – Lord Byron

For generation, the seas have been synonymous with darkness. Deep and dark are among the most common descriptors for the oceans. We all know that light gets absorbed quickly by water. We see it when we’re swimming at the beach. At night, we know that below the surface the sea is dark, black, devoid of light. To poets and philosophers, it is the inky depths, the great void.

Well, then again, maybe not.