Beaches on Scotland’s ‘Hawaii of the North’ at risk after sand stolen – The Telegraph

The sands of Tràigh Baile a' Mhuilinn (by Rob Farrow CC BY-SA 2.0 via geograph.org).

With its stunning white crystal sands, it is known as “Hawaii of the North”. But beachcombers are said to be removing the famous sands of Tiree in the Hebrides on an industrial scale. Landowner Argyll Estates suspects sand is being “stolen” by “greedy” islanders under cover of darkness. Reports also suggest that it is “the more affluent residents” who are involved “so the reasons for this may not always be hardship but perhaps greed…”

Opinion: Through an Artist’s Eye, Scientific Tools Help Tell Vital Stories – Undark Magazine

Night Projections: Robert Mosse at George Washington University, Washington DC November 7, 2011 (by Elvert Barnes CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr).

Perhaps one of the most salient marks of human ingenuity is our ability to peer into places our eyes were never designed to see. We can now glimpse the birth of distant galaxies with the Webb telescope, or spot structures hidden deep inside the human cell through electron cryomicroscopy…But through an artist’s eye, such technological tools can transcend their scientific purpose to deliver insights about our fast-warming planet that are more likely to resonate with the public…

Paleotsunami Detectives Hunt for Ancient Disasters – Hakai Magazine

Hokusai's The Great Wave at Kanagawa (1760-1849) vintage Japanese Ukiyo-e woodcut print (Public domain image via Wikimedia, digitally enhanced by rawpixel).

Gigantic tsunamis have been decimating coastlines since time immemorial. We ignore these prehistoric warnings at our own peril.

A boulder weighing more than 40 tonnes sits on the sand high above the ocean. Dwarfing every other rock in view, it is conspicuously out of place. The answer to how this massive outlier got here lies not in the vast expanse of the Atacama Desert behind it but in the Pacific Ocean below…

Why the Climate Fight Will Fail without India – Scientific American

Delhi Train Station (by Axel Drainville CC BY-NC 2.0 via Flickr).

India is in the midst of the biggest climate experiment the world has ever known.

It’s a test that aims to transform a nation marked by deep economic inequality and heavily polluting coal power to one where families drive electric scooters and cool their homes with the sun’s energy. And it could determine whether global temperatures exceed limits beyond which climate impacts become increasingly disastrous…

Are You Giving Flowers with a Side of Plastic? – Hakai Magazine Editorial

Garden Style Flower Arrangement (by Flower Factor CC BY-NC 2.0 via Flickr).

Over a century ago, flower retailer Florists’ Telegraph Delivery group—more recognized as FTD—started the campaign “Say it with flowers” for Mother’s Day. And we’ve been saying it—I love you, I miss you, … congratulations on your new baby/home/job—ever since. Flower person or not, chances are you’ve recently intersected with a bouquet or arrangement… Look closely, and you’ll see the power of flowers; their ubiquity in our day-to-day.

Stop ‘wishcycling’ and get wise: how to recycle (almost) everything – the Guardian

Contact Lens with Case (by Marco Verch CC BY 2.0 via Flickr)

From contact lenses to blister packs and used dental floss, there are items that perplex even the most dedicated recycler…Labelling often requires a doctorate in semiotics to decode, kerbside collections are a postcode lottery and council recycling centres are often difficult to access without a car. At home, packaging piles up…All of it amounts to us collectively wondering whether recycling is ultimately pointless because it’s all going to end up in landfill in the developing world…