Kenyan girls who grow up in traditionally nomadic, pastoral communities often roam the arid plains of the country with their families in search of grazing grounds for their goats, cows, and camels. But the journey is usually at the expense of an education-moving around so often, and especially to remote areas, makes it difficult for many to attend school on a regular basis.

Taking Root tells the story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights, and defend democracy-a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration.

Scientists say they are closer to knowing how, or rather why, the zebra got its stripes. It's an answer that would impress even Rudyard Kipling. Copyright © 2015 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

What a fun article to use as a conversation starter during discussions focused on experimental design, or adaptations.

" Richard Turere, a 13 year-old from Kenya, has been making waves at the TED conference with his innovative invention - a LED system that prevents lions from killing livestock (and also humans). Richard, whose family lives within the Nairobi National Park boundaries and raises livestock, had always seen lions as a threat to their livelihood."

A new census found this winter's population of North American monarch butterflies in Mexico was at the lowest level ever measured. Insect ecologist Orley Taylor talks to Yale Environment 360 about how the planting of genetically modified crops and the resulting use of herbicides has contributed to the monarchs' decline.

This fun reflection prompts me to ponder the impact of Urban parks on Birds Cities may not seem like hotbeds of evolution. Tropical rain forests, maybe. The Galapagos Islands, certainly. But Central Park? Yes, even Central Park. Wherever there is life, there is evolution. Organisms reproduce, passing down their genes to their offspring. Some variants of those genes may become more common over the generations thanks to lucky rolls of the genetic dice.

Jaret Daniels / University of Florida via AP file ORLANDO, Florida - After six years of searching, an entomologist has concluded that three varieties of butterflies native to south Florida have become extinct, nearly doubling the number of North American butterflies known to be gone. "These are unique butterflies to Florida.

When the sun goes down, dung beetles rely on a galactic source--light from the Milky Way--to navigate, according to a recent report in Current Biology. Study co-author Eric Warrant, of Lund University in Sweden, explains how dung beetles see the starry night sky.

Three cheers go out to Jim Murphy for sharing this great website! It's an amazing resource for Global Climate Change! The NOAA Coastal Services Center would like to acknowledge those organizations that provided direct content used in this tool or feedback, ideas, and reviews over the course of the tool's development. Specifically the Center would like to acknowledge the following groups. The U.S.

A terrific overview of the Green Belt movement that includes a flyover of key regions. GBM Founder Wangari Maathai and GBM project officer Njogu Kahare narrate this 3 minute clip.

"Whether it's red tilapia dying en masse in Thailand or thousands of blackbirds dropping out of the sky over Arkansas it might seem like the entire natural world has given up the ghost. Now this startling new map shows every instance of falling birds and dying fish across the globe over the past few weeks."

National Geographic Channel's groundbreaking series Great Migrations explores the massive movement of animal populations around the planet. The project chronicles these inspirational, often harrowing journeys that are marked by unforgiving odds, and what it means to move like your life depends on it. Wildebeests, zebras, red crabs, Mali elephants, walruses, monarch butterflies, jellyfish, and whale sharks will all be on display, and the production crew traveled some 420,000 miles, filming hundreds of stories in more than 20 countries. Using new science and technology, the series reveals how animals make death-defying journeys to survive. Great Migrations is the largest undertaking of its kind in the National Geographic Society's 120-year history. The seven-hour miniseries premieres globally in fall 2010. National Geographic's net proceeds support vital exploration, conservation, research, and education.

"JASON's science curriculum units are designed to: Light the spark of inspiration in students Fit within school districts' core 5th-8th grade curricula Adapt to higher and lower levels Align to state and national standards Cover at least five to nine weeks of material Include numerous research articles, hands-on lab activities, videos, games, and multimedia resources Include suggested lesson plans, extensions, interdisciplinary connections, and teacher resources for alignment, assessment, and classroom management."

60 Minutes on CBS News: The Great Migration - Scott Pelley visits Kenya, the site of the great wildebeest migration, and looks at the threats to this natural spectacle comprised of over a million animals.

An interesting impact of the US on unsustainable resource harvesting in Latin America. Chicle, a primary ingredient in chewing gum is likely depleted in 25-40 years at the current rate.

Students consider sampling strategies that work best using virtual forests.

David Attenborough presents the amazing lyre bird, which mimics the calls of other birds - and chainsaws and camera shutters