yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Marvels of an Arctic Winter | America's National Parks


less than 1m read
·Nov 11, 2024

As the months of winter pass, only the heartiest of creatures will be able to survive out in the open, seemingly resigned to their fate. But under the tundra, some creatures are pulling off a small biological miracle. The hibernating ground squirrel's body temperature has actually dropped below freezing. Every 2 to 3 weeks, he'll start to shiver, warming himself back up to normal temperatures—a mysterious key to his survival.

The winter's sun barely breaks the horizon, and during the almost perpetual night of the Arctic winter, temperatures can plummet to lower than 50° below zero. The fantastical northern lights billow and twist all winter above the Brooks range. Some native peoples believe the northern lights are the dancing spirits of the dead. Science has an equally otherworldly explanation: these sheets of light happen when charged particles from the sun, caught by the Earth's magnetic field, stream down at the poles where they react with the atmosphere. Either way, they are enchanting.

Finally, it's early spring. After about 7 months, the Arctic squirrel shivers himself awake, ending his long hibernation ordeal. He's lost about half his body weight and wakes up hungry for food and female companionship.

More Articles

View All
Is Meat Really that Bad?
Food is arguably the best thing about being alive. No other bodily pleasure is enjoyed multiple times every day and never gets old. It’s an expression of culture, our parents’ love, and a means of celebration or comfort. That’s why it hits a special nerve…
The U.S. Economy Just Hit a Big Turning Point. (Howard Marks' Sea Change Is Here)
People believe in the ability to predict the future, and in general, uh, I agree with uh, John Kenneth Galbraith, who said, “There are two kinds of forecasters: the ones who don’t know and the ones who don’t know they don’t know.” There is Howard Marks, …
How to Read When You Hate Reading - 5 Tips and Tricks
If you’re anything like me, you like the idea of reading. But when it actually comes time to buckle down, sit on a chair, pick up a book, and read, you have a hard time focusing, let alone really enjoying it. And maybe you’ve thought to yourself, “Well, I…
How to Navigate the Different Life Phases
But also you say, for example, the second phase, the part that I’ve been in tends to be one of the unhappier times of life. You think about how much you’re worrying about your kids and whether they’ll be okay, and all the struggles balancing work and fami…
Kenya’s Wildlife Warriors | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic
I just spent the morning driving in a 4x4 through rolling grass savannas in Kenya’s world famous Masai Mara. Already we’ve seen a group of cheetahs napping under a large acacia tree and a pair of young male lions lolling in the grass. Eyeing a group of ze…
Flu Virus 101 | National Geographic
[Narrator] The flu is a highly contagious respiratory illness. It turns up year after year with devastating consequences, all caused by a most elusive virus. The influenza, or flu virus, is a recurring nightmare. It causes more than 36,000 deaths in the…