The site where research discovered microbes that have not evolved. PHOTO: DUANE MOSER/DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE.

Working Waterfront

Isolated microbes provide window into evolution

It's like something out of science fiction. Research led by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has revealed that a group of microbes, which feed off chemical reactions triggered by radioactivity, have been at an evolutionary standstill for millions of years. The discovery could have significant implications for biotechnology applications and… SEE MORE

Environment

Working Waterfront

Local we know, sustainable we hope

Sunday afternoons, starting the last Sunday in May, a small farmer’s market sets up next to the Up-Island Church (formerly the Free Will Baptist Church, now a preservation society) while cars line Church Turn containing customers ready to pounce on seedlings, vegetables, eggs, honey, all kinds of island-grown fresh stuff.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A deeper meaning of ‘lost at sea’

Several years ago, I visited Ireland with my son, a musician, and one day we ventured to a small coastal village in search of the grave of a famous Irish traditional singer whose voice and repertoire had shaped my son’s first music in a fundamental way. At the local pub,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

How to best crunch the greenhouse gas numbers

Carbon pollution, also known as greenhouse gas emissions, is detrimental to the current way of life on Earth. In 2003, Maine became a climate leader for the nation when it became the first state to enact legislation setting specific greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Since then, many other states have… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ocean economy changing—so should conversation

Drive down any part of Route 1 and you’re bound to spot at least a few signs sporting phrases like “Save the Fishermen, Stop the Mills,” or “Stop Ocean Industrialization.” Given the challenges facing Maine’s fishing industry, it’s no surprise people are concerned about the future of their coastal communities.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What Mainers should know about energy corridor

Editor's note: The Working Waterfront has featured several opinion pieces on the corridor Central Maine Power wants to build/is building linking hydropower projects in Quebec with the New England grid. The issue is a bit out of our wheelhouse, but since renewable energy does relate to challenges for our climate… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Portland’s ‘ReCode’ reflects climate realities

In October 1957, national newspaper headlines announced that Jimmy Hoffa had been elected president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Soviet Union had successfully launched its satellite, Sputnik 1, into Earth’s orbit. Local headlines noted the less remarkable news that the city of Portland had updated its land… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

U.N. report on ocean goes beyond warning

Earlier this year, the United Nations announced the publication of its second World Ocean Assessment, presented as “the only comprehensive global analysis that looks at social, environmental, demographic, and economic trends affecting the state of the ocean...” The announcement described the first World Ocean Assessment, released in 2015, as a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Getting to know our greenery

Wildflowers of Maine Islands: The Downeast and Acadia Coasts By Glen H. Mittelhauser; University of Maine Press, 2021 Every April and May in Maine the world starts to turn color again. But differently in different geographies, we gather from Glenn Mittelhauser’s new guide, Wildflowers of Maine Islands. “There is much… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s mixed grades on air pollution

This year’s “State of the Air” report from the American Lung Association finds that Maine reported mixed results for air pollution throughout its counties and metro areas. Both Bangor and Portland metro areas were named among the cleanest cities for short-term particle pollution, while Portland reported a worsened level of… SEE MORE