Author: Michele Debczak

First established in 1890, Yosemite National Park predates the National Park System itself. Now, the iconic park is getting an addition. As NPR reports, 400 acres of new land has been donated to the property.

The conservation group the Trust for Public Land purchased the swath of land bordering the park’s west side from private owners for $2.3 million. Ackerson’s Meadow sits beneath the Sierra Nevada mountains and includes open grasslands, wetlands, pine trees, a creek connecting to the Tuolumne River, and at least two endangered species. In the past, the area had been used for logging and cattle grazing.

The meadow was included in the original boundaries proposed for the park, but until now the government hadn’t been able to acquire it. The Trust for Public Land’s gift marks the largest expansion of the park, which is just under 750,000 acres, since 1949.  

“The purchase supports the long-term health of the meadow and its wild inhabitants, and creates opportunities for visitors to experience a beautiful Sierra meadow,” Yosemite Conservancy President Frank Dean said in a press statement.

The new addition to the park coincides with the National Park Service’s centennial this year. The official anniversary was celebrated on August 25, but special events are being held in parks around the country through 2016.

[h/t NPR]

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A few special design features make the new Public Safety Answering Center in the Bronx remarkable. In addition to serving as a blast-resistant emergency shelter, the building also houses a “living wall” that cleanses and enriches the air, FastCo.Exist reports.

The green wall of plants is a collaboration between RPI’s Center for Architecture, Science, and Ecology (CASE), the architects at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and engineers at AECOM. The 911 call center isn’t the first building to feature a plant wall, but this one does have one major distinction: the lack of dirt. The Active Modular Phytoremediation, or AMP wall, relies on hydroponics instead of soil to flourish. This makes the installation a natural air purifier as well as an appealing piece of interior design.

Having a sustainable air filtration system built in was an important consideration when designing the call center; the idea is that the AMP wall will keep air inside the building fresh in case it’s ever shut off from the outside during a disaster. The boost in air quality employees enjoy on a daily basis is an added bonus.

This living wall cleans the air inside New York’s new emergency center. #LivingWalls https://t.co/oSC3oDLnEH pic.twitter.com/swnXkTwlO7

— Plant Solutions (@plantsolutions) July 20, 2016

[h/t FastCo.Exist]

All images: SOM // Instagram

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Humans have long been fascinated with Arctic exploration, and yet it’s remained one of the most inadequately mapped corners of the Earth. Even portions of the Moon and Mars have more detailed elevation maps than the landscape above the Arctic Circle. A new initiative from the White House, the National Science Foundation, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency seeks to change that, starting with the release of the most detailed digital topographic maps of Alaska available, National Geographic reports.

The new Arctic Digital Elevation Models, or ArcticDEMS, were composed using satellite imagery. The maps show a resolution of about 7 to 17 feet, and they’re even sharp enough to detect features less than 2 feet across in some spots. Previous maps of the state only showed topographic differences of 100 feet or larger. (Some of the coastal charts we’d been using before were based on centuries-old data gathered by Captain Cook.)

The high resolution doesn’t just make for a gorgeous map—it’s also an invaluable tool for studying and dealing with climate change. Increased detail will allow researchers to track the changing face of the Arctic as global temperatures and sea levels rise. Flooding and erosion pose a significant threat to many Alaskan villages, and more accurate maps could provide the data residents need to adapt.

Alaska is first installment the ArcticDEMS series, and by the end of 2017, maps of the rest of the Arctic north of 60 degrees latitude will be unveiled. The interactive map of Alaska is now available to explore online.

[h/t National Geographic]

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Women tend to be paid less than men in most major occupations, but the causes behind this troubling trend aren’t always easy to identify. One popular explanation is that women make less money simply because they aren’t asking for more. New research pokes a hole in that theory: According to a paper published by researchers from Cass Business School, the University of Warwick, and the University of Wisconsin [PDF], women ask for raises just as often as men but are less likely to receive them, Broadly reports.

For the study, researchers looked at data from 4600 workers under 840 employers gathered in the Australian Workplace Relations Survey from 2013 to 2014. Australia’s survey is unique in that it asks employees if their pay is negotiable, whether or not they have asked for a raise and received it, and what their feelings are about asking for more pay.

The raw data showed that male workers were 9 percent more likely to request a wage increase than women. But, when factors like amount of hours worked, qualification levels, and the nature of the job were adjusted for, there was no significant difference between the rates of men and women asking for more money.

Something that did differ between the two groups was the likelihood of actually receiving a raise. Even with all the complicating variables taken into account, men still had a 25 percent greater chance of receiving a pay boost when they asked for one. Furthermore, of the workers who didn’t attempt to negotiate at all, only 12.9 percent of women said they chose not to out of “concern for their relationships in the workplace” compared to 14.6 percent of men. This challenges the notion that women are more hesitant to ask for money because they fear how it might reflect on them.

Pay discrimination is an obstacle facing many women in the workforce, but fortunately more lawmakers are starting to make an effort to close the wage gap. In August, Massachusetts became the 13th state to make it illegal for employers to stop workers from discussing their salaries. That same bill also made Massachusetts the first state to ban employers from inquiring about salary history during an interview, and now Congress is about to consider similar legislation that would make the practice illegal nationwide. Laws like these won’t close the gap on their own, but they can help put women in a position to receive the pay they deserve—whether or not they ask for it.

[h/t Broadly]

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