Articles for tag: desert

The Ancient Canals of the Hohokam: What Prehistoric Engineers Knew About the Desert

The Ancient Canals of the Hohokam: What Prehistoric Engineers Knew About the Desert

Annette Uy

The vast Sonoran Desert, a seemingly barren landscape, hides the remarkable story of the Hohokam people, who transformed arid terrains into fertile grounds. Imagine living in a place where the sun blazes mercilessly, and rainfall is a rare blessing. Yet, the Hohokam thrived here centuries ago, thanks to their ingenious canal systems. These ancient engineers ...

Desert Engineering: How Water Infrastructure Carved Cities Into the Arid Southwest

Desert Engineering: How Water Infrastructure Carved Cities Into the Arid Southwest

Annette Uy

Picture a place where the sun beats down relentlessly, and rain is but a distant memory. Yet, amidst this harsh environment, thriving cities emerge, bustling with life and innovation. The American Southwest is a testament to human ingenuity and resilience, where water infrastructure has transformed barren deserts into vibrant urban landscapes. This fascinating transformation is ...

person standing on brown rock formation during daytime

The Strange Desert That Floods Every Few Decades

Suhail Ahmed

  Every so often, a place that seems allergic to rain suddenly drowns in it. Think of the Atacama’s bone-dry valleys turning into brown rivers overnight, or salt flats swallowing themselves under sheets of muddy water. Scientists chase these rare storms not because they are frequent, but because they hold keys to past climates and ...

The Camels That Deliver Vaccines in Remote Regions

Annette Uy

Picture this: across the windswept dunes of northern Kenya, a small caravan of camels moves steadily toward a distant village. Their riders aren’t carrying spices or textiles like ancient traders. Instead, these modern-day nomads transport something far more precious than gold – life-saving vaccines that could mean the difference between health and disease for thousands ...

Sahara desert

The Science of Desert Greening: Can We Turn the Sahara into a Lush Forest?

Annette Uy

The vast expanse of the Sahara Desert, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, is often perceived as a barren and inhospitable place. Yet, the idea of transforming this arid landscape into a thriving green oasis has captured the imagination of scientists and environmentalists alike. The concept, known as “desert greening,” explores the ...

The Desert Where Glass Forms Naturally

Suhail Ahmed

  In the eastern Sahara, a pale gold shimmer hides a mystery written in molten sand. Scattered across the Great Sand Sea are chunks of natural glass born in heat so fierce it erased its own footprints. For more than a century, scientists have hunted the culprit – volcanoes, lightning, or something far more dramatic ...

The Desert That Turns Pink Every Few Years

The Desert That Turns Pink Every Few Years

Annette Uy

Picture this: you’re standing in what seems like an endless stretch of barren desert, when suddenly the landscape around you transforms into something that looks like it belongs on another planet. The sand shifts from its usual golden brown to vibrant shades of pink, creating a spectacle so breathtaking that it feels almost magical. This ...

Reawakening Waters: When Lakes Return

Desert Microbes of Sonora: Tiny Organisms Built to Survive a Drought

Annette Uy

In the scorching heat of the Sonoran Desert, where temperatures can soar beyond 120°F and rain might not fall for months, life seems impossible. Yet beneath this seemingly barren landscape thrives an invisible army of microscopic warriors that have mastered the art of survival in one of Earth’s most punishing environments. These desert microbes have ...

Desert Survivors: The Microbial Extremophiles of Death Valley

Desert Survivors: The Microbial Extremophiles of Death Valley

Annette Uy

Deep in the heart of California’s Death Valley, where temperatures soar to 134°F and the ground sits nearly 300 feet below sea level, life shouldn’t exist. Yet beneath the blindingly white salt flats and crystalline formations of Badwater Basin, something extraordinary is happening. This isn’t just a barren wasteland — it’s a thriving metropolis of ...