Science & Nature
Paddy Woodworth is an Irish journalist who has traveled the globe looking at ecological restoration projects, including right here in Chicago. He joins us to discuss his new book, Our Once and Future Planet: Restoring the World in the Climate Change Century. Read an excerpt.
Bugs in Illinois
On this edition of Chicago Tonight's Field Trip, Jim Louderman, a researcher from The Field Museum, takes us to Northerly Island to collect a sample of bugs. Watch episode 3 of our web series.
It’s the world’s most powerful digital camera and it sits atop the Blanco telescope in the Andes Mountains of Chile. But it was constructed on the campus of Fermilab in far west suburban Batavia. The Dark Energy Camera officially began its work on August 31 and has already captured some amazing images of outer space. Its real mission, though, is to help scientists figure out if so-called Dark Energy is responsible for the universe’s accelerating expansion. We learn how the camera is helping scientists unravel one of the greatest mysteries in the cosmos. Watch videos and view a slideshow.
Randall Wells, one of the world’s leading dolphin researchers, joins us to discuss the longest-running study of a wild dolphin population and his commitment to conservation. Read an interview and view a slideshow.
With the temperature dropping, it’s time to take care of your garden and do some fall planting. Chicago Botanic Garden’s Eliza Fournier has some great tips about dividing perennials, taking care of your lawn, and finding the right plants for your fall containers. Read fall gardening tips.
A new carnivorous mammal is now on display at The Field Museum. Described as a cross between a cat and a teddy bear, the Olinguito was part of the museum's collection for decades. Bill Stanley, the Field's mammals collections manager, brings the specimen to our studios. Watch Emily Graslie's "The Brain Scoop" video about the Olinguito.
How do tech incubators work, and what’s the real story behind this growing scene in Chicago? Our panel of experts – from both universities and private incubators -- weigh in. View a map of tech incubator locations in Chicago.
Chicago's Tropical Reef
On this edition of Chicago Tonight's Field Trip, we hit the road with The Field Museum’s Fossil Invertebrates Collections Manager to hunt for fossils from a time when Chicago was a tropical reef. Watch the video and view a slideshow.
Chicago area temperatures left students and teachers hot and miserable in classrooms without air conditioning across the city. Elizabeth Brackett reports.
How Crime Went Online and the Cops Followed
We take a look at the new criminals of the internet age -- and the technology police use to catch them. Read an excerpt from The Internet Police: How Crime Went Online and the Cops Followed.
Dr. Corrie Moreau, Assistant Curator of Insects at the Field Museum and Karen Kramer Wilson, Living Invertebrate Specialist at The Chicago Academy of Sciences and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, share their thoughts on the impact of Bee Colony Collapse Disorder.
Summer Program Teaches Students Technology Skills
We look at the Smart Chicago Collaborative's summer program for students, teaching some basic computer skills--and what is means to be a programmer. Read an article.
Dermestid Beetle Colony
We take an exclusive look at The Field Museum’s Dermestid Beetle Colony in the first episode of our online series, Chicago Tonight's "Field Trip." Watch the video.
A photo of earth from 1 billion miles away, what the Curiosity Rover has discovered after a year on Mars, and a spacecraft that may now be traveling beyond the solar system. Astrophysicist Chris Lintott joins us to explore some of the latest and most amazing stories from outer space. View a slideshow and vote on your favorite photo in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 Contest.
In the heart of Chicago, shaded by the afternoon shadow of Michigan Avenue skyscrapers, watered by the mist of Buckingham Fountain wafting through the air, is a farm. The surprising site is one of many small, sustainable, organic farms that have been created and are run by Growing Power, an organization that teaches farming and entrepreneurial skills to kids in Cabrini Green, Altgeld Gardens, Roosevelt Square and other places around the city. We take a look inside. Read an interview with Monte Henige, CEO of Tru Fragrance, a fragrance development company that uses ingredients from Growing Power Chicago in their products.
In a Field Museum exhibition, a Chicago photographer teams with a nationally known journalist to document and explore the North Dakota oil boom. Hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – passed the Illinois House legislature, and the controversial drilling practice will soon have implications for the state. We revisit a preview of Fractured: North Dakota's Oil Boom. View a slideshow of images from the exhibit and read a web article.