Stories by alex ruppenthal

Conservationists are preparing to release about 20 smooth green snakes, like the one pictured here, into an enclosed setting on July 25. (Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo)

Rare Smooth Green Snakes to be Released into Restored Suburban Habitat

Conservation-minded volunteers in suburban Barrington are attracting snakes to their own backyards – on purpose.

Chicago's newest dog park will be located at Calumet Park, near the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Calumet Harbor. (Bohao Zhao / Wikimedia Commons)

City to Break Ground This Week on South Side Dog Park

Nearly four years in the making, a plan by Southeast Side residents to build a park for their four-legged friends is coming to life.

A group of Caribbean reef sharks swims in the Bahamas’ shark sanctuary, which prevents harvesting of shark species anywhere within a 630,000 square-kilometer safe haven of Bahamian waters. (Courtesy Shedd Aquarium)

On Eve of 30th Shark Week, Shedd Campaign Aims to ‘Keep Sharks Swimming’

With the 30th anniversary of the Discovery Channel’s popular “Shark Week” fast approaching, the Shedd Aquarium is calling on visitors to help protect a key habitat for “one of the world’s most misunderstood species.”

(Free-Photos / Pixabay)

Breaking into a Car to Save a Dog: Should it Be Legal in Illinois?

A dozen states have enacted laws granting criminal immunity to those who enter vehicles to rescue domestic animals that appear to be suffering. Should Illinois be the 13th? 

(Courtesy Shedd Aquarium)

Shedd Sea Dragons Complete Rare Egg Transfer, Male Now Pregnant

In what is an extremely rare occurrence, a male weedy sea dragons recently accepted an egg transfer from a female and is now carrying 46 fertile eggs on his tail.

The Field Museum and Journeyman Distillery are partnering on a gin made with 27 botanicals introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. (Courtesy The Field Museum)

Field Museum to Release Gin Rooted in 1893 World’s Fair

To help mark its 125th anniversary, the Field Museum is preparing to release a gin made in the spirit of one of the biggest events in Chicago history.

This computer-generated image depicts part of Mars at the boundary between darkness and daylight. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Adler to Host Viewing Event as Mars Moves Closer

Later this month, the red planet will be just 35.8 million miles away – the brightest and closest it’s been to Earth since 2003.

The foot from a 3.3 million-year-old child skeleton discovered in 2002 in Ethiopia by University of Chicago professor Zeresenay Alemseged. (Zeresenay Alemseged / University of Chicago)

3.3 Million-Year-Old Fossil Shows Toddlers Could Climb Trees

New analysis of a child’s foot from an ancient fossil shows that human ancestors had adaptations that allowed them to climb trees, similar to their apelike cousins.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, center, attends a press conference Sunday announcing plans for a new industrial complex on Chicago’s Southeast Side. (Patrick Pyszka / City of Chicago)

$169 Million Industrial Complex Planned for Chicago’s Southeast Side

A new transportation and logistics hub is expected to bring about 2,000 jobs to Chicago’s Southeast Side, but some area activists are taking issue with the way the project was introduced.

(Pexels / Pixabay)

Have Farmers Markets Reached Their Peak?

Despite the growing number of farmers markets in Illinois and across the U.S., a number of reports in recent years show that sales across the country are down. How markets are adapting to reach today’s consumers.

(Pixabay)

Federal Judge: Illinois Environmental Officials Subject to Ethics Rules

Hours before the resignation Thursday of EPA head Scott Pruitt, a federal judge ruled that Pruitt had violated the Clean Air Act by allowing Illinois and two other states to avoid conflict-of-interest rules. 

Former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt speaks to the press after meeting with residents of East Chicago's lead-contaminated neighborhoods in April 2017. (Chicago Tonight file photo)

EPA Head Scott Pruitt Has Resigned, Trump Tweets

The scandal-ridden EPA chief resigned Thursday amid a number of ethical and legal violations over his travel spending, security costs and ties to industry lobbyists. 

Susan Russell (Chicago Animal Care and Control / Facebook)

Before Firing Head of City Shelter, Mayor’s Office Squashed Talk of Overcrowding, Euthanasia, Sources Say

The ouster last weekend of Chicago Animal Care and Control’s executive director, whose short tenure resulted in the fewest instances of euthanasia at the agency since that data has been recorded, has got folks howling across the city.

Chicago Cooling Centers: Places to Beat the Heat This Summer

With summer heating up, Chicagoans can visit these air-conditioned facilities to catch a break from the heat. 

Northwestern's Paul CaraDonna studied the impact of increased temperatures on mason bees. (Jack Dykinga / Northwestern University)

Climate Change Could Kill Off Bees, Northwestern Study Finds

Slight increases in temperature could lead to the extinction of bees in southwestern states in the near future, according to a new study from Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden.

(Book Catalog / Flickr)

Facebook Flags Ad for Illinois Data Privacy Forum as ‘Political’

Facebook denied an advertisement by Elmurst-based Citizen Advocacy Center for an event on data privacy, flagging the ad as "political content."

(Courtesy Shedd Aquarium)

Shedd to Launch Mobile Aquarium, Boat and Kayak Excursions

Shedd Aquarium is rolling out several new outdoor programs this summer aimed at bringing Chicagoans closer to local waters and aquatic life.

(Steve Johnson / Flickr)

Report Examines Lead in Water at Chicago Child Care Facilities

Water testing at a Chicago day care center showed at least one sample 16 times higher than the lead level allowed in bottled water, according to a new report from an environmental watchdog group. 

Alice the corpse flower (Courtesy Chicago Botanic Garden)

Alice the Corpse Flower on ‘Bloom Watch’ at Chicago Botanic Garden

Nearly three years after becoming the first corpse flower to bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Alice the Amorphophallus is on the verge of blooming again.

Chicago has seen 6 inches of rain in June, well above the historical average, according to data from the National Weather Service. (Chicago Tonight)

Rain Causes Sewage Discharge into Chicago River on Northwest Side

Chicago has seen 6 inches of rain in June, well above the historical average of about 2.5 inches, according to data from the National Weather Service.

(Courtesy Northwestern University)

Northwestern’s New Chameleon-Inspired Laser Changes Colors

Guided by the camouflaging abilities of chameleons, two Northwestern chemistry professors have developed a tiny, color-changing laser that could improve visual displays in TVs and smartphones. 

The patch designed by NASA for a Northwestern-led mission to study how space affects the physiology and metabolism of mice. (NASA / Northwestern University)

Why Northwestern Scientists Are Sending 20 Mice to Space

Nearly two dozen laboratory mice will be launched into orbit next week as part of a Northwestern-led research mission to learn more about the physiological effects of living in space. 

(skeeze / Pixabay)

UIC Leads National Initiative to Help Struggling Monarch Butterflies

A new program aims to create or preserve nearly 2 million acres of habitat across the U.S. for monarch butterflies, which could face extinction in 20 years. 

A graphic rendering of the soon-to-be completed Farm on Ogden, which opens June 22. (Courtesy Chicago Botanic Garden)

North Lawndale’s ‘Farm on Ogden’ Looks to Supply Fresh Produce, Jobs

A new 20,000-square-foot urban agriculture facility aims to expand job training programs and healthy food options in one of Chicago’s most troubled neighborhoods. 

(Cathy Bazzoni / Chicago Zoological Society)

2 Newborn Leopard Cubs ‘Doing Well’ at Brookfield Zoo

Brookfield Zoo welcomed two newborn Amur leopards in April. The male cubs are scheduled to make their public debut in mid-July. 

(Google Maps)

EPA to Hold Open House as Part of Southeast Side Manganese Probe

As part of its investigation into high levels of manganese on the Southeast Side, the EPA will hold an open house this week to talk about soil sampling and sign residents up for testing.