Patrick Whittle

Horseshoe crabs spawn at Reeds Beach in Cape May Court House, N.J., Tuesday, June 13, 2023. The biomedical industry is adopting new standards to protect the sea animal that is a linchpin of the production of vital medicines. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is needed for medicine, but a declining bird relies on crabs to eat

July 31, 2023 at 8:09 a.m.

The biomedical industry is adopting new standards to protect a primordial sea animal that is a linchpin of the production of vital medicines. But conservationists worry the approach doesn’t go...

This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company’s Titan submersible. The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet (490 meters) and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and left lingering questions. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

After the Titan implosion, the U.S. Coast Guard wants to improve the safety of submersibles

June 26, 2023 at 5:25 p.m.

An international group of agencies is investigating what may have caused a submersible to implode while carrying five people to the Titanic wreckage.

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)

What caused the Titan to implode? Right now, it抖阴ap not even clear who will lead the investigation

June 23, 2023 at 1:34 p.m.

A day after revelations that the Titan submersible imploded, officials are searching the ocean floor for evidence and determining who will be responsible for investigating the international disaster.

Search area for lost Titanic-bound submersible deepens, doubles in size as oxygen dwindles

June 21, 2023 at 4:46 p.m.

Rescuers have rushed more ships and vessels to the area where a submersible disappeared on its way to the Titanic wreckage site. They said Wednesday that they're hoping underwater noises...

FILE – In this Oct. 23, 2017, file photo, the State House is surrounded by fall foliage in Augusta, Maine. Recent leaf-peeping seasons have been disrupted by weather conditions in New England, New York and elsewhere. Arborists and ecologists say the trend is likely to continue as the planet warms. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Why climate change is making it harder to chase fall foliage

September 30, 2021 at 7:20 a.m.

Droughts that cause leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach peak color. Heat waves prompting leaves to fall before autumn even arrives. Extreme weather events like hurricanes...

Puffin stuff: Herring rules could boost funny-looking bird

January 23, 2021 at 9:48 a.m.

The commercial fishery for herring has suffered in recent years due to new restrictions, but those same rules could benefit some of Maine's most beloved birds — puffins.

More seals means learning to live with sharks in New England

July 30, 2020 at 2:36 p.m.

Seals are thriving off the Northeast coast thanks to decades of protections, and that victory for wildlife has brought a consequence for humans — more encounters with sharks.

Wind turbines stand in various stages ...

Solar, wind energy struggle as coronavirus takes toll

May 2, 2020 at 12:54 p.m.

The U.S. renewable energy industry is reeling from the new coronavirus pandemic, which has delayed construction, put thousands of skilled laborers out of work and sowed doubts about solar and...

Safeguarding the seas, 1 protected area at a time

November 26, 2019 at 6:00 a.m.

Scientists have tied the warming to the rise of sea levels, the disappearance of fish stocks and the bleaching of corals. The ocean also has become more acidic as humans...

Puffins fill up nesting islands this year despite challenges

August 5, 2019 at 6:37 a.m.

One of the most beloved birds in Maine is having one of its most productive seasons for mating pairs in years on remote islands off the state's coast.

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