In 2024, wildfires across the United States burned about 2.4 times more land than theydid 41 years earlier, when records were first kept. What’s making so many places go up in smoke? Scientists have a few different theories. But are wildfires simply a ‘new normal’ for the USA? Find out some strategies to stop wildfires in their tracks! Plus, meet a real firefighter, then read a harrowing account from a survivor of the deadliest wildfire in a century, the Camp Fire.
What happens after firefighters manage to put out the fire? Life goes on… but not quite like it did before. In many ways, the hardest part of surviving a fire is the aftermath. Get to know the Community Action Project LA (CAP.LA), a group of scientists committed to helping communities affected by wildfires and airborne ash.
If we ask you to picture an animal firefighter, you’ll probably imagine a dalmatian riding on the back of a firetruck. But believe it or not, grazing herbivores like goats, cows, and even elephants and rhinos do their part around the world to keep long, dry grasses in check. Even beavers help keep fires in check by constructing marshland in hot, dry areas!
Plus, enjoy all of our favorite special features like the Parallel U comic strip, letters from MUSE readers, winning contest entries, and guessing the fake story from a lineup of mind-boggling science news! This issue of MUSE is hot off the press!
Enjoy features including:
“Fire Danger” by Alice Andre-Clark
“The New Normal” by Jeanne Miller
“When the Smoke Clears” by Sarah Gottlieb
“Animal Firefighters to the Rescue” by Sonja Cole
Regular features include Parallel U, Muse Mail, Muse News, Science @ Work, Do the Math, Q&A, Contest, and Last Slice, and Bonus Track.
