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Mushroom Madness 
Fungi can cure or kill, nourish life, and also decompose it back into soil. Fossil evidence for fungi is limited, but the ability to analyze molecular data has led to revelations about the evolution of this extraordinary family of...
Fool’s Gold: The Myth of Tiburcio Vasquez 
“And still of a winter’s night, they say,  when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon  tossed upon cloudy seas,    When the road is a ribbon of moonlight  over the purple moor,    A...
Billions in Flight: Migratory Birds 
Autumn doesn’t officially begin until the equinox on September 22, but all across North America birds are already on the wing—billions of them. Migration times and destinations vary based on the species and variables like weather and food sources—some...
One-Room Schoolhouse 
Back to school. A hundred years ago in Topanga, it would have been on foot—and often barefoot—to the little, red, one-room schoolhouse by the creek in the bend of the dirt road.  Public education in California was still relatively...
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The Luck of the Pot 

The Fourth of July is here and many will gather to celebrate together and share a meal. While our Declaration of Independence in 1776 liberated us from England’s control, our mode of existence has always been much more interdependent....
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NUTS for Ornaments 

Unlike the stunning trees decorated with colorful baubles at the mall, Christmas trees with handmade decorations have charm and warmth and tradition. Over the years, Christmas tree ornaments can transform into keepsakes that mark the time of when they...
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Material Matters 

The fashion industry is responsible for about ten percent of our global carbon emissions with other impacts coming from the sourcing of materials, sweatshop labor, chemical processes, fossil fuel-based fibers, and vast quantities of water waste.  Once we bring...
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Business for Good 

With the growing awareness of climate change, today’s businesses are under increasing pressure to operate more sustainably. Consumers and investors are looking carefully at a company’s environmental footprint, but there is also much scrutiny placed on the social impact...