Polar bears have adapted to living in a dynamic sea ice habitat, but a variety of new threats jeopardize the future of these bears. Industrialization of their habitat, over-harvesting, and climate change are impacting polar bear numbers and threatening their success as the Arctic's top carnivore.

More than six million acres of Alaska were burned in wildfires throughout the summer of 2004. Smoke from those fires created unhealthy breathing conditions for residents outdoors, and on some smoky days, the air quality indoors also was hazardous.

Have you ever descended into the depths of an Alaska cave? If not, you now have the opportunity to find out what's lurking in the dark. In recent years, cave explorers have traversed the caves of Southeast Alaska and what they've found has helped piece together the history of our state. Daniel Monteith, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska Southeast, will discuss how the information found within caves continually revises experts' ideas about the geology and human history of Alaska.

New information about the Martian terrain suggests the Red Planet's surface once had water. High levels of hematite, a mineral associated with liquid water on Earth, were discovered on Mars last year. This important find suggests the possibility of ancient lakebeds or seas on the planet's surface and increases the odds that Mars once harbored life.