The Ledger | Amanda Womac

A wing, a prayer and some tender, loving care

Morgan Kessler appears around the corner of the cabin with the red tail hawk in her gloved hands. Holding it close, she walks slowly but deliberately to the spot where she ...Read More

Getting to know the red tail hawk

If you’ve ever seen a movie in which a hawk or an eagle appears, or the camera pans a mountain and valley landscape, then you’ve probably heard the thrilling, raspy ...Read More

Of all dangers, man is raptors’ biggest threat

Raptors are often thought of as strong, fierce birds of prey, but the reality is they face more threats than most people realize. Many birds of prey species are highly ...Read More

Percussion to Pluto: A UT student’s unusual journey

Chad Melton has always loved astronomy, but he never really mastered mathematics in high school. Since math is essential to astronomy, majoring in it in his first round of ...Read More

Short history of studying Pluto

In 1930, astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered the first dwarf planet we now refer to as Pluto. For decades, our solar system contained nine planets. Teachers taught ...Read More

Private sector takes larger role in space exploration

In April of 2010, President Barack Obama promised NASA $6 billion over the next five years to help lay the foundation for private space companies. The U.S. commercial space ...Read More

Vanishing bees pose big threat to economy

Dave Hackenberg, a beekeeper in Florida, discovered 400 of his over 2,000 beehives had been abandoned during the winter. It wasn’t that the bees were dead and their bodies ...Read More

Homeowners can do their part for bee health

Honeybee decline is on the rise, but there’s something Tennesseans can do about it, right in their own back (or front) yards. According to the USDA, roughly 42 percent of ...Read More

Queens, workers, drones: Types of bees and what they do

For honeybees, it’s all about the queen, and long may she reign. Honeybee colonies have three types of bees: queens, workers and drones. All the bees in the colony are ...Read More

Keeper continues lifelong fascination with all things bees

Joel White’s fascination with bees began in 1975 when one of his college coaches took him out to some apiaries to show him around. He was hooked, and kept his own bees for ...Read More