Iceland is appropriately named. Massive glaciers cover approximately 10 percent of the country. During its frigid winters, the sun peeks above the horizon for only about five hours a day. And if the cold and dark weren’t enough, rocky lava fields and a mountainous terrain stretch as far as the eye can see. Just under 20 percent of the land is used to grow crops or raise animals. Iceland seems to be one of the most unlikely places on Earth for farming. But bubbling just beneath the surface is a secret ingredient that has changed the country’s food landscape.
With a Little Help from Geysers
Pall Olafsson walks to work on his remote farm in northern Iceland. It is 11:00 a.m. in December, below freezing, and the sun has yet to rise. He opens the door to a long glass house, and steps into another world. A tropical jungle of towering vines hovers over him as bumblebees buzz all around. He’s in a bright and warm tomato greenhouse. Pall hangs his coat and walks along the rows of tomato plants, checking the plump red fruits that dot the bright green leaves. How are these greenhouse plants thriving?
Atop the hill just beyond the farm, a burbling geyser spews a tower of steam up into the dark sky. Geysers and hot springs happen when a hole or crack through Earth’s crust provides magma-heated water a path to the surface. The Olafsson family saw the potential for using the heat from the geyser for farming. “My great-grandfather started this farm. I am the fourth generation here,” he explains. “He had the hot water in the ground and wanted to do something with it. He didn’t know exactly what.” Pall Olafsson’s great-grandfather decided to plant potatoes. He piped the geyser’s boiling water along a ditch by the plants. The hot water melted the snow and prevented the delicate greens from freezing. Soon, the family began to rent their land to other farmers too.
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.