CAMPUS EUREKA!

NEW FINDINGS AND RESEARCH [ ] “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” Global Swarming Arctic pests plague caribou. — Anita Desai

>>> Rising temperatures have contrib- uted to the rapid growth of mosquito populations in Greenland, accord- ing to Lauren Culler, a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth’s Institute of Arctic Studies. Culler, who conducted research on larvae development at the Kangerlussuaq International Science ASK THE EXPERT Support facility and in the region’s freshwater ponds, also found that the upsurge of mosquitoes has disrupted the grazing and migration patterns How to Build a Campfire of caribou, a major food resource for RORY GAWLER ’05 native Greenlanders. GENERAL MANAGER, DARTMOUTH OUTING CLUB Gawler, who doubles as assistant director of the outdoor programs office, has been building Rent Generation fires for a long time. Charged with overseeing the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge and various Millennials put off home buying. outdoor PE classes and clubs, the former competitive fire builder (yes, there is such a thing) >>> Contrary to popular opinion, started camping at age 9. “Fire has always fascinated me,” he says. “Once I started to learn student loan debt is not the primary about the science, that only increased my interest.” Here he outlines the do’s and don’ts of factor keeping millennials out of the building a campfire—and why you should do so with caution. —Marley Marius ’17 real estate market. “Young adults are taking longer to transition to marriage BE SMART USE YOUR TONGUE PICK AN OPTION ALWAYS EXTINGUISH and parenthood, and these transitions tend to come before home owner- Although the “leave no For tinder, start with “There are two old Gawler emphasizes trace” philosophy dis- pencil-sized pieces of methods to building a the importance of ship,” says sociology professor Jason courages fire-building, wood. They provide fire: a teepee, where putting your fire out Houle. His analysis of data from the when they are neces- “more surface-area- you’re making a cone- thoroughly. “If you had National Longitudinal Survey of Youth sary, campfires should to-volume ratio, which shaped thing with your a sizable fire, then the also suggests that more young people be started only where means the tinder can tinder underneath it coals in the middle of are eschewing mortgage debt in favor there has been some heat up fast enough to and the kindling on that pile are really hot. of the flexibility of renting. rain. If you build a fire combust before you top; and a log cabin, What you need to do is pit, start by “digging lose the heat.” This where you put a pile dump water on it, wait away all of the organic wood can either be cut of tinder in the middle a few minutes, come material so you can or collected from the and you alternate the with your nice heavy Star Man get mineral soil, and ground, but make sure kindling like Lincoln boot, kick it around a New hominin discovered. then pile some rocks that it’s dry. Two good Logs on top.” Gawler little bit until you find up around that to make methods to test for suggests a combina- the very bottom of a little ring. It’s very this: See how easily the tion of the two. “You that pit and pour more important you not get wood snaps—if it is rot- need to make sure water on it until you those rocks out of a ten or too fresh, it will that the pile is spread have wood ash and river, because if they’ve just bend—or stick your out enough for air water slush. It’s very been soaked with wa- tongue on it. “If it’s dry, to flow in, but not so possible for campfires ter and you then heat your tongue will stick spread out that the to burn underneath the them up really hot, to it a little bit. If it’s heat doesn’t transmit ground and then, after >>> An international team of scien- they can explode.” wet, it will feel cold.” between each different you leave, pop out and tists, including anthropology professor piece.” Then you can start a forest fire.” Jeremy DeSilva, has identified the begin adding wood remains of a previously unknown that is “thumb-thick,” human ancestor among 1,500 fossils then “wrist-thick.” excavated from Rising Star Cave in South Africa. Homo naledi (Sotho for “star”) was a small-brained crea- ture with a remarkably human-like QUOTE/UNQUOTE foot and leg. It is believed to be a Explore. Discover. Learn. 2,752 “There’s little impromptu predecessor to Homo erectus, which Number of objects from the Hood evolved into Homo sapiens around Museum’s permanent collection that performance here. So this summer 250,000 years ago. The researchers, were used in 111 lessons taught at the I decided, why not do something?” who published their findings in the museum’s Bernstein Study-Storage —Jett Oristaglio ’17, a cognitive science major who spent journals eLife and Nature Communica- alumni.dartmouth.edu/travel classroom from the summer of 2014 several weeks during summer term reading aloud from tions, hypothesize that Homo naledi

through the spring of this year One Hundred Years of Solitude while sitting on the Green deliberately disposed of its dead. (2) ISTOCK ’00, ELI BURAKIAN BOTTOM:

20 DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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