California Curated
@californiacurated.bsky.social
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Undertold stories about science and nature in California.
pinned post!
Beneath the surface of California’s offshore oil platforms lie some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth.
californiacurated.substack.com/p/transformi...
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Transforming California’s Oil Platforms into Marine Sanctuaries
Beneath the surface of California’s offshore oil platforms lies some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth.
https://californiacurated.substack.com/p/transforming-californias-oil-platforms?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=90178&post_id=179409108&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=7npcd&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
California Curated
19 days ago
Amazing brains. So different from ours
add a skeleton here at some point
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A windswept stretch of undeveloped Sonoma coast, privately owned for a century and containing a sandy beach that had been virtually inaccessible to the general public, has opened to visitors with new hiking trails and sensational views.
www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/art...
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Stunning stretch of California coastline opens to public for first time in 100 years
A stretch of undeveloped Bay Area coast, privately owned for a century, has opened to visitors with new hiking trails, a secluded beach, magnificent wildflower blooms and sensational views.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/estero-americano-coast-preserve-sonoma-21279828.php
3 days ago
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San Clemente Island looks like a long volcanic ridge from offshore, but it has been one of the most important and least visible military landscapes in California for almost a century.
californiacurated.com/2025/11/14/s...
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San Clemente Island is Where War Games and Wildlife Coexist
San Clemente Island looks like a long volcanic ridge from offshore, but it has been one of the most important and least visible military landscapes in California for almost a century.
http://californiacurated.com/2025/11/14/san-clemente-island-is-where-war-games-and-wildlife-coexist/
4 days ago
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Every week we research and write one, sometimes two, in depth articles about California. Stories you’ve likely never read before. You should check us out. We’re free.
californiacurated.substack.com
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California Curated Newsletter | Substack
We're always on the hunt for the untold and under-the-radar science and nature stories unique to California. Click to read California Curated Newsletter, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscr...
https://californiacurated.substack.com/
4 days ago
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Some of the most primitive plants in the world can be found at two botanical gardens in Southern California.
californiacurated.substack.com/p/ancient-an...
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Ancient and Poisonous Cycads Are the Prehistoric Plants of Southern California
Waaay older than flowers, stranger than palms, and hiding in plain sight at Southern California’s botanical gardens.
https://californiacurated.substack.com/p/ancient-and-poisonous-cycads-are
5 days ago
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Cleveland-based Sonic Fire Tech has developed a fire-suppression system that extinguishes flames using focused acoustic sound waves, rather than water or chemicals.
www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/n...
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How Sonic Fire Tech is using sound waves to put out fires in Los Angeles and beyond - L.A. Business First
A Cleveland-based company has developed a system that extinguishes fires with sound waves. Now, they're deploying it in Los Angeles. The technology has been called a "game changer."
https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2026/01/08/sonic-fire-tech-deploys-fire-suppression-system.html
5 days ago
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In 1962, Swiss physicist Hannes Keller attempted a historic 1,000-foot dive off Catalina Island using experimental gas mixtures to push the limits of human diving.
open.substack.com/pub/californ...
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Hannes Keller's 1,000-Foot Descent off Catalina Island Was the Dive of the Century
An ambitious quest for underwater exploration that ended in tragedy beneath the Pacific waves.
https://open.substack.com/pub/californiacurated/p/hannes-kellers-1000-foot-descent?r=22pbq&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
6 days ago
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open.substack.com/pub/californ...
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Ancient and Poisonous Cycads Are the Prehistoric Plants of Southern California
Waaay older than flowers, stranger than palms, and hiding in plain sight at Southern California’s botanical gardens.
https://open.substack.com/pub/californiacurated/p/ancient-and-poisonous-cycads-are?r=22pbq&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
7 days ago
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Mola Mola mugs are cool.
www.etsy.com/listing/4309...
7 days ago
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Chevron looks like the biggest corporate beneficiary of President Trump’s Venezuelan gambit, largely because the California-born oil giant is now the only foreign petroleum company still operating in Venezuela.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/b...
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Why Chevron Could Reap the Biggest Rewards From Venezuela
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/business/energy-environment/venezuela-chevron-trump-oil.html
7 days ago
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The Pacific Coast Highway is a 650-mile coastal road that hugs California’s shoreline and has become an icon of the state’s landscape, engineering ambition, and classic road-trip culture.
californiacurated.com/2024/05/21/t...
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The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH): Icon of American Scenic Roadways
The Pacific Coast Highway took decades to complete fully, with different sections being opened to the public at various times.
https://californiacurated.com/2024/05/21/the-pacific-coast-highway-pch-icon-of-american-scenic-roadways/
8 days ago
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What have the recent storms done to help Los Angeles?
www.instagram.com/reel/DS_JyQO...
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California Curated on Instagram: "The LA River After the December 2025 Storms. After two powerful atmospheric river storms swept across Southern California, the Los Angeles River surged, carrying enor...
The recent atmospheric river storms that swept across Southern California have left the Los Angeles River swollen and in need of a solution to reduce stormwater runoff. As cities continue to urbanize,...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DS_JyQODrb_/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
8 days ago
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Heavy rain and snow have battered California in recent weeks. At the same time, the storms have replenished reservoirs and boosted the Sierra Nevada snowpack, easing drought fears in a state perennially anxious about water supplies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/u...
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Winter Storms Ease Drought in California, for Now
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/us/winter-storms-drought-california.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
8 days ago
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The recent atmospheric river has been fantastic for LA's water supply. Here's the Arroyo Seco, normally just a trickle, gushing.
13 days ago
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California will ban non-medical cat declawing Jan. 1, 2026, meaning vets can only perform it if there’s a real health need. A big step for animal welfare and a win for cats everywhere. 🐱❤️
#California
#AnimalWelfare
www.cbs8.com/article/news...
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2026 New California Laws | Declawing cats now banned, unless medically necessary
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, veterinarians will be prohibited from declawing cats unless the procedure is medically needed and benefits the cat’s health.
https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/california/2026-new-california-laws-declawing-cats-now-banned-unless-medically-needed/509-6a15947b-e722-4461-b532-7d0ab29e6ec4
13 days ago
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Out in the California desert lies one of the country’s most important mines of a remarkably useful substance.
californiacurated.com/2024/06/07/f...
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From Desert Treasures to Resilient Glass: How a California Boron Mine Transformed the World
U.S. Borax borate mine in California (Erik Olsen) Support California Curated with a small donation. In the late 1800s, as California was emerging and gold fever captivated the public, a significant…
https://californiacurated.com/2024/06/07/from-desert-riches-to-durable-glass-the-story-of-the-rio-tinto-borax-mine/
14 days ago
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reposted by
California Curated
Your must-read today about octopuses:
open.substack.com/pub/californ...
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California’s Two-Spot Octopus is The Alien Mind Off Shore
From tidepools to laboratories, the two-spot octopus is helping researchers rethink the nature of cognition.
https://open.substack.com/pub/californiacurated/p/californias-two-spot-octopus-is-the?r=22pbq&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
20 days ago
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Ditto. "I’m a US drone pilot. The foreign-made drone ban is a devastating blow to aerial artists"
19 days ago
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Your must-read today about octopuses:
open.substack.com/pub/californ...
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California’s Two-Spot Octopus is The Alien Mind Off Shore
From tidepools to laboratories, the two-spot octopus is helping researchers rethink the nature of cognition.
https://open.substack.com/pub/californiacurated/p/californias-two-spot-octopus-is-the?r=22pbq&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
20 days ago
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www.instagram.com/reel/DQ5ZCj_...
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California Curated on Instagram: "The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is rising in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park , a $1.5 billion dream project from Star Wars creator George Lucas and Mellody Hobson. Op...
Get a glimpse into the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a museum like no other. Located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, the museum is a culmination of George Lucas' life's work, featuring over 40,000 w...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ5ZCj_jzZ2/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
20 days ago
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reposted by
California Curated
25 days ago
Sometimes we help the ecology
add a skeleton here at some point
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Mount Wilson: The Mountain That Changed How We See the Universe:
www.instagram.com/reel/DSnuJ5s...
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California Curated on Instagram: "Mount Wilson: The Mountain That Changed How We See the Universe. 5,710 feet above Los Angeles sits Mount Wilson, home to one of the most important scientific sites i...
Mount Wilson, a mountain in Southern California, has had a profound impact on our understanding of the universe. From astronomer Edwin Hubble's groundbreaking discoveries to its role as a broadcasting...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSnuJ5sDsPi
21 days ago
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With big atmospheric storms coming to LA, a good time to look back at a past disaster.
californiacurated.com/2024/11/07/t...
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The Great Los Angeles Flood of 1934 was a Disaster That Shaped California’s Approach to Flood Control
A house in the La Crescenta-Montrose area was swept off its foundation and carried several hundred feet by the New Year’s Eve floodwaters. (LA Times) Click to buy us a cup of coffee? We’…
https://californiacurated.com/2024/11/07/the-great-los-angeles-flood-of-1934-was-a-disaster-that-shaped-californias-approach-to-flood-control/
22 days ago
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Remember when a huge explosion rocked downtown LA? Probably not, that’s why we’re here.
californiacurated.com/2023/11/03/u..
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Underground Fury: The 1985 Methane Blast That Rocked Los Angeles and Rerouted Its Subways
A 1985 methane explosion in L.A.’s Fairfax district turned a Ross Dress for Less into a disaster scene. Photo by Dean Musgrove, courtesy of the Herald-Examiner Collection – Los Angeles …
http://californiacurated.com/2023/11/03/u..
22 days ago
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reposted by
California Curated
Octopuses are fascinating, intelligent, special animals. I do a deep dive on them and why the California two spot octopus has become a model organism in science.
open.substack.com/pub/californ...
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California’s Two-Spot Octopus is The Alien Mind Off Shore
From tidepools to laboratories, the two-spot octopus is helping researchers rethink the nature of cognition.
https://open.substack.com/pub/californiacurated/p/californias-two-spot-octopus-is-the
25 days ago
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Octopuses are fascinating, intelligent, special animals. I do a deep dive on them and why the California two spot octopus has become a model organism in science.
open.substack.com/pub/californ...
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California’s Two-Spot Octopus is The Alien Mind Off Shore
From tidepools to laboratories, the two-spot octopus is helping researchers rethink the nature of cognition.
https://open.substack.com/pub/californiacurated/p/californias-two-spot-octopus-is-the
25 days ago
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After being nearly wiped out by overfishing, the giant sea bass is making a comeback off California’s coast, especially around Catalina. These massive fish, some over 500 pounds, are cruising the kelp again.
californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-remark...
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The Remarkable Revival of the Giant Sea Bass in California
Catalina Island’s Growing Giants
https://californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-remarkable-revival-of-the-giant
25 days ago
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Stunning.
@mbarinews.bsky.social
m.youtube.com/watch?si=hY-...
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MBARI's spectacular deep-sea sightings from 2025—in stunning 4K
YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=hY-HCYMfntktwgk5&v=_SV6sGV1Pbw&feature=youtu.be
26 days ago
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reposted by
California Curated
We've made a ton of products for people who are proud of California's stunning nature. One way we're trying to support ourselves as a publication. Consider picking up a mug for a bird or fish loving friend.
www.etsy.com/shop/Califor...
about 1 month ago
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The legendary California conference where biologists put guard rails on where we were going with genetics. Maybe we need this for AI?
californiacurated.com/2023/06/21/g...
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Genetic Guardians: The Asilomar Conference and its DNA Diplomacy
The Asilomar Conference reached a consensus that with proper containment measures, most rDNA experiments could be conducted safely. This resulted in a set of guidelines that differentiated experime…
https://californiacurated.com/2023/06/21/genetic-guardians-the-asilomar-conference-and-its-dna-diplomacy/
26 days ago
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In California, cities routinely pay much higher prices for water than agricultural districts, some of which pay little or nothing at all, according to a new analysis.
calmatters.org/environment/...
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California cities pay a lot for water; some agricultural districts get it for free
Water costs are confusing — even for the experts. A new study shows huge differences in what cities and farm water districts pay for supplies from rivers and reservoirs in California, Arizona, and Nev...
https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/12/price-of-california-water-cities-growers/
26 days ago
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We've made a ton of products for people who are proud of California's stunning nature. One way we're trying to support ourselves as a publication. Consider picking up a mug for a bird or fish loving friend.
www.etsy.com/shop/Califor...
about 1 month ago
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Few people understand how deeply important Ocean upwelling is to maintaining the vibrancy of sea life off the California coast.
open.substack.com/pub/californ...
🐟🌊
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Upwelling, the Ocean’s Engine Beneath California’s Waters
How cold, nutrient-rich water rises from the deep to fuel marine life, fisheries, and one of the most productive coastlines on Earth
https://open.substack.com/pub/californiacurated/p/upwelling-the-oceans-engine-beneath?r=22pbq&utm_medium=ios
about 1 month ago
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Descanso Gardens’ Ancient Forest features a major collection of rare cycads, prehistoric “living fossils” from the dinosaur era. A large 2014 donation helped build one of the nation’s most diverse cycad displays.
californiacurated.com/2021/04/11/d...
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The Ancient Cycads: A Living Fossil Collection at Descanso Gardens
Cycads are cool to look at and examine closely, and it turns out that one of the best places in the United States to see actual living cycads in Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. But how…
https://californiacurated.com/2021/04/11/descanso-gardens-rare-collection-of-dinosaur-era-plants/
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
California Curated
66 million years ago, an asteroid obliterated much of life on earth. One of the most groundbreaking discoveries about what happened emerged from the University of California, Berkeley, thanks to a renowned father-and-son scientific duo.
californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-plate-...
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The Plate Tectonic Revolution and How California Became the Epicenter of a Scientific Breakthrough
How a 1969 conference at Asilomar in California transformed our understanding of Earth's dynamic processes.
https://californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-plate-tectonic-revolution-and
about 1 month ago
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theonion.com/terry-gross-...
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Terry Gross Conducts ‘Fresh Air’ Interview On Bluetooth During Uber Shift
PHILADELPHIA—In an effort to earn extra income after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Fresh Air host Terry Gross reportedly conducted an interview...
https://theonion.com/terry-gross-conducts-fresh-air-interview-on-bluetooth-during-uber-shift/?media_id=3783899971141551067_63484314604&media_author_id=63484314604&ranking_info_token=GCA3MGM5MWIyYmFlZGU0Zjg4YjkyNjM4MDA4ZWE5NWZiZCXoyywm%2FtzEkw0YEzM3ODM4OTk5NzExNDE1NTEwNjcoA2hpbAA%3D&utm_source=ig_text_feed_timeline
about 1 month ago
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66 million years ago, an asteroid obliterated much of life on earth. One of the most groundbreaking discoveries about what happened emerged from the University of California, Berkeley, thanks to a renowned father-and-son scientific duo.
californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-plate-...
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The Plate Tectonic Revolution and How California Became the Epicenter of a Scientific Breakthrough
How a 1969 conference at Asilomar in California transformed our understanding of Earth's dynamic processes.
https://californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-plate-tectonic-revolution-and
about 1 month ago
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Very cool new book out. Taylor is a herpetologist and biology professor at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo:
amzn.to/44f3buH
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California Lizards and How to Find Them (California Herping Guides)
https://amzn.to/44f3buH
about 1 month ago
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UC Davis Professor Hugh Safford was hiking for pleasure in California's High Sierra when he stumbled upon a new elevation record for the Jeffrey pine, which may now be the state's highest-altitude tree.
www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...
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A New Record for California’s Highest Tree
A UC Davis professor's pleasure hike in the High Sierra turned into a new elevation record for California's highest tree, the Jeffrey pine, which wasn't formerly known to grow at extreme elevations.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/new-record-californias-highest-tree
about 1 month ago
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The coastal town of Palos Verdes, part of it, is slowly slipping into the ocean. What's the geology behind it?
californiacurated.com/2024/09/09/t...
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Unraveling the Geology Behind Palos Verdes’ Ongoing Landslide Crisis
A neighborhood threatened by landslides at Portuguese Bend on Palos Verdes (Erik Olsen) For decades, geologists and engineers have been aware that the Portuguese Bend region of Palos Verdes is pron…
https://californiacurated.com/2024/09/09/the-geology-behind-palos-verdes-perlious-predicament-of-landslides/
about 1 month ago
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What is your favorite California bird? Or fish? We made a bunch of attractive gifts for loved ones featuring California wildlife.
www.etsy.com/shop/Califor...
about 1 month ago
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Looking for a great holiday gift for your California loved ones that will enrich them and help them better understand the world around them? We've got you covered:
californiacurated.com/2025/11/03/t...
#books
📚
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Ten Essential Books About California’s Nature, Science, and Sense of Place
I’m an avid reader, and over the past decade I’ve dedicated a large section of my bookshelf to books about California—its wild side, its nature, and its scientific wonders.
https://californiacurated.com/2025/11/03/ten-essential-books-about-californias-nature-science-and-sense-of-place/
about 1 month ago
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In the earliest 20th century, California was an oil powerhouse. Now, what do we do with all those offshore rigs?
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8UbJmv1/
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California’s Accidental Reefs: What Happens When the Rigs Retire. California’s offshore oil platforms once powered a major share of the state’s economy, tapping giant fields like the Wilmington Oil Fi...
TikTok video by California Curated
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8UbJmv1/
about 1 month ago
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What should we do when California oil platforms stop producing oil?
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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Darwin didn't think we could see natural selection in real time. Turns out you can, and they are doing so with Dark eyed Juncos at UCLA.
californiacurated.com/2024/12/09/d...
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California’s Dark-Eyed Juncos Are Quietly Evolving in Plain Sight
One of the most compelling examples of urban ecology at work is the story of the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), a small songbird traditionally found in mountainous forests, now thriving in urban…
https://californiacurated.com/2024/12/09/dark-eyed-juncos-are-californias-unexpected-pioneers-of-urban-evolution/
about 1 month ago
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I love to write stories about seemingly common and boring things that actually have magical qualities. All in California, of course
californiacurated.com/2025/02/24/c...
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Creosote Bushes Are the Mojave Desert’s Time Travelers
In the Mojave Desert, one creosote plant known as “King Clone” is estimated to be over 12,000 years old, making it one of the oldest living clonal organisms on Earth.
https://californiacurated.com/2025/02/24/creosote-bushes-are-the-mojave-deserts-time-travelers/
about 1 month ago
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A man in Altadena set up a camera to learn who kept tearing up the underside of his house. On November 25, he finally saw the culprit: a 550-pound black bear that had been sheltering beneath his home for more than a week.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/u...
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Black Bear, Uninvited, Moves Into California Man’s Crawl Space
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/us/california-bear-crawl-space.html
about 1 month ago
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Bar none, it’s one of the strangest fish in the ocean, and it’s right off the coast of California.
californiacurated.com/2023/10/05/t...
🧪
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Through the Looking Glass Head: The Enigmatic World of the Barreleye Fish
The Barreleye fish is the kind of creature that captures the imagination and evokes wonder about what remains undiscovered in the deep ocean.
https://californiacurated.com/2023/10/05/through-the-looking-glass-head-the-enigmatic-world-of-the-barreleye-fish/
about 1 month ago
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Below California's oil rigs lie a biological bounty.
www.tiktok.com/@californiac...
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Below California’s industrial looking oil rigs is a biological wonderland. Scientist say it’s one of the most biologically rich ecosystems in the world. Part of a series. ##california##oilrig##biolog...
TikTok video by California Curated
https://www.tiktok.com/@californiacurated/video/7578343973866065182?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
about 1 month ago
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How Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 trip to California gave birth to modern conservation
californiacurated.com/2024/08/23/h...
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How Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 trip to California gave birth to modern conservation
Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 trip to California gave birth to modern conservation.
https://californiacurated.com/2024/08/23/how-theodore-roosevelts-1903-trip-to-california-gave-birth-to-modern-conservation/
about 1 month ago
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