Is coal a sedimentary rock?

Answered by Kurt Edwards, Geologist and GIS Analyst, INL ESER Program he short answer is yes, coal is a sedimentary rock. Coal is formed mainly from plant material that accumulates in a swampy environment. These plants that become coal, lived before and during the time of the dinosaurs. When the plants died they would sink…

I read an OpEd from a rancher in Wyoming lamenting the decline of mule deer populations of his lifetime. Are there similar decreases in mule deer populations in Idaho

Question Answered by Gregg Losinski, Environmental Science Educator Mule deer are an icon of the West.  Unlike other members of the deer family such as elk and moose, mule deer distribution was always limited to the wide open spaces of the Intermountain West.  Over the past decades, a succession of adverse factors has resulted in…

If cold symptoms are the body’s immune response to fight a cold virus, do cold remedies that reduce symptoms hinder the body’s ability to fight off the virus and actually increase the cold’s duration?

Answered by Alan Jensen, Registered Pharmacist Many medications can be used to treat the symptoms of a cold or flu. I am going to restrict my comments to the five categories of medications found in most over the counter cold and flu remedies. They are pain and fever reducers, nasal decongestants, antihistamines, cough suppressants and…

Do badgers hibernate in the winter?

Question answered by Bryan Bybee, Biologist, INL ESER Program The simple answer is that badgers do not hibernate. Hibernation is a seasonal behavior pattern characterized by long periods of reduced body temperature, inactivity, lowered heart and breathing rates, and suppressed metabolism. Body temperatures may be reduced to nearly that of the surroundings. By this definition,…

Do hibernating squirrels and marmots have better resistance to cold than other mammals, even before they enter hibernation? It seems like they would be too cold to sleep all winter.

Question Answered by Greg Burak, Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Service,  Boise Office That is a great question!  During hibernation, ground squirrels, such as the northern Idaho ground squirrel, enter long periods of time when they are inactive and sleeping.  This is called torpor.  While in torpor, the body temperature of a ground squirrel is about…