Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Good News
March 29, 2022

World’s Largest Wildlife Overpass Will Be Built Over 101 Freeway Near Los Angeles

Humans know to stop and look both ways before they cross the street. Sadly, animals are not aware or capable of this safety precaution. Collisions between cars and animals can harm both the traveling creatures and human passengers. Wildlife underpasses and overpasses are a great solution to this problem. With funneling fences, these routes provide safe crossing for species from bears to cougars to crabs. On April 22, 2022, the National Wildlife Foundation (NWF)

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Astronomy
March 24, 2022

Listen to the Beautiful Sounds of NASA Discovering Over 5,000 Exoplanets Since 1992

When Star Trek referred to space as the final frontier for the first time in 1966, the shows creators, cast, and viewers had no true conception of just how much lay out in the universe, waiting to be discovered. Our solar system—filled with eight planets and Pluto—defined the known range of planets. However, since 1992, advancing telescope technology has allowed NASA and astronomers around the world to discover exoplanets outside of our system.

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Animals
March 21, 2022

Scientists Discover New Rainbow-Colored Fish Species in the Maldives

Do you remember the rainbow fish with glittery scales who taught generations of children about sharing? Marcus Pfister's classic children's book The Rainbow Fish tells the story of how sharing the gifts we are given is a beautiful act. While they might be literary famous, rainbow fish do in fact exist. Scientists in the Maldives have formally described a new species of rainbow-colored fish—the rose-veiled fairy wrasse or Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa—and published their findings in ZooKeys.

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Endangered Animals
March 16, 2022

Federal Judge Restores Protection to Gray Wolves in Most of the United States

The gray wolf is a conservation success story. Clawing its way back from near extinction in the 1960s, the species is once more a symbol of the American west and Great Lakes region. However, in November 2020, the Trump administration ended many of the federal regulations which had allowed the populations to recover, legalizing hunts in the electoral battleground states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.