While packrafting the southeastern edge of the Northern Patagonia Ice Field along Chile’s largest river, the Baker, in search of primitive crane flies, Anand Varma and I came across an exciting find. In a fragmented location only accessible via water, among a lichened-covered forest, we discovered a single wing of the genus Neoderus adhered to…

Halfway buried in the sand lays the forgotten skull of a whale. Its flesh has been removed by the gentle erosion sustained by the pulsating sea. Its white form contrasts the dark sand layer covering the beach. Its rostrum points towards the only island in the middle of the gulf populated by trees, a safe…

Decaying fragments hang from the cavity’s roof as streaks of viscous dark red liquid meander down its sides. The peculiar scent of extracellular digestion from fungal mycelia impregnates the stale air. I force myself into the cramped cavity to further investigate. With only half of my body inside, I sit motionless, looking up, in awe.…

It has finally pushed itself through the entangled root mats. Months of development feeding on wet detritus have come to an end. It will now emerge as a full-fledged adult.   The upper portion of its body hangs perpendicular to the rock wall, exposed to the elements. It begins to break free from its pupal…

My bicycle is knee deep in mud. The snowline on the nearby mountains is closer than the previous day. The abandoned track has been softened by the stomping of cattle. After an hour of pushing my loaded bike half a mile through the mud, I begin the task of setting up camp. The only suitable…

Its skin is splitting open down its back. Three pairs of lateral attachment points keep its streamlined body glued to the submerged rock. It will use the glacial raging torrent to its advantage. With the last air in its body, it inflates its thorax to free itself from its pupal skin. It has violated an unbreakable…

For nine months, biologist from Iowa State University, Rubén Madriz, winner of the Fulbright – National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship will study the deglaciation of the northern Chilean Patagonia ice field. In the southern región of Aysén he will focus his investigation on the vanishing aquatic insect diversity before climate change continues to transform the…