CHRISTIANSTED — Banana trees are a common feature of the U.S. Virgin Islands residential area landscape. They are primarily grown for the tropical look they bring with their green, elephant-ear-like leaves waving in our eternal summer Trade Winds breezes. In addition to their large, decorative foliage, most of the large-growing banana

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The University of the Virgin Islands announced today that the university will offer a Data Science Certificate Program beginning in the Fall 2021 Semester. The program is designed to help professionals advance their careers by leveraging applied data science.  The 13-credit certificate program comes on the heels of

SPANNING A MILLION square miles and dotted with more than 700 islands, the Caribbean Sea was one of the last places colonized by Native Americans as they explored and settled North and South America. Archaeologists have long struggled to pinpoint the origins and movements of those intrepid seafarers. Now, thanks to

When you remove a rubber band from your newspaper or fix a tire on your bicycle, you may understandably believe that rubber is a one-size-fits-all sort of substance. Now that you are in a business that uses o-rings and other materials made from rubber, you realize that this amazing and

RIO DE JANEIRO — Night began to fall in Rio de Janeiro’s Pedra Branca state park as four Brazilian scientists switched on their flashlights to traipse along a narrow trail of mud through dense rainforest. The researchers were on a mission: capture bats and help prevent the next global pandemic.

ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Nature Conservancy (TNC) published detailed maps of important shallow underwater habitats throughout the entire Caribbean — including all shallow water coral reefs. For the first time ever, countries and territories now have a clear picture of the habitats found beneath the waves of the Caribbean. TNC said these maps will

ARECIBO, Puerto Rico — A huge, already damaged radio telescope in Puerto Rico that has played a key role in astronomical discoveries for more than half a century completely collapsed on Tuesday. The telescope’s 900-ton receiver platform and the Gregorian dome — a structure as tall as a four-story building

SAN JUAN — Scientists have discovered a new species of ctenophore, or comb jelly, near Puerto Rico. The newly named Duobrachium sparksae was discovered two and a half miles below sea level by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries research team. It was found during an underwater expedition using

GUSTAVIA — The islands of the Caribbean — comprising the Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and Lesser Antilles — feature remarkable biodiversity, with species mainly having originated from South and Central America. These islands are regarded collectively as one of the 25 main biodiversity hot spots on Earth and the third in

SAN JUAN — The National Science Foundation announced today that it will close the huge telescope at the renowned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in a blow to scientists worldwide who depend on it to search for planets, asteroids and extraterrestrial life. The independent, federally funded agency said it’s too