Farming Associated with Long-Term Decline in Marmot Populations

Images from a Cold War spy satellite help researchers piece together the effects of land-use decisions in Kazakhstan.

Written byShawna Williams

| 5 min read

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ABOVE: Researchers used images taken by the Corona satellite system decades ago to track declines in marmot populations in Kazakhstan.
ALYONA KOSHKINA

In 1960, in a milestone that would remain classified for more than three decades, the US Air Force, CIA, and private industry partners launched the world’s first photo-snapping satellite into orbit. Known as Corona, the satellite and its successors would be sent on periodic missions for the following 12 years, chiefly targeting sites of strategic interest such as military airfields and missile silos within the territories of the Soviet Union and its allies. Once the satellite had shot its strip of film, it would release the photos in a parachute-equipped capsule over the Pacific, to be retrieved by a military plane before it could hit the water.

“I think it’s [a] really great example of human ingenuity that they were able to take such astounding photos already back then,” ...

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
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Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
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