Urgent action is needed to address soil pollution and contain the multiple threats it poses to global food safety and food security, said FAO today marking World Soil Day. Thousands of chemicals, which are commercially produced on a large scale, plastic and electronic waste, non-treated wastewater can all become a source of soil pollution, paving […]
New research presented by the American Chemical Society at their August meeting warned of the damage disposable contact lenses cause after they’re flushed down our home plumbing, a daily habit of many of the 45 million Americans who wear them. Those flimsy, flexible lenses easily pass through sewage treatment plant filters. Sinking to the bottom of rivers and oceans, the impacts […]
New research by Hebrew University of Jerusalem details the complex mathematical calculations that animals perform to locate their next meal. Turns out that even the simple earthworm constantly computes new scent data to see if they are on right track to food. Can humans learn from these tubular hermaphrodites?
New research from the University of East Anglia has confirmed a dramatic decrease in oxygen in the Gulf of Oman part of the Arabian Sea. But the environmental disaster is worse than expected. The ‘dead zone’ was confirmed by underwater robots called Seagliders – which were able to collect data in areas of water previously […]
It’s World Water Day, celebrated annually on March 22. The day is about focusing world attention on the importance of clean water and how we can collectively protect and preserve water quality, and as importantly, quantity.
Dust off old Donna Summer albums and celebrate the premature return of New Zealand’s giant “disco ball” satellite as it drops down to Earth from outer space. Just like the Age of Disco, it will completely disintegrate, leaving only groovy memories. The Humanity Star is a reflective satellite launched in January by Rocket Lab, a […]
American twins Scott (left) and Mark Kelly are the only identical twin astronauts in history, but after Scott spent nearly a year on a space mission, they may not be identical anymore. In 2016, when Scott Kelly returned to Earth after a 340-day voyage aboard the International Space Station (ISS), he was 2 inches taller […]
As if expecting women don’t have enough to worry about, a new scientific study indicates a direct correlation between traffic noise and ambient air pollution and the health of pregnant women and their birth outcomes. Specifically, these environmental influences are proving to increase the incidences of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and low birth weights.
Vogue Knitting Live! is a three day event that occurs annually in several US cities. It is the Burning Man for fiber enthusiasts, a high energy festival featuring classes and lectures and fashion shows. Anchored by the Marketplace, an enormous and spirited souk selling buttons, patterns, organic handcreams, every knitting and crochet accessory on the […]
In the wake of the 2016 American presidential election, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) observed an unusual and muscular increase in online political action by people concerned about conservation and the environment. Especially noteworthy is an uptick in financial support to environmental NGOs by citizens willing to back their beliefs with cash.
According to the International Coffee Organization, people wordwide consumed more than 11 million US tons* of coffee beans between October 2015 and September 2016. (Consumption is far outpacing production, due to climactic fluctuations.) Those beans depend on a sea of fresh water to convert them into the beverages we love. Now a team of Italian scientists have developed […]
