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Bacterial ‘living wires’ could help protect the seas and climate
A small motorboat anchors in the Atlantic Ocean’s Chesapeake Bay. Nearby birds shriek. Their noise assaults the vessel’s five crew members. One of the crew slowly pulls on a rope to haul up a plastic...
View ArticleThis chemist uses online videos to teach about the perils of microplastics
If Imari Walker (sounds like calamari, she jokes) looks familiar, that might be because you came across one of her YouTube videos. There, she talks about two main things: the risks posed by plastic...
View ArticleCars hit more deer in the week after daylight saving time ends
People pay deerly for the switch from daylight saving time. Each November most Americans turn their clocks back one hour. This marks the end of daylight saving time and a return to standard time....
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Cougars pushed out by wildfires took more risks around roads
Mountain lions have no interest in people or what we’ve built. But after a 2018 wildfire in California, local lions took more risks around highways. They crossed roads more often and moved around more...
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Study finds big drop in animal populations since 1970
Many wildlife populations around the world are falling in size. The speed and scale of these losses have scientists worried. In less than 50 years, vertebrates — animals such as rhinos, frogs and...
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Microplastic pollution aids viruses and prolongs their infectivity
Waterborne-plastic bits may provide safe havens for viruses, new research shows. Viruses hitchhiking on plastic also stay infectious longer than do those floating freely in water. Furthermore, the...
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Green energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, a new study finds
On September 15, there was a giant ka-BOOM! And with that, Portland General Electric dynamited Oregon’s last coal-fired power plant into rubble. The company also opened a new power plant on September...
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Gas stoves can spew lots of pollution, even when they’re turned off
Drip, drip, drip. Most of us can see and hear a leaky faucet. But gas leaks can go undetected. In fact, they often do in the homes of people with gas stoves. And a new study found that gas can reach...
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The world is aiming for ‘net zero’ emissions of greenhouse gases
This is the first in a series of stories that will identify new technologies and actions that can slow climate change, reduce its impacts or help communities cope with a rapidly changing world....
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Eight ways you can cut your carbon footprint
Your carbon footprint. It’s how scientists describe the sum of all the planet-warming gases emitted as you go through your daily life. It covers the carbon-based pollutants — mainly carbon dioxide...
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Carvings on Australia’s boab trees reveal a people’s lost history
Brenda Garstone is on the hunt for her heritage. Parts of her cultural inheritance are scattered across the Tanami Desert in northwestern Australia. There, dozens of ancient boab trees are engraved...
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Here’s how to increase clean energy without harming wildlife
This is another in our series of stories identifying new technologies and actions that can slow climate change, reduce its impacts or help communities cope with a rapidly changing world. An American...
View ArticleChemists have unlocked the secrets of long-lasting Roman concrete
Roman concrete has stood the test of time. Some ancient buildings still stand after millennia. For decades, researchers have been trying to re-create the recipe that made them last — with little...
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Making yards more diverse can reap big environmental benefits
When you walk through a neighborhood, what do you see? In the United States, it will likely be a few trees and shrubs amidst large areas of grassy lawns. These big green carpets might look pretty. But...
View ArticleLet’s learn about why summer 2023 was so hot
This summer has smashed heat records worldwide. July was Earth’s hottest month ever recorded, following the hottest June on record. On July 6, the average global temperature reached a new peak at...
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Some tree leaves are finding it too hot for photosynthesis
Like people, leaves can get too hot. And then they may just stop working. Back in 1864, scientists showed the leaves of some plants could survive up to 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit) — but they died if...
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Bits of trees can make and store energy for us to use
People tend to harvest trees for lumber and papermaking. But maybe electronics engineers are missing out on something here. “Turns out,” says Magnus Berggren, two major building blocks of wood have “a...
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How green is your online life?
This is another in our series of stories identifying new technologies and actions that can slow climate change, reduce its impacts or help communities cope with a rapidly changing world. In today’s...
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Shading corals during midday heat can limit bleaching
This is another in our series of stories identifying new technologies and actions that can slow climate change, reduce its impacts or help communities cope with a rapidly changing world. The world’s...
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Has the Endangered Species Act saved species from extinction?
A little brown bat swoops out of the night sky. With sharp teeth bared, it devours a moth nearly half its size. Like many bat species, the little brown bat isn’t as common as it used to be. More than...
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