Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought the threat of nuclear warfare to the forefront. But how would modern nuclear detonations impact the world today? A new study published today provides stark information on the global impact of nuclear war.
Lithium extraction from the deep sea, overfishing of deeper-water species, and the unexpected ocean impacts of wildfires on land are among fifteen issues experts warn we ought to be addressing now.
Scientists and physicians at UC San Diego and Scripps Research describe how wastewater sequencing provided dramatic new insights into levels and variants of SARS-CoV-2 on campus and in the broader community — a key step to public health interventions in advance of COVID-19 case surges.
The growing incidence of a potentially cancer-causing liver disease in children is associated with prenatal exposure to several endocrine-disrupting chemicals, Mount Sinai researchers report.
Activities beyond campus – such as business air travel, student commutes and purchases of goods like lab equipment – account for more than 60% of Cornell University’s carbon emissions, according to new research that analyzed the university’s greenhouse gas consumption through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If carbon emissions are limited to slow temperature rise, up to an estimated 6,000 child deaths could be prevented in Africa each year, according to new research. A team of international scientists, led by the University of Leeds in collaboration with researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), have shown that thousands of heat-related child deaths could be prevented if temperature increases are limited to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5ºC target through to 2050.
As was highlighted in the foreword to the renowned WWF Greater Mekong Report 2021, written by Prof. Dr. Thomas Ziegler, Curator for Herpetology, Ichthyology, and Invertebrates, at Cologne Zoo (Köln, Germany), there is an urgent need for more studies that identify the gaps in species conservation.
The study was headed by Professor Claudia Kemfert from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) and Leuphana University Lüneburg in collaboration with Franziska Hoffart from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Fabian Präger from Technische Universität Berlin and Isabell Braunger and Hanna Brauers from the University of Flensburg.
The National University of Singapore has established a new Centre for Hydrogen Innovations, supported by Temasek, with the aim of creating breakthrough technologies to make hydrogen commercially viable as a green energy source. The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the new centre will develop capabilities to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels as a source of energy and will also nurture talent for a sustainable hydrogen economy.
Researchers investigating the exposure of small mammals to plastics in England and Wales have found traces in the feces of more than half of the species examined
An international team of scientists has developed an accurate record of preindustrial sea level utilizing precisely dated phreatic overgrowths on speleothems that provide a detailed history of Late Holocene sea-level change in Mallorca, Spain, an island in the western Mediterranean Sea. The results provide an unprecedented picture of sea level over the past 4,000 years, putting the preindustrial and modern global mean sea level (GMSL) histories in context.
Part of a gene is better than none when identifying a species of microbe. But for Rice University computer scientists, part was not nearly enough in their pursuit of a program to identify all the species in a microbiome.
For climate change, June 2022 has been a busy month. It brought unprecedented flooding in Yellowstone National Park, a severe heat wave with life threatening temperatures in the southwestern U.S. and wildfires, which destroyed lives as well as property across the country.
Some public venues may need better ventilation to prevent the spread of covid-19 following growing evidence of the potential for ‘long distance’ airborne transmission of the disease, suggests research published by The BMJ today.
Few would argue that romantic partners have the potential to shift each other’s beliefs and behaviors, but what about their views on climate change specifically? Up until now there’s been little analysis of the dynamics of climate change conversations in romantic relationships and how the beliefs of one partner can influence the other.
The way rivers function is significantly affected by how much sediment they transport and where it gets deposited. River sediment — mostly sand, silt, and clay — plays a critical ecological role, as it provides habitat for organisms downstream and in estuaries.
A chemical compound discovered in 2019 in Fairbanks’ wintertime air accounts for a significant portion of the community’s fine particulate pollution, according to new research that seeks to better understand the causes and makeup of the dirty air.
The monumental global task to restore degraded ecosystems will need to include sophisticated technologies such as environmental DNA monitoring to understand and support the recovery of complex biospheres, international researchers say.
A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai quantifies the cardiovascular risk posed by exposure to specific environmental factors, showing, for example, that air pollution heightens the risk of heart disease mortality by 17 percent.
Along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking, environmental factors such as air pollution are highly predictive of people’s chances of dying, especially from heart attack and stroke, a new study shows.
Researchers using monitoring data from Alaska permafrost found that vegetation and the snowpack that accumulates in winter control the temperatures below ground and thus the flow of water in the ground. By highlighting the link between above- and belowground properties and processes, these results will help improve scientists’ predictions of how the Arctic interacts with overall climate change.
New guidance published today in Anaesthesia provides actionable steps to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from inhaled anesthetics, particularly desflurane, which is commonly used in general anesthesia, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas).
Residents of public housing throughout the United States experience higher levels of air pollution, according to an inter-institutional study led by a researcher from The University of Texas at El Paso that appeared in Scientific Reports, one of Nature’s portfolio of journals.
Breathing in polluted air could lead to toxic particles being transported from lungs to brain, via the bloodstream – potentially contributing to brain disorders and neurological damage, a new study reveals.
Back in 2019, research scientists at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Halmos College of Arts and Sciences joined forces with colleagues on an ambitious project to save at-risk corals. As that project has progressed, NSU is now making its coral nursery available for other similar projects.
Aiming to produce environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic food wrap and containers, a Rutgers scientist has developed a biodegradable, plant-based coating that can be sprayed on foods, guarding against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and transportation damage.
Although biogas and biomethane remain climate-friendlier than non-renewable alternatives, the researchers call for better monitoring and fixing of leaks to ensure biogas and biomethane continue to live up to their green credentials.
UC San Diego researchers report significant decrease in national cases of Kawasaki disease during COVID-19 pandemic; findings hint at origins of disease.
BRI is part of an international group of scientists who published a joint letter in Science, just prior to the next round of international negotiations on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. This letter urges more attention to the diversity of contaminants that pollute the environment and adversely impact biodiversity.
Environmental chemical pollution threatens biodiversity. However, the complexity of this pollution remains insufficiently recognised by decision-makers - this is what international researchers led by Gabriel Sigmund from the University of Vienna and Ksenia Groh from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) argue in the most recent issue of “Science”. Their letter appears shortly before the international negotiations on the “post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”. These will take place from 21st of June in Nairobi (Kenya).
Environmental scientists, ecologists, and policy experts argue in a letter published today in Science that the proposed Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework – a new international agreement to protect biodiversity – fails to account for the totality of chemical pollutants that threaten the health of ecosystems worldwide.
A team of U.S. and Chinese scientists mapping oil pollution across the Earth’s oceans has found that more than 90% of chronic oil slicks come from human sources, a much higher proportion than previously estimated. Their research, published in Science, is a major update from previous investigations into marine oil pollution, which estimated that about half came from human sources and half from natural sources.
A full day of dialogue and scientific presentations by national experts concerning problems and solutions associated with wastewater, nitrogen pollution, PFAS forever chemicals, treatment of drinking water, next generation clean water technologies and other topics will take place during the Clean Water Symposium.
A decade after the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, some veterans find themselves with mysterious lung issues, seemingly attributable to exposure to burn pits.
A study led by the University of California, Irvine shows a strong relationship between prolonged exposure to low levels of radon and lung cancer, indicating a need for enhanced protection measures. Radon gas in the air decays into tiny radioactive particles which can damage lung cells and lead to cancer.
A study of 1,280 patients treated and monitored at the Stony Brook World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program who also contracted Covid-19 reveals that responders who have suffered from chronic conditions from WTC exposures more often have "Long-Covid" than those responders without chronic illnesses.
They may be tiny, but they pose a global problem for humans and the environment: microplastic particles. These are plastic particles with a diameter between one micron and five millimeters.
For the first time, a University of Washington led team has uncovered that people living in China who have a higher socioeconomic status are actually more exposed to outdoor air pollution, also known as ambient air pollution. This finding runs contrary to existing studies conducted throughout North America, which have shown that higher pollution levels tend to be experienced among people with lower socioeconomic status.
Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater risk of severe COVID-19, new research being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) in Milan, Italy (4-6 June), finds.
The June 2022 issue of Toxicological Sciences contains cutting-edge toxicology research in topics such as biomarkers; DART; and emerging technologies, methods, and models.