Earth/Environment

Platypuses in trouble, toxins in lakes and a chemical link to early puberty in this week’s news

Early puberty linked to flame retardants
Researchers report one possible explanation for the falling age of puberty in U.S. girls: certain widely used flame retardants commercially introduced during the 1970s. In animals (and in the genitals of male babies), some polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants, or PBDEs, have been shown to have feminizing effects.