Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Earth
Sustainable Design Competition
Do you have an idea for a cutting-edge technology that could protect the environment while promoting economic growth? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering college professors and their students an opportunity to turn ideas into reality through its P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) grants competition. EPA’s P3 is a student design competition […]
- Earth
Sea Turtles—What Not To Eat
Wildlife scientists hope to reduce widespread consumption of sea turtle meat and other products by pointing out the health risks they pose.
- Earth
Link between El Niños and droughts in India
Scientists have discovered a correlation between droughts in India and a particular type of El Niño, the climate phenomenon marked by increased sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific.
- Earth
Magma heats up as it crystallizes
Molten rock moving through a volcano's plumbing prior to an eruption can sometimes heat up substantially as it approaches Earth's surface.
- Earth
Plowing Down the Amazon: Satellites reveal conversion of forest to farmland
The clearing of jungle to create cropland is a major and previously underappreciated force behind deforestation in the Amazon region of Brazil, according to an analysis of satellite images.
- Earth
Genes as Pollutants: Tracking drug-resistant DNA in the environment
A study that traces antibiotic-resistance genes in the environment indicates that they are present even in treated drinking water.
- Earth
Plastics agent worsens skin allergies
Low doses of one of the most commonly used softeners in plastics can aggravate dust-mite allergy.
- Earth
Are pollutants shrinking polar bear gonads?
New research links persistent pollutants with reproductive impairment in polar bears.
- Earth
When a Shot Is Not: PCBs may impair vaccine-induced immunity
Exposure to certain pollutants early in life may do lasting harm to the immune system by blocking its response to vaccinations.
- Earth
Mercury Rising: Natural wildfires release pollutant
Fires in high-latitude forests and peaty soils of the Northern Hemisphere may loft hundreds of tons of mercury into the atmosphere each year.
- Earth
Holy Smoke: Burning incense, candles pollute air in churches
Incense and candles release substantial quantities of pollutants that may harm health.
- Earth
Grand Canyon fish seem to be rebounding
The population of humpback chub, an endangered fish found only in the Colorado River and its tributaries, may be stabilizing in some sections of the Grand Canyon.
