Shocking Disappearance of Ecuador’s Tallest Waterfall
Surrounded by lush vegetation and rare butterflies, the San Rafael Waterfall was one of the most captivating landscapes in Ecuador. With water dropping 150 meters…
Environment
NASA Satellite Captures a Dimming China Due to COVID-19 Shutdown
Beyond their beauty, images of Earth at night have a practical use. The nighttime lights of cities, highways, and other infrastructure are fingerprints of how civilization has…
Serious Challenges From Unsustainable Food Systems: Can We Reverse Current Trends?
The impact of global crises underscores the fragility of food systems. In addition to short-term acute shocks, long-term global demographic changes like urbanization and population…
Drylands Around the World Will Expand at an Accelerated Rate Because of Future Climate Change
A research team led by Washington State University has found that while drylands around the world will expand at an accelerated rate because of future…
Global Famine Predicted in Even a Limited India-Pakistan Nuclear War Due to Soot and Firestorms
Soot from firestorms would reduce crop production for years. The concept of nuclear winter — a years-long planetary freeze brought on by airborne soot generated…
Microplastic Pollution May Be Generated Simply by Opening Plastic Bags and Bottles
Opening plastic packaging, such as plastic bags and bottles may contribute to the generation of small amounts of microplastics — small plastic particles less than…
How Environment Influences the Spread of Infectious Disease Revealed in Banded Mongoose Study
With outbreaks of infectious diseases making headlines around the world, scientists are under pressure to understand the drivers that influence the transmission of pathogens in…
House Cats Have a Much Larger Impact on Wildlife Than Wild Predators
Keeping Cats Indoors Could Mitigate Adverse Effects to Wildlife Birds alighting on driveways and baby bunnies munching on lawn grass should keep something in mind:…
Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater Influenced by Natural Organic Matter
Millions of people worldwide consume water contaminated with levels of arsenic that exceed those recommended by the World Health Organization. This could cause health problems,…
“Point of No Return” – Amazon Rainforest Could Be Gone Within 50 Years
Large ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, will collapse and disappear alarmingly quickly, once a crucial tipping point is reached, according to calculations based on…
Scientists Built an Underwater Theater and Attached 3D Glasses to Cuttlefish – Here’s What They Learned
3D movies reveal how cuttlefish determine distance when striking at prey. While cuttlefish wearing glasses is an unexpected sight, a University of Minnesota-led research team…
Seagulls Favor Food They’ve Seen People Holding
Seagulls favor food that has been handled by humans, new research shows. Herring gulls were presented with two identical food items — one of which…
Which Is More Eco-Friendly, Online or Traditional Shopping?
When consumers are trying to decide between traditional and online shopping, many factors come into play, such as price, quality, convenience and timeframe. Now, thanks…
New MIT Device to Detect Trace Heavy Metal Contaminants in Water
Whisk-shaped device absorbs trace contaminants, preserves them in dry state that can be shipped to labs for analysis. Lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals are…
Missing Link Identified to Determine Carbon in Deep Earth Reservoirs
Understanding the Earth’s carbon cycle has important implications for understanding climate change and the health of biospheres. But scientists don’t yet understand how much…
Scientists Warn That BPA-Free Plastic Products Could Be Just as Harmful to Human Health
University of Missouri scientists find BPA alternative, bisphenol S, could negatively affect both a mother’s placenta and potentially a developing baby’s brain. Using “BPA-free” plastic…
Study of Recent Extinctions Estimates That 1/3 of Plant & Animal Species Could Be Gone in 50 Years
University of Arizona researchers studied recent extinctions from climate change to estimate the loss of plant and animal species by 2070. Accurately predicting biodiversity loss…
Blasting Toxic ‘Forever’ Chemicals Out of Drinking Water With Cold Plasma
Drexel University researchers show how cold plasma can eliminate PFAS in water. Researchers from Drexel University have found a way to destroy stubbornly resilient toxic…