Environment
News and analysis of environmental issues and green technology.
Latest News
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Norwegian app designed to sleuth out sources of sea plastic pollution
When you see plastic trash washed up on the shore, don't you wish there was something you could do? Besides just picking it up, that is? Well, a new app may soon be able to determine where that garbage came from, so action can be taken. -
Biodegradable plant-pollen sponges could soak up oil spills
Last year, we heard how scientists had created eco-friendly soft gel particles from hard grains of pollen. Now, they've used those particles to create sponges that could soak up oil spills, then biodegrade once used up. -
Biodegradable plastic made from fisheries waste
Like most other commonly used types of plastic, polyurethane is typically made from non-renewable crude oil, and it takes centuries to break down when discarded. Now, however, scientists have created a biodegradable polyurethane-like polymer using fish waste. -
Severe storm cloud breaks into the stratosphere to hit record low temp
Using advanced infrared imaging technology aboard an Earth-orbiting satellite, scientists have measured the coldest temperature of a storm cloud on record, owing to an overshooting top that penetrated the stratosphere. -
Coffee waste used to reclaim formerly farmed land
Restoring post-agricultural land to tropical forest can be challenging, as the pasture grasses tend to choke out the native trees. A new study, however, indicates that waste from the coffee industry gives those trees a fighting chance. -
Wastewater microplastics help superbugs share dangerous genes
Microplastics are increasingly found polluting waterways and causing unknown damage to the health of animals and humans. Now, a new study provides evidence there's cross over with another looming public health threat – antibiotic-resistant superbugs. -
Seaweed supplements cut cattle methane emissions by up to 82%
Cattle are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to their methane-loaded burps. A detailed new study has found more evidence that feeding cows a small seaweed supplement can greatly reduce their methane emissions. -
Fossilized plants discovered a mile beneath Greenland ice sheet
Scientists have made the surprising discovery of fossilized plants 1.4 km beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. That indicates the island has been ice-free within the last million years – meaning it’s more vulnerable to climate change than we thought. -
Wearable electrode for plants makes a Venus flytrap close on demand
Plants are complex organisms that use electrical signals to sense and respond to their surroundings. New research shows how this might enable them to be used to pick up fragile objects, among other interesting possibilities. -
Scientists image plumbing system of the world's tallest geyser
Scientists at the University of Utah have been keeping a close eye on these famous geysers of Yellowstone National Park, and have now managed to image the plumbing system of the tallest one in the world to a depth of 450 feet. -
Wetting agent douses underground "zombie" fires with great efficiency
Researchers in the UK have come up with a new formula for tackling smoldering "zombie fires", which can burn through carbon-rich organic matter underground and trigger flaming wildfires again once the danger appears to have passed. -
Study suggests roadside barriers could deflect harmful exhaust
There are currently many projects aimed at reducing the air pollution emitted in automobile exhaust, but in the meantime couldn't we just … redirect that exhaust? A new study suggests a possible means of doing so.