New Atlas

Environment Audio available

Study claims meal kits produce less emissions than grocery shopping, despite more packaging

Rich Haridy April 23, 2019

Do meal kits have a larger carbon footprint than regular grocery store shopping? A team of environmental researchers set out to crunch the numbers discovering that despite the extra plastic waste meal kits may produce less environmental emissions than conventional grocery shopping.

A new study contrasts the excessive packaging found in meal kits against increased transportation and food ...

Environment

Eco-friendly plastic crystals take the gas out of refrigeration

David Szondy April 22, 2019

Scientists led by the University of Cambridge have developed a way to replace the organic gases used in most conventional refrigerators with plastic crystals. By using crystals of neopentyl glycol under pressure, it may be possible to build safer, greener, and more efficient cooling systems.

The new technology can replace the gases used in conventional refrigeration systems

Environment Audio available

Newly identified bacteria feeds on methane in the atmosphere

Nick Lavars April 9, 2019

Scientists in Europe have made an exciting breakthrough in the effort to limit methane seeping into the atmosphere, isolating a previously unknown bacterium that appears to have a ravenous appetite for the atmospheric trace gas.

Methane’s super radiation-trapping abilities make it around 25 to 30 times more potent than CO2 as ...

Environment

Algae gets enlisted to make wastewater safer

Ben Coxworth April 9, 2019

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are mostly man-made compounds found in substances such as pesticides, food additives and personal care products. Unfortunately, they're also linked to some serious health issues. It appears that algae, however, could be used for removing them from wastewater.

Samples of Nannochloris grow in the Environmental Engineering Laboratory at the Desert Research Institute

Environment Audio available

Glaciers have lost 9 trillion tonnes of ice since 1961, says satellite study

Michael Irving April 8, 2019

A comprehensive study has combined field observations and satellite data to track glacial ice loss. The team found that between 1961 and 2016, glaciers globally lost a total of over 9 trillion tonnes of ice, contributing significantly to sea level rise.

Glaciers in Northeast India, captured on December 6, 2018

Environment Audio available

Giant iceberg enters "final phase" of breaking away from Antarctica

Michael Irving April 7, 2019

A huge iceberg, roughly twice the size of New York City, is set to soon break off from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. With two large cracks due to meet within the next few months, a research station has already been relocated as scientists watch the rifting event enter its “final phase.”

The Halloween Crack, discovered in October 2016, is threatening the Brunt Ice Shelf

Environment Audio available

Burger King introduces meat-free Impossible Whopper

Nick Lavars April 1, 2019

Global fast food giant Burger King has announced the introduction of the Impossible Whopper at selected stores, offering customers a decidedly greener version of its most iconic hamburger.

Impossible Foods produces its beef-free patties using plant-sourced replacements

Environment Audio available

Can tropical tectonic activity trigger ice ages?

Michael Irving March 14, 2019

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a major driver of shifts in the Earth’s climate, and in the past too little CO2 has been associated with triggering ice ages. Now a team of scientists has found a surprising new mechanism that could lead to ice ages: Tropical tectonic activity.

Tropical tectonic activity, such as that occurring in Indonesia today, may have triggered ice ages in ...

Environment Audio available

Cove launches biodegradable alternative to plastic water bottles

Paul Ridden March 11, 2019

Most water in stores today comes in bottles made from petroleum-based plastic. After drinking the contents, too many of these bottles become a pollution problem. Cove is looking to change that with the launch of its biopolymer-based water bottles.

Spring water in Cove biodegradable PHA bottles will be available to Californians from May, 2019

Environment Audio available

DNA study shows bacteria mixing and matching genes to survive

Michael Irving March 7, 2019

You can check the health of an environment by taking a census of the microorganisms that call it home. Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a new way to get a larger snapshot of what’s going on, looking specifically at the genes bacteria pass around to help each other adapt to a changing world

Researchers have found a new way to study the genes that bacteria swap to give each ...