Environment
Environmental science may be the most important area of study in the 21st century. Refractor is dedicated in its focus on keeping you up to date with honest and accurate coverage of the latest in this field.
Random related stories from our 25-year archives
A newly-developed magnetic soap could be used to minimize the environmental impact of oil spill clean-ups.
Energy-saving Wattbox is designed for easy use and encourages homeowners to save energy via simpler controls and intuitive learning.
Researchers analyzing a freak avalanche in Tibet that killed nine people have published findings that suggest meltwater at the base of the glacier lubricated the ice on its path of destruction, meltwater that probably wouldn't have been there were it not for rising temperatures in the region.
A Canadian company is shredding old tires and using them to make mattresses for cattle.
Early last month, Siemens Gamesa reported that recyclable turbine blades had been successfully installed at the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Now the company has announced the market availability of an onshore equivalent.
There are a number of trials being conducted to investigate how small aerial surveillance aircraft can be used to combat poaching. The latest effort involves the use of AI software to quickly identify poachers and animals in drone footage, in an attempt to better protect elephants and rhinos.
Latest News
-
October 27, 2026 | Mike McRaeAn investigation led by Columbia University geochemist Nicolás Young has uncovered strong evidence suggesting that glaciers may have been bouncing back by the time Rome was on the march. -
September 20, 2026 | Abhimanyu GhoshalNorwegian chemical company Yara has inaugurated the largest industrial carbon capture facility in all of Europe this week. Set up at the company's ammonia and fertilizer plant in Sluiskil, the Netherlands, it can capture 800,000 tons of CO2 per year. -
September 04, 2026 | Bronwyn ThompsonNearly 15 years ago, scientists found that plants had a biological mechanism that directs their form – thought to have only been something seen in animals. Now, researchers have uncovered how it works. It's essentially a tree's version of a muscle. -
August 30, 2026 | Bronwyn ThompsonMost of us have learnt that life on land involved transitioning from the water and evolving the physiological means to do so. But a new study has found solid evidence that this formative process involved more diverse species also making the move. -
August 17, 2026 | Bronwyn ThompsonWe're closer to understand who is most likely to feel invisible aftershocks following even small earthquakes. While they feel real at the time, the phantom quakes may just be your brain trying to make sense one of the weirdest sensations on Earth. -
July 29, 2026 | Toluwalogo Niji-OlawepoSixteen different PFAS compounds have been discovered in the feathers of Antarctic penguins, demonstrating that the insidious spread of "forever chemicals" now reaches the most remote wildlife on Earth. -
July 23, 2026 | Bronwyn ThompsonHuge sinkholes in nature have traditionally been viewed as a win for biodiversity, protecting plants that would otherwise be exposed to environmental stressors above ground. However, a new genetic study indicates they are an evolutionary death trap. -
June 29, 2026 | Mike McRaeJacob Haqq-Misra and Eric Wolf, researchers with the charity Blue Marble Space, argue in their recently published paper that Earth could stay green for nearly 1.9 billion years or more, depending on how the future plays out. -
June 28, 2026 | Bronwyn ThompsonThe volatile seismic zone along the roughly 750-mile San Andreas Fault beneath California are "critically stressed" – a level of pressure that has reached its highest point in 1,000 years – increasing the likelihood of a big earthquake hitting the US.