Environmental

Discarded electronics can be a gold mine – literally. Researchers have developed an efficient new way to use graphene to recover gold from electronic waste, without needing any other chemicals or energy.

In a new study, chemists claim to have found an Achilles’ heel to the ultra-stable molecules of toxic PFAS "forever chemicals." Using a relatively simple chemical reaction, the team could “decapitate” some kinds of PFAS into benign end products.

Microplastics are a major environmental problem, but a new study could help cut out a decent chunk of them. Silk could be a biodegradable replacement for microbeads and particles that are often added to cosmetics, paints and other products.

Exposure to phthalates, a chemical used to manufacture thousands of everyday products, has been linked to an increased risk of childhood cancer. The findings add to research suggesting this chemical may have various deleterious health effects in humans.

Striking new research estimates lead exposure, primarily from car exhaust in the 1960s and 1970s, has negatively affected the IQ of more than half the population of the US, and resulted in the loss of up to six IQ points in some people.

Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas – and now it looks like we may have underestimated how much is being released. A new study has identified the thawing Siberian permafrost as a huge, previously unknown source of nitrous oxide emissions.

Glitter spruces up everything from makeup to craft projects, but one thing it doesn’t improve is the environment. A new biodegradable glitter swaps out the plastic and aluminum for plant-based cellulose, which can be produced at scale.

A new study is reporting half of US children under the age of six have detectable levels of lead in their blood. The study tracked data from over a million children and is the first of this scale to analyze small traces of lead in blood samples.

Agriculture is a huge environmental issue in many ways, but one that’s often overlooked is livestock urination. Researchers from Germany and New Zealand have now demonstrated a potential way to reduce that problem – by toilet-training cows.

The James Dyson Award is an international competition to encourage students to get creative to solve the world's pressing problems. The national finalists have been announced for 2021, showcasing ideas that help people and the environment.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere attracts most of the attention in environmental concerns, but much of that ends up in oceans, making them more acidic. Now scientists have created nanojars that can easily capture this and other pollutants from water.

Climate change can feel inevitable, but we’ve stepped up to the challenge before. New modeling shows how bad things would be if CFCs hadn’t been banned decades ago – depleted ozone would've increased UV exposure and stopped plants capturing carbon.