New Atlas

Science Audio available

New desalination method could get industry – and the environment – out of a very salty pickle

Matt Kennedy May 7, 2019

"Hypersaline brine" is industrial waste-water with salt levels that exceed even that of seawater. It’s a big, expensive, destructive problem which a team of engineers at Columbia University in New York City hope to solve with their solvent-based method of desalination.

The researchers believe that the temperature swing solvent extraction desalination method could be transformational for the ...

Good Thinking Audio available

Portable water-testing device binds and shines

Ben Coxworth April 15, 2019

Ordinarily, when drinking water is being tested for toxic heavy metals, samples have to be sent off to labs. And while there are portable testing systems, they do have some limitations. A new device, however, is claimed to work better – by copying a process that takes place within the human body.

Assoc. Prof. Yong Ken-Tye (left) and PhD student Stephanie Yap, with the water-testing device

Science Audio available

Oil-eating bacteria discovered at the bottom of the Mariana Trench

Michael Irving April 12, 2019

Plunging down to a depth of about 11,000 meters, the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean, so it’s no surprise that we don’t really know what’s down there. New species and strange sounds have turned up recently, and now researchers have discovered a new group of oil-eating bacteria.

A new group of oil-eating bacteria have been discovered in the Mariana Trench

Science Audio available

Teenage psychotic experiences more common in urban areas with high air pollution

Rich Haridy March 27, 2019

A fascinating and robust new study has for the first time examined the association between teenage psychotic experiences and exposure to air pollution. The study strikingly found higher rates of adolescent psychotic experiences significantly correlated with increased levels of urban air pollution.

Without offering a causal conclusion, a new study suggests a strong observational association between air pollution ...

Around The Home Audio available

Ikea is set to release air-purifying curtains

Ben Coxworth February 22, 2019

We all know that houseplants help purify the air inside a home. If you don't have a green thumb, though, you may still be in luck – Ikea has developed curtains that are claimed to clean indoor air, utilizing a process similar to that which occurs in plants.

Ikea's Gunrid curtains will be commercially available in 2020

Environment Audio available

Microplastic pollution may result in weakened mussels

Ben Coxworth January 29, 2019

In recent years, we've seen a number of research groups develop waterproof adhesives inspired by the fibers that mussels use to cling to rocks. Unfortunately, though, the mussels themselves may be losing their grip on those rocks, due to marine microplastic pollution.

As long as they're able to adhere to rocks, mussels form reefs that provide habitats for ...

Environment

Grim report details threats to human health posed by climate change

Anthony Wood November 30, 2018

A new report highlighting the grim threat posed by climate change to human health has estimated that in 2015 almost 3 million lives ended prematurely as a result of ambient air pollution, and that millions more living in cities - including the elderly - are at risk from extreme temperatures.

Air pollution and high temperatures pose a significant threat to vulnerable urban populations

Environment

Stingrays' smell damaged by exposure to oil spills

James Holloway November 15, 2018

It's well reported that oil spills can have a catastrophic biological and environmental impact. But to date, few studies have examined the effect of whole crude oil on senses of a marine vertebrate. A new study is the first to confirm effects on stingrays' sense of smell.

The team compared Atlantic stingrays exposed to oil with others in clean water

Environment

Sensors buried in farmers' fields may help prevent algae blooms

Ben Coxworth November 1, 2018

Toxic algae blooms can be nasty, killing fish, other wildlife and sometimes even people. One of the main causes of such blooms is excessive amounts of fertilizer running off of fields and into waterways. A new type of buried sensor, however, could help address that situation.

Toxic algae blooms are at least partially caused by fertilizer that runs off of farmers' fields ...

Materials

Wood-based sponge hates water but loves oil

Ben Coxworth October 24, 2018

Removing oil spills from water is a difficult business, with various approaches having met with mixed results. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Forestry believe they may be onto something, however, in the form of a reusable "wooden" sponge that absorbs oil while leaving water behind.

A sample of the sponge material draws red-dyed oil from a beaker of water