Marine bacteria in the frigid waters of the Canadian Arctic are capable of biodegrading oil and diesel fuel, according to a new study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Genomic sequencing revealed unexpected potential for hydrocarbon bioremediation in lineages of bacteria including Paraperlucidibaca, Cycloclasticus, and Zhongshania, said […]
Sources of particulate matter and effects they can have on the human mucosal system. Credit: Matthias Marczynski Air, water contamination disrupts body’s first line of internal defense. Major disruptions to our health and quality of life are front of mind in an era when wildfires, floods, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impact […]
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Greater buffer zones around bodies of water and more consistent enforcement of water protection regulations are needed to reduce agriculture-based pollution in the Western U.S., a recent review from Oregon State University found. Prior research has shown that agricultural pollution, both from croplands and rangelands, is the […]
International study shows that freshwater polluted by fecal material can be determined more quickly and reliably using a new technique. Credit: From Jiao et al, doi:10.1126/sciadv.abc7318. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC. International study shows that freshwater polluted by fecal material can be determined more quickly and reliably using […]
Global map reveals areas at risk of pesticide pollution. Credit: Associate Professor Federico Maggi, Dr. Fiona Tang, University of Sydney ENLARGE Global Pesticide Use Is Set to Increase A global map of agricultural land across 168 countries has revealed that 64 percent of land used for agriculture and food […]
Researchers call for revisions to air-quality monitoring guidelines to consider the sources of emissions. Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego examining 14 years of hospital admissions data conclude that the fine particles in wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful to human respiratory health than […]
A proposed hybrid-electric plane could “eliminate aviation’s air pollution problem,” say MIT engineers. Proposed design could reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 95 percent, a new study finds. At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and […]
Iron-catalyzed [2+2] oligomerization of butadiene produces (1,n’-divinyl)oligocyclobutane, a new polymer that can be chemically recycled. Credit: Figure by Jonathan Darmon of the Princeton University Department of Chemistry New polybutadiene molecule enchains in squares, a microstructure that enables it to depolymerize under certain conditions, advancing options for closed-loop recycling. As the […]
Stanford researcher Ryan Searcy collects water samples from a tide pool at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, in Moss Beach, California. Credit: Meghan Shea Using water samples and environmental data gathered over 48 hours or less, Stanford engineers develop a new predictive technique for forecasting coastal water quality, a critical step […]
WEST CUMBRIA MINING COMPANY Britain’s climate change leadership is being undercut by a government decision to allow a new coal mine in Cumbria, MPs have warned. The UK is hosting a UN climate summit in November, where it will urge other nations to phase out fossil fuels. The MPs say […]