News of plastic-eating enzymes and insects has been making headlines in recent years. Take, for example, fungi that digests plastic in coastal salt marshes, or the greater wax moth caterpillar that can live on polyethylene in its larval stage. However, to utilize these plastic-eating organisms, scientists would need to be able to breed them in […]
In a win for farmers and endangered plants and wildlife, an Arizona district court has revoked the approval of the destructive pesticide dicamba, saying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law when it allowed it to be on the market. Dicamba-based weedkillers have been widely used on soybean and cotton crops genetically engineered […]
For the first time on record, the average global temperature has exceeded 1.5 degree Celsius over a 12-month period, according to new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Last month was also the hottest January worldwide since C3S records began in 1950, with an average air surface temperature that was 0.70 degrees Celsius […]
The estimated number of monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico for winter has reached its second-lowest level ever for the 2023 to 2024 overwintering season. The estimate, based on the size of the butterflies’ hibernating forest area, has dropped by about 59% from the previous year, according to officials. Experts are pointing to extensive heat and […]
A large-scale study in the United States has found that one out of 10 premature births is linked with pregnant women’s exposure to phthalates — chemicals commonly found in consumer plastic goods. Frequently used to soften plastic, phthalates are found in items from plastic wrapping and containers to toys and personal care products, reported AFP. […]
Mexico’s 966-mile Yucatán Peninsula Maya Train rail project — Tren Maya — is causing concern because of the potential for harm to environmentally sensitive areas like an ancient ecosystem of thousands of subterranean caves. In late 2023, a southeastern portion of the train service connecting Cancún opened, with the government announcing the remaining routes would […]
For the first time, India has completed a survey of snow leopards, finding an estimated 718 cats living in the country. Snow leopards live in a harsh environment, high in the Himalayas. That has long made it difficult for scientists to study these animals, let alone complete a thorough survey. The first-ever Snow Leopard Population […]
A new study using marine sponges collected off the coast of Puerto Rico has found that the planet has already warmed more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Researchers analyzed ocean temperature records from sea sponges going back 300 years, a press release from The University of Western Australia (UWA) said. They concluded that global heating had […]
Like with so many products, staring at the shelf of chocolate chips and baking bars can be overwhelming. What are the “right” labels to pay attention to: “Certified Compostable,” “Direct Trade” or “Fair Trade?” Does higher price mean better wages for the workers that produced it? Cacao is produced in humid regions near the equator […]
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