Meat consumption, especially if the meat was raised using factory farming, is a major contributor to a host of environmental problems including biodiversity loss, pollution and the climate crisis. In fact, some scientists even say that going vegan is the single most important thing an individual can do to reduce their impact on the planet […]
One day, your favorite gummy candies may be made, in part, from recycled wind turbines. Researchers at Michigan State University have developed a composite resin that can be used to make wind turbines that are more easily recycled into other products. The composite resin could be reused for other items ranging from vehicle taillights to […]
With the world experiencing more extreme weather due to climate change, landscapes are being altered and ecosystems are having to respond quickly. So which species are going to struggle and which are going to fare relatively well as extended droughts, heavy rains and floods reshape the world’s terrain? In a new study, biologists Christie Le […]
By A. Daniel Jones and Hui Li PFAS chemicals seemed like a good idea at first. As Teflon, they made pots easier to clean starting in the 1940s. They made jackets waterproof and carpets stain-resistant. Food wrappers, firefighting foam, even makeup seemed better with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Then tests started detecting PFAS in people’s […]
In the Netherlands, cycling is a way of life and is so common that there are more bikes than people, according to BBC News. As many as 70 percent of journeys are by bike in cities like The Hague and Amsterdam. Cycling can be a significant way to reduce a person’s carbon footprint, as using […]
Bumblebees are larger than honeybees and, while they collect and store nectar from flowers to consume themselves, they do not convert nectar into honey like honeybees. Bumblebees are essential pollinators for many wildflowers and agricultural crops like sunflowers, cranberries, blueberries and tomatoes. Two contemporaneous papers examining bumblebee populations in the UK were recently published by […]
Plastic pollution is an international problem, as trillions of pieces of plastic have made their way into the ocean from commercial and household waste, blown from landfills and trash cans into sewers and rivers and out to sea. Marine animals can ingest and become entangled in ocean plastic, leading to sickness, starvation and death. Plastic […]
By Liz Kimbrough In the mountains of Colombia, an experienced bird-watcher saw an iridescent flash of blue and green. “A hummingbird caught my attention. I got out my binoculars and was shocked to see that it was a Santa Marta sabrewing,” Yurgen Vega said. “This sighting was a complete surprise, but a very welcome one.” […]
Tropical storms are increasingly forming and making landfall before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season as ocean temperatures warm, a new study published in Nature Communications finds. The study’s publication comes as NOAA considers moving the official June 1 start date up to May 15. As reported by The Washington Post: The start date is […]