Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities

Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities

If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study. The new study, which simulates air … Read more

Scientists invent a bright way to upcycle plastics into liquids that can store hydrogen energy

Scientists invent a bright way to upcycle plastics into liquids that can store hydrogen energy

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created a process that can upcycle most plastics into chemical ingredients useful for energy storage, using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a commercially available catalyst, all at room temperature. The new process is very energy-efficient and can be easily powered by renewable energy in the future, unlike … Read more

Some spiders can transfer mercury contamination to land animals

Some spiders can transfer mercury contamination to land animals

Sitting calmly in their webs, many spiders wait for prey to come to them. Arachnids along lakes and rivers eat aquatic insects, such as dragonflies. But, when these insects live in mercury-contaminated waterways, they can pass the metal along to the spiders that feed on them. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology … Read more

Roadside hedges can reduce harmful ultrafine particle pollution around schools

Roadside hedges can reduce harmful ultrafine particle pollution around schools

A new study led by Cambridge University confirms that planting hedges between roadsides and school playgrounds can dramatically reduce children’s exposure to traffic-related particle pollution. The research, a collaboration with Lancaster University, found that hedges can act as protective barriers against air pollution from major city roads by soaking up significant quantities of harmful particles … Read more