How air pollution and wildfire smoke may contribute to memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease

How air pollution and wildfire smoke may contribute to memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease

Air pollution contributes to nearly 7 million premature deaths each year, and its effects go far beyond the lungs. Breathing in wildfire smoke or automobile-related city smog doesn’t just increase the risk of asthma and heart disease — it may also contribute to brain conditions as diverse as Alzheimer’s and autism. Scientists at Scripps Research … Read more

Birds breathe in dangerous plastics — and so do we

Birds breathe in dangerous plastics — and so do we

Microscopic plastic pollutants drifting through the air are lodging in the lungs of birds, a new University of Texas at Arlington study finds. Researchers worldwide are increasingly alarmed by how pervasive these harmful particles are in the air humans breathe and the food they eat. Shane DuBay, an assistant professor of biology at UTA and … Read more

Scalp cleanings have NYC women spending up to $500 for trendy analysis, treatments

Scalp cleanings have NYC women spending up to 0 for trendy analysis, treatments

Now this makes NYC’s infamous $70 blowouts seem affordable. Stressed-out New Yorkers battling increased air pollution and hair loss or those just bored with basic wash and dry are turning to scalp cleanings — paying up to $500 in posh uptown salons for the trendy treatments. Combining ancient massage techniques long popular in Asia with cutting-edge technology, it’s … Read more

An emissions tale of two cities: Salt Lake City vs. Los Angeles

An emissions tale of two cities: Salt Lake City vs. Los Angeles

They may both be Olympic host cities, but Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the major population hubs of their respective states, are much different places. However, they both experience poor air quality and share valley topography that traps pollutants during weather inversions. Utah and Southern California differ sharply in their approaches to this problem, … Read more

Are our refrigerants environmentally safe? The lingering questions about the chemicals keeping us cool

Are our refrigerants environmentally safe? The lingering questions about the chemicals keeping us cool

A team of scientists at UNSW has discovered that some of the most important new refrigerants break down, in part, into persistent greenhouse gas pollutants, including compounds that have been banned internationally. Refrigerants are chemicals that turn from a liquid to a gas — and vice-versa — and transfer heat in the process, that are … Read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous creation is getting a facelift

Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous creation is getting a facelift

Leaks abound at Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous home, the Wall Street Journal reported, and repairs are costing 40 times what it cost to construct it. The gravity-defying Fallingwater is looking forlorn in recent months with a thick barrier of scaffolding. The efforts of its steward, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, to fix dozens of leaks … Read more

Living in extreme heat can age you faster, new study finds

Living in extreme heat can age you faster, new study finds

With its sunny beaches and year-round warm weather, Florida has long been known as a popular place to retire.  But if you’re worried about speeding up the rate at which you get older, a new study may give you pause about choosing to live there in your twilight years.  Researchers found that extreme heat can … Read more

Lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano creates ‘showers of gold’

Lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano creates ‘showers of gold’

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is at it again, with lava from the latest eruptive episode shooting nearly 600 feet into the air. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), episode 11 of the Halema’uma’u eruption within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park got underway just before 6:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET) on Tuesday. Officials said the eruption began with small lava … Read more

Stop wrinkles, gray hair with these hormones

Stop wrinkles, gray hair with these hormones

Watching your hair gray and your skin crease has long been considered an inevitable part of life, but a new study has revealed promising avenues for combating visible signs of aging. Few hormones have been used in anti-aging skincare — mainly topical retinoids like retinol and tretinoin, as well as estrogen, which treats symptoms related … Read more