Microplastics are found nearly everywhere on Earth and can be harmful to animals if they’re ingested. But it’s hard to remove such tiny particles from the environment, especially once they settle into nooks and crannies at the bottom of waterways. Now, researchers in ACS’ Nano Letters have created a light-activated fish robot that “swims” around … Read more
A new study finds that having a portable air cleaner in the home can reduce the negative impacts of air pollution on brain development in children. Simon Fraser University researchers collaborated with U.S. and Mongolian scientists to study the benefits of using air filters to reduce exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, and assessed the … Read more
It’s hard to forget the excruciating heat that blanketed the Pacific Northwest in late June 2021. Temperatures in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia soared to well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with Seattle setting an all-time heat record of 108 degrees on June 28. During the heat wave, also called a heat dome, scientists and community … Read more
Agricultural pollution comes from the prairie, but its economic impact on humans is a problem for cities. A study led by environmental scientists at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering puts numbers to the toll of reactive nitrogen species produced in America’s croplands. The study led by Daniel Cohan, an associate professor of … Read more
Forty-three of the most pollution-affected districts in India are in the Indo-Gangetic Plain; Leh is the least-affected of the 687 districts analysed in the study by the University of Chicago An analysis of district-wise data of University of Chicago (EPIC)’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) has shown that residents of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi … Read more
Some residents of Belmont County in eastern Ohio have long suffered from headaches, fatigue, nausea and burning sensations in their throats and noses. They suspected these symptoms were the result of air pollution from fracking facilities that dominate the area, but regulators dismissed and downplayed their concerns. With the technical assistance of volunteer scientists at … Read more
Slashing emissions of carbon dioxide by itself isn’t enough to prevent catastrophic global warming, a new study shows. But if we simultaneously also reduce emissions of methane and other often overlooked climate pollutants, we could cut the rate of global warming in half by 2050 and give the world a fighting chance. The study, appearing … Read more
Life-threatening arrhythmias are more common on days with highly polluted air, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The study was conducted in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), enabling the authors to track the occurrence of arrhythmias and delivery of life-saving … Read more