New Delhi’s air pollution is more severe than previously estimated with particles absorbing atmospheric water vapour leading to particulate matter levels across the city being underestimated by up to 20%, a new study reveals. Hygroscopic growth causes fine particulate matter (PM1) to swell, reducing sampling devices efficiency and leading to underestimation, with greatest underestimation in … Read more
Theater review A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. At BAM, 651 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, through April 6. Audiences are boarding “A Streetcar Named Desire” — or, rather, a train called Q — in droves to experience “Gladiator II” star Paul Mescal onstage in Brooklyn. And, as brutish Stanley … Read more
Earth is absorbing more sunlight and trapping more heat than it releases into space, causing our planet to warm up at an increasing rate. New research shows that cloudy areas over oceans are reflecting less sunlight to space than before, adding to heating from rising greenhouse gas levels and causing climate change to accelerate. The … Read more
Harnessing moisture from air, Northwestern University chemists have developed a simple new method for breaking down plastic waste. The non-toxic, environmentally friendly, solvent-free process first uses an inexpensive catalyst to break apart the bonds in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic in the polyester family. Then, the researchers merely expose the broken pieces to … Read more
When artificial intelligence-backed tractors became available to vineyards, Tom Gamble wanted to be an early adopter. He knew there would be a learning curve, but Gamble decided the technology was worth figuring out. The third-generation farmer bought one autonomous tractor. He plans on deploying its self-driving feature this spring and is currently using the tractor’s … Read more
This puts the fun in fungus. A Reddit user has gone viral on the social media platform after sharing a veritable science experiment involving a “sponge-looking” growth in her bathroom shower. Shocking images shared recently by user This-Scratch8016 received over 18,000 upvotes across several Reddit subforums, most notably in /r/MoldlyInteresting where she initially described the … Read more
A new study from the University of Georgia College of Public Health focuses on the powerful role our surroundings play in shaping dementia risk. Led by Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management Suhang Song, this meta-analysis demonstrates that factors including air pollution and access to green or blue spaces can significantly raise or lower … Read more
The United Nations is at a crossroads. President Trump pulled out of the World Health Organization, cut funding for the UN’s Climate Convention, and more withdrawals are likely in the pipeline. He calls the UN an “underperformer,” suggesting it is a swamp to be drained. At this critical juncture, one could reasonably assume the UN … Read more
A collaborative research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and the National Center for Applied Mathematics Shenzhen (NCAMS) has introduced a nitrogen-centric framework that explains the light-absorbing effects of atmospheric organic aerosols. Published in Science, this groundbreaking study reveals that nitrogen-containing … Read more
Urban highways promise to get people to their destinations faster — and bring them together. But at the same time, they reduce social connections between people within the city, especially at distances of less than 5 km, according to a study involving the Complexity Science Hub published in PNAS. “In this study, we use the … Read more