A new catalyst made from an inexpensive, abundant metal and common table sugar has the power to destroy carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. In a new Northwestern University study, the catalyst successfully converted CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO), an important building block to produce a variety of useful chemicals. When the reaction occurs in the presence … Read more
Lawyers for the city teacher’s union have ripped the decision by the MTA to set a June 30 date for the start of $15 congestion pricing — saying it shows the agency is not reconsidering the environmental impacts of the scheme, according to a new filing in their federal suit. “We believe it fair to … Read more
With recent studies having established the presence of nano and microplastic particles in the respiratory systems of both human and bird populations, a new University of Technology Sydney (UTS) study has modelled what happens when people breathe in different kinds of plastic particles and where they end up. Led by Senior Lecturer of Mechanical Engineering … Read more
Common household products containing nanoparticles — grains of engineered material so miniscule they are invisible to the eye — could be contributing to a new form of indoor air pollution, according to a Rutgers study. In a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, a team of Rutgers researchers found people walking … Read more
Carbon emissions associated with air travel to professional conferences make up a sizable fraction of the emissions produced by researchers in academia. Andrea Gokus, a McDonnell Center postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, is advocating for a reduction of these emissions. In a paper … Read more
When scientists look at the Earth’s available water for ecosystem services, they don’t just look at precipitation. They must also account for water moving from the ground to the atmosphere, a process known as evapotranspiration (ET). ET includes evaporation from soil and open water pools such as lakes, rivers, and ponds, as well as transpiration … Read more
The link between massive flood basalt volcanism and the end-Triassic (201 million years ago) mass-extinction is commonly accepted. However, exactly how volcanism led to the collapse of ecosystems and the extinction of entire families of organisms is difficult to establish. Extreme climate change from the release of carbon dioxide, degradation of the ozone layer due … Read more
Researchers at the University of Vienna, along with collaborators from France, Germany, Switzerland and the USA, have achieved a major breakthrough in understanding how genetic drivers influence the evolution of a specific photosynthesis mechanism in Tillandsia (air plants). This sheds light on the complex actions that cause plant adaptation and ecological diversity. The results of … Read more
A landmark study conducted by the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; Bucknell University; Penn State University; and the USDA has shed light onto the precarious situation facing firefly populations across North America. The study’s results identified multiple factors impacting their numbers, offering a deep dive into how shifting environmental and … Read more
Nearly a quarter of Americans (22%) have missed out on at least five outdoor events they wanted to attend over the past year because of allergies (65%), according to new research. In a survey of 2,000 adults, half of whom have perennial/seasonal allergies, found that respondents said having allergies or knowing someone who does has … Read more