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Prototypes designed and built by Kay et al. contain several layers of channels, each of which contain fluids with various optical properties; by pumping the fluids in and out of the channels, the system can optimize the type, quantity and distribution of light passing through. Image credit: Raphael Kay / Adrian So.

Researchers Create Squid-Inspired ‘Liquid Windows’

Feb 1, 2023 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the University of Toronto has developed a multilayered fluidic system that can reduce the energy costs of heating, cooling and...

Oil-damaged feathers of the Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) under a digital high-powered microscope. The microstructure within the feather clumps together after exposure to oil, letting water pass through more easily. Image credit: Richard Unitt, University College Cork.

Tiny Amounts of Crude Oil Can Damage Feathers of Seabirds, New Study Shows

Oct 6, 2022 by News Staff

Scientists have investigated the effects of surface crude oil on the feather structure of the Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), a species of seabird...

A cinnabar-painted vessel from the Maya site of Kaminaljuyu in southern Guatemala. Image credit: Kidder et al. / Cook et al., doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.986119.

Settlements of Ancient Maya were Contaminated with Mercury, Scientists Say

Sep 23, 2022 by News Staff

The ancient Maya in Mesoamerica used mercury — predominantly cinnabar, but rarely elemental mercury — for decorative and ceremonial purposes,...

The annual energy consumption of the Bitcoin blockchain in China is expected to peak in 2024 at 296.59 Twh and generate 130.50 million metric tons of carbon emission. Image credit: Aaron Olson.

China’s Bitcoin Miners Will Consume as Much Energy as Mid-Sized Country within Three Years

Apr 14, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Given the current trends in Bitcoin mining, Chinese researchers estimate that the energy consumption from this process in their country alone will peak...

The paper device is folded and unfolded in steps to filter the nucleic acids of pathogens from wastewater samples, then a biochemical reaction with preloaded reagents detects whether the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 infection is present; the results are visible to the naked eye: a green circle indicating positive and a blue circle negative. Image credit: Cranfield University.

Paper-Based Device Could Detect SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus in Wastewater

Apr 6, 2020 by News Staff

An approach called the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), which is already recognized as an effective way to trace illicit drugs and obtain information...

Third-hand smoke originates from the direct contamination of surfaces (e.g., smokers’ bodies and clothes, indoor furnishings and surfaces, and building materials) with hazardous organic compounds from tobacco combustion but does not include airborne primary particles. Image credit: Aamir Mohd Khan.

Third-Hand Tobacco Smoke is Real Threat to Public Health, Study Shows

Mar 23, 2020 by News Staff

Third-hand smoke is a residual contamination from cigarette smoking that adheres to walls and other surfaces in places where smoking has previously occurred....

Turner et al estimated a LEGO brick could survive in the ocean for as many as 1,300 years. Image credit: Turner et al, doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114299.

LEGO Bricks Could Survive in Ocean for as Many as 1,300 Years

Mar 17, 2020 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of Plymouth, Rame Peninsula Beach Care and the Lego Lost at Sea Project examined the extent to which classic...

Brandon et al investigated the fate of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane in polystyrene-degrading mealworms and in mealworm-fed shrimp. Image credit: Andrew Martin.

Mealworms Can Safely Biodegrade Toxic Additive-Containing Plastic

Jan 2, 2020 by News Staff

Common mealworms, the larvae of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor), can consume toxic additives in polystyrene with no ill effects; the worms can then...

In this diagram of the new system, air entering from top right passes to one of two chambers (the gray rectangular structures) containing battery electrodes that attract carbon dioxide; then the airflow is switched to the other chamber, while the accumulated carbon dioxide in the first chamber is flushed into a separate storage tank (at right); these alternating flows allow for continuous operation of the two-step process. Image credit: Sahag Voskian & T. Alan Hatton, MIT.

New Electrochemical Device Removes Carbon Dioxide from Stream of Air

Oct 25, 2019 by News Staff

The new device, developed by researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT, is based on passing air through a stack of charged electrochemical...

Littered cigarette filters reduce growth and alter short-term primary productivity of terrestrial plants. Image credit: Green et al, doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109418.

Study: Littered Cigarette Butts Significantly Reduce Plant Growth

Jul 24, 2019 by News Staff

Most cigarette butts contain a filter made of cellulose acetate fiber, a type of a bioplastic. Around 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered every year,...

The Castle Bravo nuclear weapon test on Bikini Atoll. Image credit: U.S. Department of Energy.

Northern Marshall Islands More Radioactive than Chernobyl and Fukushima, New Research Finds

Jul 18, 2019 by Enrico de Lazaro

From 1946 to 1958, the U.S. tested 67 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands, a remote constellation of atolls in the Pacific Ocean that was then a U.S....

A carrier bag labeled as biodegradable after three years in the marine environment. Image credit: Napper & Thompson, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b06984.

Biodegradable Bags Survive 3 Years in Soil and Marine Environment

Apr 30, 2019 by News Staff

According to a new study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, biodegradable plastic bags are capable of carrying full loads...

Genetically modified pothos ivy (Epipremnum aureum). Image credit: Mark Stone / University of Washington.

Genetically Modified Houseplant Can Clean Indoor Air

Dec 27, 2018 by News Staff

A team of scientists at the University of Washington has genetically modified a common houseplant, the pothos ivy (Epipremnum aureum), to efficiently remove...

Exposure to outdoor air pollution may be one of the pathways that contribute to the health inequities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities. Image credit: Ralf Vetterle.

Scientists Find Link between Air Pollution and Intellectual Disabilities in Children

Nov 23, 2018 by News Staff

Levels of exposure to outdoor air pollution among children with intellectual disabilities are significantly higher than those of children without intellectual...

Wind and solar farms are known to have local effects on heat, humidity and other factors that may be beneficial to the regions in which they are situated. Image credit: Erich Westendarp.

Large-Scale Solar and Wind Farms in Sahara Would Increase Rain and Vegetation

Sep 10, 2018 by News Staff

Energy generation by wind and solar farms could reduce carbon emissions and thus mitigate anthropogenic climate change. A new climate-modeling study, published...

A day in Ancient Rome, being a revision of Lohr’s ‘Aus dem alten Rom,’ with numerous illustrations, by Edgar S. Shumway. Image credit: Internet Archive Book Images.

Lead Pollution Recorded in Deep Greenland Ice Shows Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations

May 18, 2018 by News Staff

Annual lead emissions in Europe closely varied with historical events, including imperial expansion, wars, and major plagues, according to new research...

Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber), a mother and her kit. Image credit: Ray Scott / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Beavers Could Help Curb Soil Erosion, Clean Up Polluted Rivers

May 10, 2018 by News Staff

A new study, undertaken by a team of University of Exeter researchers using captive Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber), has demonstrated the significant impact...

A well-preserved scale extracted from a lake sediment core. Image credit: Montoro Girona et al, doi: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00002.

Fossil Moth Scales Can Uncover Prehistoric Secrets, Scientists Say

Feb 23, 2018 by News Staff

A groundbreaking new technique for studying lake sediments can tell scientists more about the frequency and intensity of past and future insect epidemics,...

Perera et al find babies exposed in the womb to high levels of air pollution had shortened telomeres. Image credit: Chris LeBoutillier.

Study: High Levels of Air Pollution May Shorten Telomeres in Newborns

Jan 25, 2018 by News Staff

A new study, conducted before and after the 2004 closure of a coal-burning power plant in China, found children born before the closure had shorter telomeres...