"Noisome stinking scum": How Londoners protested river pollution in the 1600s
The U.K. government and water companies have recently been heavily criticized for allowing raw sewage and other pollutants to spill into the nation's waterways......»»
The geometry of life: Physicists determine what controls biofilm growth
From plaque sticking to teeth to scum on a pond, biofilms can be found nearly everywhere. These colonies of bacteria grow on implanted medical devices, our skin, contact lenses, and in our guts and lungs. They can be found in sewers and drainage syst.....»»
Warming Baltic Sea: a red flag for global oceans
Climate change combined with pollution from farming and forestry could flip northern Europe's Baltic Sea from being a sponge for CO2 to a source of the planet-warming gas, scientists studying told AFP......»»
Complete genome and toxin genes of the microalgae from the Oder River disaster decoded
In the summer of 2022, around 1,000 tons of fish, mussels and snails died in the River Oder. Although the disaster was manmade, the immediate cause of death was the toxin of a microalgae with the scientific collective name Prymnesium parvum, often re.....»»
Lithium ion batteries a growing source of PFAS pollution, study finds
Texas Tech University's Jennifer Guelfo was part of a research team that found the use of a novel sub-class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) in lithium ion batteries is a growing source of pollution in air and water......»»
Did Hawaii just pave the way for court enforcement of California"s climate promises?
Last month, 13 young Hawaiian plaintiffs were set to take the state's Department of Transportation to trial for failing to make real headway on reducing planet-warming pollution. Instead, on the eve of their court date, the youths inked a groundbreak.....»»
Our clothes generate microplastics that pollute the St. Lawrence River and other bodies of water, say researchers
Our clothes are made mainly of plastic......»»
Norway could lead the fight against plastic pollution
Norway's coastline is littered with plastics from around the world. Plastic pollution is a global problem, but Norway can be a role model in putting an end to it......»»
Can we make "citizen science" better?
During a stifling heat wave in August 2021, 80 volunteers from Massachusetts communities along the Mystic River fixed sensors to their car windows and bicycles, traveling along 19 predetermined routes recording ambient temperature and humidity levels.....»»
New study challenges drought theory for Cahokia exodus
Nine hundred years ago, the Cahokia Mounds settlement just across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis bustled with roughly 50,000 people in the metropolitan area, making it one of the largest communities in the world. By 1400, however, t.....»»
Physicists explore how fluctuations shape transport networks
Understanding how transport networks, such as river systems, form and evolve is crucial to optimizing their stability and resilience. It turns out that networks are not all alike. Tree-like structures are adequate for transport, while networks contai.....»»
Study reveals ancient Nile floods were highly variable during wetter climates
Global warming as well as recent droughts and floods threaten large populations along the Nile Valley. Understanding how such a large river will respond to an invigorated hydrological cycle is therefore a pressing issue. Insights can be gained by stu.....»»
Air So Polluted It Can Kill Isn’t Being Taken Seriously Enough
Toxic air kills over half a million children every year, yet only once has air pollution been listed as a cause of death on a death certificate......»»
Dubai rowers to brave Arctic to highlight plastics pollution
At an indoor pool in Dubai, three rowers battle artificial rain and simulated waves as they train for an Arctic voyage intended to highlight the perils of marine pollution......»»
Lawsuit claims Irmo plant polluted Saluda River with toxic chemicals
A hulking manufacturing plant in Irmo is being accused of contaminating the lower Saluda River and drinking water supplies after dumping toxic forever chemicals into the scenic waterway and its floodplain for years......»»
Experts warn of sewage, E. coli in Missouri River: Flooding could make quality worse
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment advised residents last week to stay out of the Missouri River due to contamination from raw sewage and E. coli bacteria. Five days later, the river is still dangerous to enter—both due to high water l.....»»
Here’s how Michelin plans to make its tires more renewable
The tire company wants a completely sustainable tire by 2050. Enlarge / Tires are a growing source of microplastic pollution. Michelin says it wants to change that. (credit: Getty Images) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—it's mo.....»»
Novel mobile air monitoring technology yields greater insight into post-disaster pollution levels
A team including researchers from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health and School of Medicine has found that high resolution mass spectrometry could be a valuable tool for identifying and assessing air-borne contaminants produced by natur.....»»
NASA releases new high-quality, near real-time air quality data
NASA has made new data available that can provide air pollution observations at unprecedented resolutions—down to the scale of individual neighborhoods. The near real-time data comes from the agency's TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Po.....»»
Antibiotic pollution disrupts the gut microbiome and blocks memory in aquatic snails, study finds
Antibiotics prevent snails from forming new memories by disrupting their gut microbiome—the community of beneficial bacteria found in their guts......»»
Study shows unbalanced air quality improvements can increase forest fires
If we want cleaner air, fewer forest fires, and less severe climate change, a new UC Riverside study shows we must reduce aerosol pollution and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide at the same time......»»