Australians are washing microplastics down the drain and it"s ending up on farms
Australian wastewater treatment plants produce thousands of tons of treated sewage sludge every year. This nutrient-rich material is then dried to make "biosolids," which are used to fertilize agricultural soil......»»
From sand to superposition: A key step toward a powerful silicon quantum computer
Whether it's our phones, cars, televisions, medical devices or even washing machines, we now have computers everywhere......»»
OpenAI’s Sora was leaked in protest over allegations of ‘art washing’
A group calling itself Sora PR Puppets briefly leaked access to OpenAI's unreleased video generator in protest of the company's alleged exploitation of artists through its early access program......»»
Exploring the impact of offshore wind on whale deaths
In the winter of 2022–2023, nearly a dozen whales died off the coast of New Jersey, near the sites of several proposed wind farms. Their deaths prompted concern that related survey work being conducted in the area somehow contributed to their death.....»»
Educating young people about social media could be far more effective than a ban—Finland can show us how
The federal government's proposed social media ban for under-16s has sparked widespread debate, affecting millions of young Australians, their families and educators. But will it actually work?.....»»
Durable supramolecular plastic is fully ocean-degradable and doesn"t generate microplastics
Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have developed a new durable plastic that won't pollute our oceans. The new material is as strong as conventional plastics and biodegradable, but what makes it spec.....»»
Delaware River water levels at 60% as salt front increases amid drought
Parched farms, wildfires, and browned vistas are highly visible signs of this fall's drought......»»
Research reveals even single-cell organisms exhibit habituation, a simple form of learning
A dog learns to sit on command, a person hears and eventually tunes out the hum of a washing machine while reading … The capacity to learn and adapt is central to evolution and, indeed, survival......»»
World"s first visual grading system developed to combat microplastic fashion pollution
More than 14 million metric tons of microplastics are estimated to be lying on the ocean floor with the fashion industry among the worst pollutants......»»
Water under Threat, Wooden Satellites and a Mud Bath for Baseballs
Droughts in 48 of 50 U.S. states, evidence of microplastics mucking up wastewater recycling and the science of a baseball mud bath in this week’s news roundup......»»
Researchers call for recognition of tire particles as a distinct environmental threat
A new study led by an international team of scientists highlights tire particles (TPs) as the leading contributor to microplastics and calls for urgent, targeted research to address their unique environmental and health risks......»»
New strategies needed to combat immune system-damaging poultry virus detected on UK farms
Researchers working to understand the prevalence of a virus that can severely damage the immune system of chickens have said that new strategies are needed to improve the control of the disease in the UK......»»
Microplastics Could Be Making the Weather Worse
Microplastics cause clouds to form in places where they wouldn't otherwise, which is likely to have knock-on effects on the weather and climate......»»
Research team investigates climate change impact on pecan orchards
How are U.S. agricultural crops affected by climate change? A research team from The University of Texas at El Paso aims to find out, starting with the region's pecan farms......»»
Airborne microplastics aid in cloud formation
It turns out microplastics have an effect on the weather and climate. Clouds form when water vapor—an invisible gas in the atmosphere—sticks to tiny floating particles, such.....»»
Australians who think inequality is high have less faith in democratic institutions, according to study
Central to Australia's cultural and political identity is the notion of a "fair go." But recent elections, including in the United States, have highlighted the challenge of maintaining shared norms and support for institutions when many voters don't.....»»
Mysterious Sydney beach blobs: Scientists uncover their complex composition
A multi-disciplinary team of scientists have made significant progress in understanding the origins of the mysterious black balls washing ashore on Sydney beaches......»»
Pathogens that cling to microplastics may survive wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment fails to kill several human pathogens when they hide out on microplastics in the water, reports a study led by Ingun Lund Witsø of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, published November 6, 2024 in the open-access journal.....»»
Exploring the extraordinary potential (and avoiding the pitfalls) of your local Buy Nothing group
You might have heard about your local Buy Nothing Project group on Facebook. If not, you probably know someone who's a member. We estimate at least one million Australians are involved as members or live in households with a member (probably their mu.....»»
Solar milking tech boosts dairy farms in Malawi
When Robert Mbendera started out as a small-scale dairy farmer in rural Malawi 20 years ago, milking the one cow he owned was an arduous, time-consuming process......»»
Better understanding of Indigenous cultural burning may lead to improved forest management in Australia
Ancient cultural burning practices carried out by Indigenous Australians limited fuel availability and prevented high intensity fires in southeastern Australia for thousands of years, according to new research from The Australian National University.....»»