Train derailments get more headlines, but truck crashes involving hazardous chemicals are more frequent and deadly in US
Less than two weeks after train cars filled with hazardous chemicals derailed in Ohio and caught fire, a truck carrying nitric acid crashed on a major highway outside Tucson, Arizona, killing the driver and releasing toxic chemicals into the air......»»
Evacuations as tail of Storm Boris floods northeast Italy
Italian authorities have evacuated some 1,000 people from homes as the tail end of Storm Boris pummel a northeastern region that was devastated by deadly flooding last year, regional authorities said on Thursday......»»
Deadly Portugal wildfires force new evacuations
Deadly wildfires raging in Portugal have forced more people to evacuate their homes as crews battled dozens of blazes on Wednesday in the nation's north......»»
Tiny robots and AI algorithms could help to craft material solutions for cleaner environments
Many human activities release pollutants into the air, water and soil. These harmful chemicals threaten the health of both people and the ecosystem. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution causes an estimated 4.2 million deaths annu.....»»
Over 3,600 food packaging chemicals found in human bodies
More than 3,600 chemicals used in food packaging or preparation have been detected in human bodies, some of which are hazardous to health, while little is known about others, a study said Tuesday......»»
The air quality in Big Bear suddenly reached hazardous levels this week: What happened?
Plumes of smoke from Southern California's fires blew across Big Bear on Sept. 11, causing local air quality meters to return off-the-chart readings for particulate pollution......»»
Using sunlight to turn greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals
McGill University researchers have harnessed the power of sunlight to transform two of the most harmful greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals. The discovery could help combat climate change and provide a more sustainable way to produce certain ind.....»»
The ripple effects of regulatory actions on CISO reporting
In this Help Net Security video, Sara Behar, Content Manager at YL Ventures, discusses how recent regulatory actions and high-profile legal incidents involving cybersecurity leaders have influenced CISO reporting. In a recent report of the CISO Circu.....»»
Exploring ternary metal sulfides as electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction reactions
One of the most promising avenues for actively reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere is recycling it into valuable chemicals via electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reactions. With a suitable electrocatalyst, this can be achieved under mild conditions and.....»»
Urban forests could help reduce heat-related mortality, study suggests
Across the globe, heat waves are becoming more frequent and more intense. Therefore, how to effectively combat the adverse effects of heat is an increasingly important topic of research......»»
New method to break down forever chemicals uses nanoparticles and ultrasound
What do firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, water-repellent textiles and pesticides all have in common? They all contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS—human-made chemicals that don't break down naturally. It's no wonder, then, tha.....»»
Enzyme-inspired catalyst puts chemicals in right position to make ethers
Taking inspiration from enzymes, chemists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a catalyst to simplify the synthesis of ethers, key functional components of many drugs, foods, personal care items and other consumer goods. The catal.....»»
Catalyzing environmental cleanup: A highly active and selective molecular catalyst and electrified membrane
Some chemicals create environmental problems; others, fortunately, can help clean them up. Chemists from Yale University and their colleagues have developed an electrochemical catalyst and membrane that offers an efficient and sustainable way to trea.....»»
"Staggering" destruction in Yemen after deadly flash flooding
Sitting by their ruined home, Abu Ibrahim wept for his son and seven grandchildren killed by flash floods in Yemen, where increasingly severe downpours are piling more misery on the impoverished, war-torn country......»»
Elucidating the mechanism underlying de novo membrane formation during gametogenesis
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have meticulously examined the gametogenesis of budding yeast, a process involving meiosis and spore formation, using live imaging techniques. Their findings reveal that during sporulation, the endoplasmic reticul.....»»
Human drivers keep rear-ending Waymos
We took a close look at the 23 most serious Waymo crashes. Enlarge / A Waymo vehicle in San Francisco. (credit: Photo by JasonDoiy via Getty Images) On a Friday evening last November, police chased a silver sedan across.....»»
Hanoi river level hits 20-year high as SE Asia typhoon toll nears 200
Residents of Vietnam's capital waded through waist-deep water Wednesday as river levels hit a 20-year high and the toll from the area's strongest typhoon in decades rose to at least 179, with neighboring nations also enduring deadly flooding and land.....»»
Summer storms found to be stronger and more frequent over urban areas
Summer storms are generally more frequent, intense and concentrated over cities than over rural areas, according to new, detailed observations of eight cities and their surroundings. The results could change how city planners prepare for floods in th.....»»
Driverless semis could be months away
I visited two startups working to bring driverless technology to long-haul trucking. Enlarge / An Aurora truck departs the company’s depot in Palmer, Texas. (credit: Aurora) On a sunny morning in December, an 18-wheel.....»»
Tech stack uniformity has become a systemic vulnerability
Crashes due to faulty updates are nothing new; in fact, one reason IT teams often delay updates is their unreliability and tendency to disrupt the organization’s day-to-day operations. Zero-days are also an old phenomenon. In the past, due to a lac.....»»
Zeolite catalyst method uses microwaves to convert waste cooking oil into useful chemicals
Researchers from Kyushu University have revealed that a zeolite material called Na-ZSM-5 is effective in improving the chemical conversion of biomass into olefins—a precursor chemical that makes everything from plastics to pharmaceuticals—using m.....»»