Tag: Science
EPA science panel plows ahead with toxic chemical’s review, despite coronavirus crisis
TCE is used by dry cleaners, auto brake shops, parts manufacturing factories, paper mills, refineries and many other businesses large and small. On those job sites, tens of thousands of workers are exposed to amounts of…
On the front lines of developing a test for the coronavirus
By David Pride, University of California San Diego March 16, 2020 “That escalated quickly!” is a common trope used in popular culture to describe when a situation gets out of hand before you’ve even had a…
What really works to keep coronavirus away? 4 questions answered by a public health professional
Brian Labus, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Editor’s note: The World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has a higher fatality rate than the flu. As of March 4,…
Concerned about coronavirus? Here’s some simple advice. It’s easy. Why hand-washing really is as important as doctors say
Michelle Sconce Massaquoi, University of Oregon As the threat from the coronavirus grows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health officials are stressing the importance of hand-washing. Prevention becomes essential to stopping…
Why public health officials sound more worried about the coronavirus than the seasonal flu
Tom Duszynski, Indiana University The spread of the new coronavirus, which has infected over 80,000 people worldwide and resulted in the death of more than 3,000, has raised alarms around the world. At the same time,…
Key missteps at the CDC have set back its ability to detect the potential spread of Coronavirus
The CDC designed a flawed test for COVID-19, then took weeks to figure out a fix so state and local labs could use it. New York still doesn’t trust the test’s accuracy. by Caroline Chen, Marshall…
Temperature in Antarctica soars past 69°F as NOAA reports last month was world’s hottest January on record
While the reading in Antarctica still needs to be confirmed, the Brazilian scientists who logged it called the new record “incredible and abnormal.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on…
Report: ‘No Evidence That Fracking Can Operate Without Threatening Public Health’
More than 1,500 scientific studies on the health and climate impacts of fracking prove its dangerous effect on communities, wildlife and nature. By Tara Lohan, The Revelator In 2010 when I first started writing about hydraulic…
Trump’s final plan to open treasured public lands in Utah called ‘Sellout’ to big oil
The administration’s new managment plans “are the latest in a series of insults… that began when Trump illegally dismantled Bears Ears and Grand Staircase at the behest of corporate interests two years ago.” By Jessica Corbett,…
Last Chance to Voice Support for Key Environmental Law
The Trump administration wants to gut the National Environmental Policy Act, a move that would silence community criticism of destructive projects and give more power to industry. March 4, 2020 – by Tim Lydon One…
Modern tomatoes are very different from their wild ancestors – and these researchers found missing links in their evolution
The tomato’s path from wild plant to household staple is much more complex than researchers have long thought. For many years, scientists believed that humans domesticated the tomato in two major phases. Tomatoes’ ancestors looked very…
5 things you should know about the earth’s warming ocean
Climate change has caused record-breaking ocean temperatures, and that means more dangerous storms, trouble for coral reefs and big changes for our marine ecosystems. Oceans & Clean Water January 29, 2020 – by Tara Lohan The Revelator…
Why California is banning chlorpyrifos, a widely-used pesticide: 5 questions answered
Gina Solomon, University of California, San Francisco Editor’s note: California, the top U.S. food-producing state, is ending use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide associated with neurodevelopmental problems and impaired brain function in children. Gina Solomon, a principal…
‘We Have so much more to do,’ youth climate activists declare as global elite close out Davos forum
“It is time to get out of our comfort zones.” by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Youth climate activists marched through the streets of Davos, Switzerland Friday as the World Economic Forum wrapped up in a Fridays…
Stoneflies and mayflies, canaries of our streams
Experienced anglers recognize that for a trout, the ultimate “steak dinner” is a stonefly or mayfly. That’s why fly fishing enthusiasts will go to extreme lengths to imitate these graceful, elegant and fragile insects. The presence…
‘Our planet is seriously burning and the adults keep letting us down’: Ninth Circuit throws out youth climate case
“Seeking to quash this suit, the government bluntly insists that it has the absolute and unreviewable power to destroy the Nation,” wrote Judge Josephine Staton in a scathing dissent opinion. “My colleagues throw up their hands,…
Your blood type may influence your vulnerability to norovirus, the winter vomiting virus
By Patricia L. Foster, The Conversation January 10, 2020 In the last few months, schools all over the country have closed because of outbreaks of norovirus. Also known as stomach flu, norovirus infections cause watery diarrhea,…
Screen time: Conclusions about the effects of digital media are often incomplete, irrelevant or wrong
Humans are barraged by digital media 24/7. Is it a problem? Bruce Rolff/Shutterstock.com Byron Reeves, Stanford University; Nilam Ram, Pennsylvania State University, and Thomas N. Robinson, Stanford University There’s a lot of talk about digital media….
Archaeological discoveries are happening faster than ever before, helping refine the human story
Nearly a century ago, archaeologists started to shift the focus of human origins research from Europe to Africa’s ‘cradles of humankind’ like Oldupai (Olduvai) Gorge in Tanzania. What will the next big shifts be? Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo,…
