Pollution News and Research

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UConn researcher aims to fill knowledge gaps in the fight against invasive plants

Invasive species of plants have a knack for settling in new settings and making big changes to an ecosystem, even leading to extinctions of native species.

12 Dec 2022

Evolution of tree roots may have triggered ancient, global-scale extinction events

The evolution of tree roots may have triggered a series of mass extinctions that rocked the Earth's oceans during the Devonian Period over 300 million years ago, according to a study led by scientists at IUPUI, along with colleagues in the United Kingdom.

10 Nov 2022

“Screen-first” approach mines microbes directly from the environment

The best method now available for researchers to isolate a specific microorganism with a given metabolic function from an environment is to collect a sample of cells, culture them, and then test them for the desired cell functions.

4 Nov 2022

Sustainable seaweed-based wrapper could solve fast-food packaging problem

Flinders University materials researchers and pioneering German biomaterials developer one • fıve are using seaweed extracts to develop next-generation biopolymer coating materials that could solve packaging waste dilemmas for the fast-food industry.

14 Oct 2022

Rising winter temperatures and rainfall pose a significant new threat to U.S. water quality

Scientists are ringing alarm bells about a significant new threat to U.S. water quality: as winters warm due to climate change, they are unleashing large amounts of nutrient pollution into lakes, rivers, and streams.

7 Oct 2022

Excess carbon in the atmosphere has increased wood volume of forests

Trees have long been known to buffer humans from the worst effects of climate change by pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Now new research shows just how much forests have been bulking up on that excess carbon.

28 Sep 2022

Decades of research on biosolids and its benefits

For more than four decades, biosolids have been applied to land and studied by researchers for many useful purposes.

22 Sep 2022

Marine planning must take climate change into consideration, researchers say

Promoting the sustainable development of marine environments requires planning, just as we have long had spatial planning for land-based activities.

21 Sep 2022

Light-sensitive molecule can interpret moonlight to synchronize the reproductive cycles of marine life

How animals are able to interpret natural light sources to adjust their physiology and behaviour is poorly understood.

12 Sep 2022

Research finds highest levels of pathogenic bacteria in urban and agricultural soils

During heavy rains, Hawaii's streams, rivers, and nearshore waters change on microscopic levels. Bacteria in these aquatic systems increase, and some of these bacteria can be harmful to human health.

8 Sep 2022

Interseeded cover crops provide nitrogen services in organic corn systems

Fields of amber grain may be the poetic image of American farmland. And it's true that the U.S. grows plenty of wheat. But fields of yellow grain – corn – may be more accurate.

11 Aug 2022

Pollen from ragweed plants in different areas exhibit varied levels of aggressiveness

The different geographic and climatic regions from which ragweed pollen originates, as well as the degree of environmental pollution, may influence the severity of allergic reactions such as hay fever and asthma.

9 Aug 2022

Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives offer a healthier and more environmentally sustainable solution, study says

According to the authors of a new study, plant-based dietary substitutes for animal products are healthier for both the environment and people than the animal products they are meant to replace.

From University of Bath 1 Aug 2022

Enriching lakes with bacteria could be a natural way to remove plastic pollution

A study of 29 European lakes has found that some naturally-occurring lake bacteria grow faster and more efficiently on the remains of plastic bags than on natural matter like leaves and twigs.

27 Jul 2022

Monitoring Coral Reef Restoration with Artificial Intelligence

AZoLifeSciences talks to Ben Williams about his research recording the acoustics of coral reefs and using machine learning to monitor coral reef restoration.

From University College London 28 Jun 2022

Exposure to above average levels of outdoor air pollution increased death risk, study shows

Along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking, environmental factors such as air pollution are highly predictive of people's chances of dying, especially from heart attack and stroke, a new study shows.

From New York University (NYU) 28 Jun 2022

Virtual reality simulation could help spur people to environmental action

A virtual reality simulation designed by a University of Oregon professor could help spur people to environmental action.

23 Jun 2022

Environmental chemical pollution threatens biodiversity and ecosystems

Environmental chemical pollution threatens biodiversity. However, the complexity of this pollution remains insufficiently recognized by decision-makers - this is what international researchers led by Gabriel Sigmund from the University of Vienna and Ksenia Groh from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) argue in the most recent issue of "Science".

20 Jun 2022

Plastic pollution in the ocean may serve as a source for novel antibiotics

Plastic pollution in the ocean may serve as a source for novel antibiotics, according to a new student-led study conducted in collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.