Organic Versus Conventional Food
When you buy organic food, you expect that it has been produced without genetically modified seeds, artificial fertilizer, or pesticides. A scientific review of 50 years of data suggests that organic and conventional foods have similar nutritional content – yet many pay considerably more for organic products, believing they are healthier.
Earthquakes And Fluid Injection Wells
The number of earthquakes associated with oil industry injection wells has skyrocketed from a handful per year to more than 650 in 2014, according to a new study published in Science by the University of Colorado Boulder and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Rising Ocean Acidity
Once, the constancy of seawater was taken for granted. Now, as we see evidence of increasing concentrations of mercury in seawater, it is becoming obvious that global pollution is taxing the dilution capacity of the seas. There is also good evidence that the ocean is acidifying.
Solar-Powered Hydrogen Storage
The so-called hydrogen economy is an idea that has been kicking around for quite a while. The notion is to use hydrogen as a primary energy carrier – a fuel, if you will – that will both power our cars and store the energy generated by renewable sources like solar power and wind farms. The hydrogen would then be transported if necessary to where it is needed and used to provide energy when it is needed.
Nitrogen Pollution Suffocates Fish
In Riverhead, Long Island the stench of rotting fish is becoming all too familiar. Over the past two months, the Department of Environmental Conservation estimates more than 400,000 Atlantic menhaden, commonly called bunker, have washed up on the shores of the Peconic River – which sits between Long Island’s north and south forks. The culprit: nitrogen pollution.
Trouble For Sardines
In the 1950s, there was a huge collapse of the West Coast sardine population as a result of intense overfishing that coincided with a natural down-cycle related to cooler water temperatures. That crash resulted in the virtual shutdown of the largest fishery in the Western Hemisphere, closing down the famed Cannery Row in Monterey, California.
On The Care Of Our Common Home
Religions are based on systems of faith, morals, and practice. Science is based on a system of theories, evidence, and hypothesis testing. Both are embedded in the structures of society where a convergence of beliefs and knowledge can often work together for a common social good.
The Hyperloop Isn’t Just Hype
A few years ago, Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla, SpaceX, and Solar City proposed the concept of the Hyperloop, a high speed transportation system in which pressurized passenger capsules travel inside of partially-evacuated, elevated tubes, floating on a cushion of air and being driven by linear induction motors and air compressors. The vision was for a route between Los Angeles and San Francisco that would transport passengers between the two cities in 35 minutes travelling at an average speed of about 600 mph.
Methane: The Other Greenhouse Gas
When we talk about climate change, carbon dioxide often takes center stage. Curbing carbon emissions is essential, but we also need to think about other potent greenhouse gases. A molecule of methane has a lifetime of about 10 years in earth’s atmosphere, where it is 25 times more potent as a heat trapping gas.
The Case For Mixed Recycling
In the early days of recycling, people diligently sorted their waste, with bins for paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass. Comingled approaches are becoming more common. They require less effort, so more households comply.
When Planting Trees Is Bad For Biodiversity
Over the past decade, more than five million acres of forests and farms worldwide have been cleared for agro-industrial rubber plantations. The driver is the growing demand for rubber products – especially tires – which use 70% of the annual rubber production.
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