Is Pollution Good for Trees?
In recent decades, the so-called hygiene hypothesis has been proposed to explain the rapid rise in allergic diseases during the 20th century and has even been linked to a broader range of chronic illnesses. The basic idea is that that when exposure to parasites, bacteria, and viruses is limited early in life, children face a greater chance of having allergies, asthma, and other autoimmune diseases during adulthood.
Missing Monarchs
We have talked about monarch butterflies before. The orange and black butterflies are often used in school lessons about insect ecology. Monarch caterpillars forage exclusively on milkweed; in the process they acquire foul-tasting chemicals that ward off predators. In late summer, monarchs living in the Eastern U.S. migrate to overwintering grounds in Mexico.
Watch Out For This Weed!
Weeds are the bane of many a gardener’s or landscaper’s existence. They sprout up, uncontrolled and unwelcome, and must be tediously managed time and again. But some weeds are more than a nuisance – they rise to the level of a public health hazard. Such is the case with giant hogweed.
Obesity And Food Energy Supply
Obesity is a global health problem and is on the rise in many countries. There are many factors involved in the increasing prevalence of obesity such as increased urbanization, car dependence and sedentary occupations. Of course, the prime culprit is generally thought to be that we eat too much.
What Would Our Planet’s Sixth Mass Extinction Mean For Us?
A new study by researchers from three U.S. universities echoes an earlier report out of Duke University indicating that earth is in what appears to be the beginning of its sixth mass extinction – the first in some 65 million years. Large animals face the highest rate of decline, and their losses could affect other species, including us.
[Read more…] about What Would Our Planet’s Sixth Mass Extinction Mean For Us?
The First Mass Extinction Since Dinosaurs
Earth’s current biodiversity is the highest in the history of life – ever. It’s the product of three and a half billion years of evolution. But a new study warns that a tipping point is on the horizon.
[Read more…] about The First Mass Extinction Since Dinosaurs
Electricity Goes Local
Towns and cities are increasingly aware of the value of gaining control over their energy supply in order to make sure it is clean, efficient, reliable and secure. The central concept of what may become a local power revolution is the microgrid.
Too Warm For Seal Hunting
In the far north of Alaska, generations of hunters have traversed the broken sea ice of Kotzebue Sound every late June and early July hunting for bearded seals. A single seal can supply hundreds of pounds of meat, enough to feed a large family for an entire winter. Its meat and oil products are an important food source.
Ever-Changing Light Bulbs
Electric light became a part of our lives around 1880 as Thomas Edison began illuminating parts of New York City. For more than 100 years, the basic operating principle of light bulbs remained the same. For the most part, we used the incandescent bulbs that Edison pioneered. Of course, there were fluorescent bulbs as well, but most of our lamps used the familiar incandescent in various configurations.
More About Food Waste
Yesterday we talked about the fact that Americans throw out nearly half of the food they buy. The worst thing about this is that one in seven Americans – over 46 million people – don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
Food Waste
We recently talked about the problem of food waste on this program, in particular, the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted around the world each year. This is a tragic situation given how many people around the world don’t have enough to eat.
It’s National Farmers Market Week!
Are you familiar with the farmers markets, CSAs, and food hubs near you? Do you know what products are for sale and what forms of payment are accepted? Can you find these places while on vacation?
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
