Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain California is home to eight species of rattlesnakes. The reptiles can be seen on hiking trails, rural roads and even in your backyard, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The California Poison Control System said it receives hundreds of reports of rattlesnake bites every year, especially during … Read more
Wildfires have consumed millions of hectares of land in recent weeks in Brazil. Brazil is burning. From the Amazon rainforest to the Pantanal wetlands, flames have consumed millions of hectares of forest and farmland in recent weeks. Nearly two-thirds of Latin America’s biggest country is under smoke. While fueled by extreme drought, which the government … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is one of the greatest environmental health challenges that we face today. Various studies have shown that in addition to the lungs, it affects essential organs like the heart and brain, and that those who suffer most from its consequences are the … Read more
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Part of many people’s pandemic experience included working from home. Even after lockdowns, videoconferencing remains a big part of life as people continue to work remotely, connect with families and friends online, and attend virtual events hosted on videoconferencing platforms. Spending hours on video calls, however, can be exhausting and manifest … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A paper, titled “How local governments avoid floodplain development through consistent implementation of routine municipal ordinances, plans, and programs,” published in Oxford Open Climate Change uncovers evidence suggesting that, contrary to expectations, most U.S. cities are not doing too badly in avoiding development in areas prone to flooding, and those that … Read more
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are continuing to fall behind their peers with the gap widening despite the introduction of SEND legislation. This is according to a new study by Durham University which analyzed data on 2.5 million Year 6 pupils across four school years from 2014–2019. The … Read more
Credit: Eco-Environment & Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.eehl.2024.08.001 With the rapid growth of industrial and agricultural activities, water bodies are increasingly contaminated with harmful organic pollutants such as dyes, antibiotics, and bisphenol A. Traditional methods like adsorption, chemical treatments, and biological processes have limitations, including inefficiency, potential secondary pollution, and high operational costs. Due to these … Read more
Rugged treeless landsacape of the Falkland Islands today. Credit: Dr. Zoë Thomas A researcher from the University of Southampton (UK) has found evidence that the treeless, rugged, grassland landscape of the Falkland Islands was home to a lush, diverse rainforest up to 30 million years ago. A study by Dr. Zoë Thomas, leading an international … Read more
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain After Charla’s landlord failed to repair leaks that caused the ceiling to collapse in her daughter’s bedroom, she withheld her rent. Shortly after, her landlord filed an eviction case against her for nonpayment. Though she won her court case, Charla and her family had to remain in unsafe conditions as she … Read more
Magnetofected pollen gene delivery system applied to C. sativus. Credit: Horticulture Research (2024). DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae179 Genetic modification in horticultural crops, particularly within the Cucurbitaceae family, is often hindered by complex tissue culture requirements and environmental pressures such as climate change. Traditional transformation techniques, like Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer, frequently encounter barriers that limit their success in … Read more
