Earth

  1. Tech

    FDA bans BPA in baby bottles, cups

    From now on, U.S. manufacturers may no longer produce polycarbonate baby bottles and sippy cups (for toddlers) if the clear plastic had been manufactured from bisphenol A, a hormone-mimicking compound. Long-awaited, the announcement is anything but a bold gesture. The Obama administration decided to lock this barn door after the cow had died.

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  2. Humans

    Putting BPA-based dental fillings in perspective

    A new study finds that children who have their cavities filled with a white composite resin known as bis-GMA appear to develop small but quantifiable drops in psychosocial function. To put it simply: Treated kids can become more moody, aggressive and generally less well adjusted.

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  3. Earth

    Calm, with an eye on the storm

    Tim Samaras hunts twisters despite the danger.

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  4. Earth

    Warming indicted for extreme weather

    Climate change can explain some 2011 departures from the norm.

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  5. Humans

    Lead poisoning stymies condor recovery

    California’s iconic comeback species may need human help as long as even a small percentage of the carcasses they eat contain lead shot.

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  6. Humans

    Ozone: Heart of the matter

    As reported this week, breathing elevated ozone levels can mess with the cardiovascular system, potentially putting vulnerable populations — such as the elderly and persons with diabetes or heart disease — at heightened risk of heart attack, stroke and sudden death from arrhythmias. Is this really new? Turns out it is.

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  7. Earth

    Ozone hikes cardiovascular risk

    The pollutant triggers inflammation and other changes that can heighten the risk of heart attack and stroke.

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  8. Earth

    East Coast faces faster sea level rise

    From North Carolina to Massachusetts, waters are rising more rapidly than the global average.

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  9. Humans

    De-papering environmental summits

    One token — but highly visible — gesture toward sustainability at the UN's 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio was a request for all attendees to shrink their paper footprints. Apparently, most complied.

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  10. Life

    New frontiers for coyotes may bring more Lyme disease

    Forget the deer. Maybe it's coyotes on the move that can explain the recent increase in Lyme disease.

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  11. Humans

    What’s in your wallet? Another ‘estrogen’

    A chemical cousin of bisphenol A, a hormone mimic, has turned up on banknotes from around the world in addition to tainting 14 other types of papery products. Owing to the near ubiquity of BPS in paper, human exposure is likely also “ubiquitous,” conclude the study's authors. Oh, and a second new study shows that BPS behaves like an estrogen.

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  12. Earth

    Icelandic volcanoes slumber today, but not forever

    Eruptions pepper the North Atlantic island.

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