Earth
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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.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Ozone hikes cardiovascular risk
The pollutant triggers inflammation and other changes that can heighten the risk of heart attack and stroke.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
East Coast faces faster sea level rise
From North Carolina to Massachusetts, waters are rising more rapidly than the global average.
By Devin Powell -
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.
By Janet Raloff -
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.
By Susan Milius -
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.
By Janet Raloff -
Earth
Icelandic volcanoes slumber today, but not forever
Eruptions pepper the North Atlantic island.
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Earth
13th century volcano mystery may be solved
Indonesian volcano may be the culprit in the biggest eruption of the last seven millennia.
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Life
Grasshoppers’ terror outlives them
After an existence plagued by predatory spiders, the insects pass into oblivion, leaving a legacy of impoverished soil.
By Devin Powell