Earth

  1. Tech

    Cracked sewers bleed fecal germs

    Studies follow leaks into waterways and drinking supplies.

    By
  2. Humans

    EPA considers new call for toxicity testing of BPA

    The Environmental Protection Agency solicited public comment, July 26, about whether to require new toxicity testing and environmental sampling of bisphenol A, an ingredient in many plastics and food-contact resins.

    By
  3. Earth

    Earth/Environment

    A killer methane belch, radon-siphoning trees, deep oil-spill science and more in this week’s news.

    By
  4. Earth

    Small volcanoes add up to cooler climate

    Airborne particles sent skyward by eruptions since 2000 have counteracted the warming effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

    By
  5. Earth

    Earth/Environment

    Tracking carbon dioxide, fingerprinting uranium and understanding phthalates in boys in this week's news.

    By
  6. Tech

    Airports’ leaden fallout may taint some kids

    People who live below the flight path of piston-engine aircraft — or downwind of airports serving such small planes — are exposed to lead from aviation fuel. A new study now links an airport’s proximity to somewhat elevated blood-lead levels in children from area homes.

    By
  7. Life

    Oil spill didn’t hurt seagrass-dwelling juvenile fish

    Long-term effects of early exposure to hydrocarbons remains unknown.

    By
  8. Humans

    Young minds at risk from secondhand smoke

    Children exposed to secondhand smoke at home are at least twice as likely to develop a neurobehavioral disorder as are kids in smokefree homes, a new study finds. And roughly 6 percent of U.S. children — some 4.8 million — encounter smoke at home.

    By
  9. Earth

    Simulation tracks ocean’s missing heat

    Climate scientists suggest energy is buried deep undersea or released to space.

    By
  10. Humans

    Metal water bottles may leach BPA

    Consumers who switched from polycarbonate-plastic water bottles to metal ones in hopes of avoiding the risk that bisphenol A will leach into their beverages aren’t necessarily any better off, a new study finds. Some metal water bottles leach even more BPA — an estrogen-mimicking pollutant — than do ones made from the now-pariah plastic.

    By
  11. Earth

    Earth & Environment

    Mountaintop mining, plastic fish and the return of the right whale in this week's news

    By
  12. Tech

    Some comfort about broken CFLs

    My night-owl daughter woke me in a panic at around 2 a.m., a couple of weeks back. While swatting at a fly, she’d just broken the compact fluorescent light illuminating her closet. Having heard me warn endlessly of how we should be careful in handling these bulbs — since they contain mercury — she wanted to know what kind of damage control was called for. I only wish I knew then what I do now.

    By