Earth

Earth

Genes as Pollutants: Tracking drug-resistant DNA in the environment

A study that traces antibiotic-resistance genes in the environment indicates that they are present even in treated drinking water.

Earth

Plastics agent worsens skin allergies

Low doses of one of the most commonly used softeners in plastics can aggravate dust-mite allergy.

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Are pollutants shrinking polar bear gonads?

New research links persistent pollutants with reproductive impairment in polar bears.

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When a Shot Is Not: PCBs may impair vaccine-induced immunity

Exposure to certain pollutants early in life may do lasting harm to the immune system by blocking its response to vaccinations.

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Mercury Rising: Natural wildfires release pollutant

Fires in high-latitude forests and peaty soils of the Northern Hemisphere may loft hundreds of tons of mercury into the atmosphere each year.

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Holy Smoke: Burning incense, candles pollute air in churches

Incense and candles release substantial quantities of pollutants that may harm health.

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Grand Canyon fish seem to be rebounding

The population of humpback chub, an endangered fish found only in the Colorado River and its tributaries, may be stabilizing in some sections of the Grand Canyon.

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Air conditioning could heat the world

Global warming predicted for the coming decades may decrease winter heating bills in some parts of the United States, but producing the extra electricity needed for summertime air conditioning will create increased emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide.

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Rogue alga routed

An invasive-species action team has eradicated one of the world's worst weeds, a marine alga, from a California lagoon, its only known foothold in North America.

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Earthquake Hazards

To keep up with the latest rumblings around the globe, the U.S. Geological Service offers a Web site with current earthquake data. The site also includes information about significant earthquakes of the past, megaquakes and Hollywood disaster movies, and a section for kids, which has games, puzzles, science project ideas, and more. Go to: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

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Macho Moms: Perchlorate pollutant masculinizes fish

Perchlorate, a compound best known as a component of rocket fuel, can disrupt sexual development in fish.

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Obsidian artifacts can record ancient climate

The layer of hydrated material that forms on the surface of ancient obsidian artifacts as they age can be used to estimate the temperatures that the artifacts have experienced.