Cleaning products emit hundreds of hazardous chemicals, new analysis finds
From Environmental Working Group 15/09/23 A peer-reviewed study by Environmental Working Group scientists has found unsettling details about the potential health risks of common household cleaning products. The study, published today in Chemosphere, analyzed 30 cleaning products, including multipurpose and glass cleaners, air fresheners and more. The study revealed that these everyday products may release hundreds […]
Single use test tubes and petri dishes: New plastic recycling plant for innovation lab waste
From University of Bath 14/09/23 A company co-founded by a University of Bath graduate has opened the UK’s first pilot plant that can recycle up to 60% of plastic lab waste, to make back into new lab consumables. LabCycle hopes the technology could be scaled up in the future to recycle waste from healthcare, research and […]
Lost in the haze: Bees struggle to sniff out flowers in polluted air
From University of Birmingham 13/09/23 A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators finding flowers because it degrades the scent. A research team comprising the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Universities of Birmingham, Reading, Surrey and Southern Queensland, found that ozone substantially changes the size and scent of […]
Supreme intelligence: Future AI should mimic ecological systems as well as the brain
From Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies 13/09/23 Many of today’s artificial intelligence systems loosely mimic the human brain. In a new paper, researchers suggest that another branch of biology — ecology — could inspire a whole new generation of AI to be more powerful, resilient, and socially responsible. Published September 11 in Proceedings of the National […]
Revolutionising lithium production on a string
From Princeton University, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment 11/09/23 A vital component of the batteries at the heart of electric vehicles and grid energy storage, lithium is key to a clean energy future. But producing the silvery-white metal comes with significant environmental costs. Among them is the vast amount of land and time […]
Emission impossible: Korea’s hydrogen combustion engine cuts carbon by 99 percent
From National Research Council of Science & Technology 11/09/23 Emissions of carbon dioxide and fine dust reduced by 99% and 90%, respectively. Amid the fierce competition throughout the globe to develop hydrogen mobility technologies to achieve carbon neutrality, a new technology for a 2-liter class hydrogen-fueled engine (a passenger car hydrogen engine) capable of running […]
How plants pass down genetic memories
From Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 29/08/23 When organisms pass their genes on to future generations, they include more than the code spelled out in DNA. Some also pass along chemical markers that instruct cells how to use that code. The passage of these markers to future generations is known as epigenetic inheritance. It’s particularly common […]
Paper cups are just as toxic as plastic cups
From University of Gothenburg 28/08/23 Replacing single use plastic cups with paper ones is problematic. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg show that a paper cup that ends up in nature can also cause damage as they also contain toxic chemicals. Reports of plastics pollution contaminating all parts of the Earth and in all living […]
New sustainable method for making lactic acid, critical in food production, using waste jackfruit seeds
From Nanyang Technological University 28/08/23 Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a sustainable and more effective technique for making lactic acid, by using discarded jackfruit seeds. Lactic acid plays an indispensable part in the industrial production and preservation of nearly all the food we consume, being used in various stages of the manufacturing […]