Climate change will increase wildfire risk and lengthen fire seasons, study confirms
Wildfires are some of the most destructive natural disasters in the country, threatening lives, destroying homes and infrastructure, and creating air pollution. In order to properly forecast and manage wildfires, managers need to understand wildfire.....»»
iOS 18 has a big privacy change. Here’s what it means for you
The new iOS 18 update adds lots of new features for iPhone users and many more are on the way. Here's an iOS 18 change you probably didn't hear about......»»
To really be greener, businesses need to look to the boardroom
Greenwashing scandals—the practice of misleading the public about what action a company or organization is taking to protect the environment—are on the rise. As the climate crisis intensifies, greenwashing represents a significant obstacle to mee.....»»
Engineers create a chip-based tractor beam for biological particles
MIT researchers have developed a miniature, chip-based "tractor beam," like the one that captures the Millennium Falcon in the film "Star Wars," that could someday help biologists and clinicians study DNA, classify cells, and investigate the mechanis.....»»
Unique IDs for individual (digital) specimens from natural history museums streamline and future-proof science
The wealth of data hosted in natural history collections can contribute to finding a response to global challenges ranging from climate change to biodiversity loss to pandemics. However, today's practices of working with collected bio- and geodiversi.....»»
Study sheds light on limitations of zooplankton for inactivating pathogen contaminated water
Scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso and Stanford University were recently surprised to find that the natural community of zooplankton—tiny, aquatic animals known to graze on bacteria—present in freshwater and saltwater do not clean w.....»»
Miami-Dade study questions reliability of land surface temperature for heat risk assessment
A study published in the journal PLOS Climate on October 2, 2024, examines the effectiveness of using land surface temperatures (LSTs) as proxies for surface air temperatures (SATs) in subtropical, seasonally wet regions......»»
Africa"s famous Serengeti and Maasai Mara are being hit by climate change—a major threat to wildlife and tourism
The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which includes Kenya's Maasai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, is one of the most famous and wildlife-rich areas in Africa......»»
More consumption, more demand for resources, more waste: Why urban mining"s time has come
Pollution and waste, climate change and biodiversity loss are creating a triple planetary crisis. In response, UN Environment Program executive director Inger Andersen has called for waste to be redefined as a valuable resource instead of a problem......»»
The medicines we take to stay healthy are harming nature. Here"s what needs to change
Evidence is mounting that modern medicines present a growing threat to ecosystems around the world. The chemicals humans ingest to stay healthy are harming fish and other animals......»»
People infer the past better than the future, study finds
If you started watching a movie from the middle without knowing its plot, you'd likely be better at inferring what had happened earlier than predicting what will happen next, according to a new Dartmouth-led study published in Nature Communications......»»
Mathematicians and climate researchers build new models for understanding polar sea ice
Polar sea ice is ever-changing. It shrinks, expands, moves, breaks apart, reforms in response to changing seasons, and rapid climate change. It is far from a homogenous layer of frozen water on the ocean's surface, but rather a dynamic mix of water a.....»»
Lessons from Cyclone Gabrielle: Five key health priorities for future disaster response
"The climate crisis is a health crisis." So says World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus......»»
Study: Wildfires will make the land absorb much less carbon, even if warming is kept below 1.5°C
One of the aims of the Paris Agreement was to "pursue efforts" to keep global warming below 1.5°C, but even this ambitious target would not stop the land's ability to absorb carbon weakening as wildfires become fiercer and more frequent, according t.....»»
Why climate activists keep targeting art galleries despite public outcry
Two Just Stop Oil activists were recently jailed for 27 months and 20 months respectively for throwing soup at one of Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers paintings at London's National Gallery back in October 2022. Some commentators suggested these were ov.....»»
iPhone contact privacy change is good for developers, not bad
Some developers yesterday argued that a change to iPhone contact privacy in iOS 18 made it harder for new social media apps to compete. But I think they’re wrong, and that the more granular privacy control offered in iOS 18 actually makes it mor.....»»
As Wildfires Rage, California’s Insurance Market Is in Crisis
Providers are offering fewer and fewer policies because of costlier climate-fueled fires, homeowners moving into riskier areas, and outdated regulation of the insurance industry......»»
Logic with light: Introducing diffraction casting, optical-based parallel computing
Increasingly complex applications such as artificial intelligence require ever more powerful and power-hungry computers to run. Optical computing is a proposed solution to increase speed and power efficiency but has yet to be realized due to constrai.....»»
Climate change is causing algal blooms in Lake Superior for the first time in history
Lake Superior is known for its pristine waters, but a combination of nutrient additions from increasing human activity (including farming and development), warming temperatures and stormy conditions have resulted in more frequent blooms of potentiall.....»»
Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future
World skiing's governing body joined forces with the UN's weather agency on Thursday in a bid to feed its meteorological expertise into managing the "existential threat" to winter sports posed by climate change......»»
South America treated to rare "ring of fire" eclipse
Skygazers on the tip of South America were treated Wednesday to a spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse that was visible from Chile's Easter Island before heading to mainland Patagonia......»»