We don’t know if Congress does New Year’s Resolutions like the rest of us, but it seems like at least one of their goals is to continue ‘Building Regional Innovation Economies.’ We can guess that much from that title – given to a House of Representatives Subcommittee on Research andContinue Reading
They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Now, an international team of scientists has managed to make that statement literal by turning cheap polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into nanodiamonds–synthetic, microscopic diamonds. “Within nanoseconds, […] 10 percent of all the carbon atoms inside this plastic sample are transformed toContinue Reading
PITTSBURGH — A group of citizen scientists have observed a substantial influx of nurdles — small plastic pellets about the size of a lentil — in the Ohio River, which provides drinking water to more than five million people. “In the last few months, we’ve seen a huge surge inContinue Reading
A version of this story appeared in Science, Vol 379, Issue 6627.Download PDF This story was produced with support from the Rainforest Journalism Fund in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. Soon after sunrise one warm day in September 2022, 26-year-old Josiel Pereira Juruna boards a small motorboat and sets outContinue Reading
As global heating escalates, the US government has set out a plan to further study the controversial and seemingly sci-fi notion of deflecting the sun’s rays before they hit Earth. But a growing group of scientists denounces any steps towards what is known as solar geoengineering. The White House hasContinue Reading
“Nordic Swan,” a sculpture by Thomas Dambo made from 300 recycled buckets, is one way to reuse plastic waste. The swan is on display at Seattle’s National Nordic Museum. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Each week, Ridwell workers fan neighborhoods in six cities around the country picking up canvasContinue Reading
132 young scientists took part in this year’s EUCYS competition in Leiden, the Netherlands. Credit: © EUCYS As the year draws to a close, we take a look back at the 33rd annual European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) that took place in the Dutch city of Leiden inContinue Reading
The Great Lakes have endured a lot the past century, from supersized algae blobs to invasive mussels and bloodsucking sea lamprey that nearly wiped out fish populations. Now, another danger: They — and other big lakes around the world — might be getting more acidic, which could make themContinue Reading
‘MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES’ | A team of researchers from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute collects sediment samples at the heavily polluted Manila Bay (top photo) to study how microbes and other bacterial species could be harnessed to break down plastic waste. (Photos from the UP Marine Science Institute)Continue Reading
Volunteer Deborah Woolley of Seattle collects marine trash in an area designated for the trash pickup in Seattle. (Dan DeLong/InvestigateWest) On an overcast Saturday in Seattle, a group of volunteers combs a small section of the beach at Golden Gardens Park for trash. With 5-gallon buckets in hand, they slowly fanContinue Reading
