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Policies designed to protect public health from fracking may be ineffective in practice

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Frequent use of exemptions may undermine public health protections of oil and gas setback policies, according to a new study led by researchers at the research institute PSE Healthy Energy, Harvard University, and Nicholas Institute for Environmental Solutions at Duke University.

The study, published April 28, 2021 in Energy Policy, is the first to assess the effectiveness of distance-based setback regulations for unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) or “fracking”.

“Setback regulations are commonly employed to protect public health, so we wanted to test if they’re effective in practice,” said lead author Drew Michanowicz, DrPH, MPH, CPH Senior Scientist at PSE Healthy Energy and visiting scientist with the Center for Climate, Health, and Global Environment at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE). [Read more…] about Policies designed to protect public health from fracking may be ineffective in practice

Fasting lowers blood pressure by reshaping gut microbiota

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Nearly half of adults in the United States have hypertension, a condition that raises the risk for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the US.

At Baylor College of Medicine, Dr David J. Durgan and his colleagues are dedicated to better understand hypertension, in particular the emerging evidence suggesting that disruption of the gut microbiota, known as gut dysbiosis, can have adverse effects on blood pressure.

“Previous studies from our lab have shown that the composition of the gut microbiota in animal models of hypertension, such as the SHRSP (spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rat) model, is different from that in animals with normal blood pressure,” said Durgan, assistant professor of anesthesiology at Baylor. [Read more…] about Fasting lowers blood pressure by reshaping gut microbiota

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    How to prevent and treat high blood pressure with exerciseThe first personalised advice on the most effective exercise to lower blood pressure is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The ESC consensus document recommends specific activities according to an individual's current blood pressure level. One in four heart…
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The growing promise of community-based monitoring and citizen science

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Over recent decades, community-based environmental monitoring (often called “citizen science”) has exploded in popularity, aided both by smartphones and rapid gains in computing power that make the analysis of large data sets far easier.

Publishing in BioScience, handling editors Rick Bonney, of Cornell University, Finn Danielsen, of the Nordic Foundation for Development and Ecology, and colleagues share a special section that highlights numerous community-based monitoring programs currently under way.

They also describe the potential for such efforts to advance the scientific enterprise well into the future and make recommendations for best practices and future directions. [Read more…] about The growing promise of community-based monitoring and citizen science

Human genome editing requires difficult conversations between science and society

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In October of 2020, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their discovery of an adaptable, easy way to edit genomes, known as CRISPR, which has transformed the world of genetic engineering.

CRISPR has been used to fight lung cancer and correct the mutation responsible for sickle cell anemia in stem cells. But the technology was also used by a Chinese scientist to secretly and illegally edit the genomes of twin girls – the first-ever heritable mutation of the human germline made with genetic engineering.

“We’ve moved away from an era of science where we understood the risks that came with new technology and where decision stakes were fairly low,” says Dietram Scheufele, a professor of life sciences communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [Read more…] about Human genome editing requires difficult conversations between science and society

Our attention is captured by eye-glance

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Eyes play an important role in social communication by expressing the intentions of our interlocutors, and even more so in times of pandemic when half of the face is hidden.

But is this eye contact automatic and rapid? Is it based on a priority attentional reaction or, on the contrary, on a particular emotional reaction?

To answer these questions, researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, looked at the way we process human gaze, focusing on the estimation of the temporal duration of social interactions. [Read more…] about Our attention is captured by eye-glance

Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer

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Next time you make a salad, you might want to consider adding mushrooms to it. That’s because higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer, according to a new Penn State study, published on March 16 in Advances in Nutrition.

The systematic review and meta-analysis examined 17 cancer studies published from 1966 to 2020.

Analyzing data from more than 19,500 cancer patients, researchers explored the relationship between mushroom consumption and cancer risk. [Read more…] about Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer

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    Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffeeLong black, espresso, or latte, whatever your coffee preference, drink too much and you could be in hot water, especially when it comes to heart health. In a world first genetic study, researchers from the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia found that that long-term,…
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Can extreme melt destabilize ice sheets?

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Nearly a decade ago, global news outlets reported vast ice melt in the Arctic as sapphire lakes glimmered across the previously frozen Greenland Ice Sheet, one of the most important contributors to sea-level rise. Now researchers have revealed the long-term impact of that extreme melt.

Using a new approach to ice-penetrating radar data, Stanford University scientists show that this melting left behind a contiguous layer of refrozen ice inside the snowpack, including near the middle of the ice sheet where surface melting is usually minimal.

Most importantly, the formation of the melt layer changed the ice sheet’s behavior by reducing its ability to store future meltwater. The research appears in Nature Communications April 20. [Read more…] about Can extreme melt destabilize ice sheets?

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  • Melting ice sheets over the past 300 years raised sea levels 18 metres
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    Melting ice sheets over the past 300 years raised sea levels 18 metresIt is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. New research has found that previous ice loss events could have caused sea-level rise at rates of around 3.6 metres per century, offering vital clues as to what lies ahead should climate change continue unabated. A team…
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    Scientists calculate impact of China’s ban on plastic waste importsWhile recycling is often touted as the solution to the large-scale production of plastic waste, upwards of half of the plastic waste intended for recycling is exported from higher income countries to other nations, with China historically taking the largest share. But in 2017, China passed the "National Sword" policy,…
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  • Rivers are the ‘main culprit’ for carrying plastic debris into the sea
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    Rivers are the ‘main culprit’ for carrying plastic debris into the seaUFZ researchers have proven that large river systems are the main culprits for plastic pollution in the oceans Minute plastic particles can be found in the water in virtually every sea and river. This constitutes a serious and growing global environmental problem. There are enormous quantities of input each year…
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  • New global rules curb unrestricted plastic waste exports
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    New global rules curb unrestricted plastic waste exportsGovernments at the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) of the Basel Convention acted to restrict rampant plastic waste exports by requiring countries to obtain prior informed consent before exporting contaminated or mixed plastic waste. A deluge of plastic waste exports from developed countries has polluted developing countries in Southeast…
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Fast radio bursts shown to include lower frequency radio waves than previously detected

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Since fast radio bursts (FRBs) were first discovered over a decade ago, scientists have puzzled over what could be generating these intense flashes of radio waves from outside of our galaxy.

In a gradual process of elimination, the field of possible explanations has narrowed as new pieces of information are gathered about FRBs – how long they last, the frequencies of the radio waves detected, and so on.

Now, a team led by McGill University researchers and members of Canada’s CHIME Fast Radio Burst collaboration has established that FRBs include radio waves at frequencies lower than ever detected before, a discovery that redraws the boundaries for theoretical astrophysicists trying to put their finger on the source of FRBs. [Read more…] about Fast radio bursts shown to include lower frequency radio waves than previously detected

How the humble woodchip is cleaning up water worldwide

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Australian pineapple, Danish trout, and Midwestern US corn farmers are not often lumped together under the same agricultural umbrella. But they and many others who raise crops and animals face a common problem: excess nitrogen in drainage water.

Whether it flows out to the Great Barrier Reef or the Gulf of Mexico, the nutrient contributes to harmful algal blooms that starve fish and other organisms of oxygen.

But there’s a simple solution that significantly reduces the amount of nitrogen in drainage water, regardless of the production system or location: denitrifying bioreactors.

“Nitrogen pollution from farms is relevant around the world, from corn and bean farms here in Illinois to sugarcane and pineapple farms in Australia to diverse farms bordered by ditches in Belgium. We’re all dealing with this issue. It’s really exciting that bioreactors are bringing us together around a potential solution,” says Laura Christianson, assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois and lead author on a new synthesis article accepted for publication in Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). [Read more…] about How the humble woodchip is cleaning up water worldwide

The Electron Ion Collider is a glimpse into the future of particle accelerators

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When the Electron Ion Collider received the go-ahead in January 2020, it became the only new major accelerator in the works anywhere in the world.

“All the stars aligned,” said Elke-Caroline Aschenauer, Brookhaven National Laboratory Staff Scientist and a leader in developing the EIC plans. “We have the technology to build this unique particle accelerator and detector to do the measurements that, together with the underlying theory, can for the first time provide answers to longstanding fundamental questions in nuclear physics.”

The EIC isn’t the only Brookhaven project poised to reshape nuclear and particle physics. Forthcoming data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider could finally detect the elusive chiral magnetic effect. Meanwhile, planned accelerators could run on sustainable energy, a drastic departure from today’s machines. [Read more…] about The Electron Ion Collider is a glimpse into the future of particle accelerators