This Treaty Could Stop Plastic Pollution—or Doom the Earth to Drown in It
Similarly, the plastics treaty could allow countries to set their own goals for reducing production. “Worst-case scenario, if consensus can’t be reached, there’s a risk that we get a watered-down, fully voluntary agreement that’s left to member states to implement—or the negotiations can be extended for years,” says Mallos. He thinks the treaty should set […]
Ski Resorts Are Giving Up on Snow
It’s late August, and Italy is in the middle of its third record-setting heat wave of the summer, but at the bottom of the slopes in Fai della Paganella, a small ski resort in the Dolomites, a queue is forming for the chairlift. Instead of ski jackets and bobble hats, the people waiting are dressed […]
A New Proof Moves the Needle on a Sticky Geometry Problem
The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 1917, the Japanese mathematician Sōichi Kakeya posed what at first seemed like nothing more than a fun exercise in geometry. Lay an infinitely thin, inch-long needle on a flat surface, then rotate it so that it points in every direction in turn. What’s the […]
A Global Surge in Cholera Outbreaks May Be Fueled by Climate Change
The global cholera surge drove a vaccine shortage right when countries needed it most. Malawi in the past used the cholera vaccine for prevention, but “now if you don’t have an outbreak, you don’t get the vaccine,” said Otim Patrick Ramadan, WHO incident manager for regional cholera response in Africa. In response to the shortage, […]
Radiation Is Everywhere. But It’s Not All Bad
For many of the sources you encounter in everyday life, the amount of radiation is so low that you don’t need to worry about it. But ionizing radiation can also be dangerous, because these free electrons interact with the molecules in the cells and tissues of the human body. Adding an extra electron can break […]
Electrifying Your Home Is About to Get a Lot Cheaper
For the energy-reduction incentives, the type of technology used doesn’t matter as long as households lower their overall energy use. Homeowners could do this by installing more insulation, sealing windows, or upgrading to more efficient heating and cooling systems, among other options. The rebate amounts are a bit more complex to calculate but are based […]
This Is Your Kid’s Brain on Extreme Heat
The heat takes a slow and brutal toll on the teens in Sarah Mueller’s high school chemistry class in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By 7:30 in the morning, the classroom can hit 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Mueller tries to keep students’ spirits up by joking with them. (“People pay a lot of money for saunas, and you’re getting […]
Insiders Reveal Major Problems at Lab-Grown-Meat Startup Upside Foods
In an interview with AgFunderNews published in June, Upside chief operating officer Amy Chen confirmed that its whole-cut chicken product was still being made in 2-liter roller bottles. Upside’s website—which includes a page dedicated to explaining the production of its chicken—makes no mention of roller bottles. “We are already producing whole cuts, whole tissue products. […]
Libya’s Deadly Floods Show the Growing Threat of Medicanes
Storm Daniel, which has killed at least 5,000 people in Libya, with 10,000 more missing, was no normal weather. This rare, destructive, subtropical monster was supersized by unusually warm Mediterranean waters. When it slammed into the Libyan coast, it did so with such force that it caused two dams inland to collapse, releasing a tsunamic […]
NASA Didn’t Find Aliens—but if You See Any UFOs, Holler
Seventy-six years after the infamous Roswell incident, when a high-altitude balloon—or something—crashed in southeastern New Mexico, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has now officially weighed in on UFO sightings. Don’t get too excited: They haven’t proven, or disproven, the existence of aliens. Instead, the report released today by the agency’s independent study […]