Smoke in the Mountains
Around 30 million people in Europe live in mountain valleys. A large part of this population is more affected by air pollution than previously assumed.
Environment
Pollutants on the Storm
After Hurricane Harvey, flooding damage to oil refineries, chemical plants, and Superfund sites meant that residents in the Houston metropolitan area were exposed to increased levels of chemical pollutants, including pesticides, flame retardants, and other harmful industrial compounds.
Changing Sounds of the Blues
Underwater nuclear bomb detectors have picked up an increasing flurry of song from pygmy blue whales in the Indian Ocean, indicating numbers of the elusive species have rebounded after it was hunted to near-extinction.
Rising Injustice
Global Warming is likely to lead to a huge increase in heat-induced labour loss, which will mainly impact those who work outdoors and for low wages. A tragic example of environmental injustice.
Ancient Life Off Earth
Using light-capturing proteins in living microbes, scientists have reconstructed what life was like for some of Earth’s earliest organisms. These efforts could help us recognise signs of life on other planets, whose atmospheres may more closely resemble our pre-oxygen planet.
Smoky Milk
Air pollution from wildfires is having a significant impact on the health of dairy cows in Idaho, lowering their milk production and potentially threatening the US dairy industry.
Artificial Rhythms
Artificial light in US cities affects the seasonal rhythms of plants, advancing the date of breaking leaf and delaying the colouring of leaves.
Invasive Singing
The red-billed leiothrix, a small brightly coloured bird native to subtropical Asia, is threatening to change the soundscape of the British dawn chorus.
Diverse Bumbling
Bumblebees are important pollinators but are suffering from population declines due to land use intensification and the effects of the climate crisis. New research has used citizen science data to develop potential conservation strategies for the future of bumblebees.
Death in the Shipping Lanes
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world, growing up to 20m in length. Despite their great size, this species is endangered, with industrialised shipping now found to have lead to a large number of collisions and potential whale shark deaths across the world.