Environmental Science
The environment is truly a thing of beauty and should be protected whenever possible. What can we do to save the environment, and what new technology is available to help us?
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The ozone layer prevents much of the sun's ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth. But there's a problem: a gaping hole the size of Antarctica. What can we do about it?
Artificial light lets us stay up through the night or feel secure in the dark. But those midnight noons push our bodies out of whack and confuse the natural world. Is there a fix for light pollution?
We humans love to create. We build soaring skyscrapers from the ground up. We fill blank canvasses with timeless, magnificent art. Can we achieve the ultimate feat and generate matter?
By Robert Lamb
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Despite the best efforts of disaster prevention crews, oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill affected creatures and plants both on land and in the water. Is it possible to know the entire environmental impact of the spill?
As global freshwater sources become scarcer, desalination plants play an increasingly pivotal role, transforming our vast oceans into drinkable reserves. Let's delve deeper into the mechanics of these vital facilities.
Relief wells made the news as a possible method to cut off the Gulf Coast oil leak, but that's not all they're used for. How do these wells prevent and stop dangerous overflows?
The circle is only 5,000 miles wide.
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The Denmark Strait cataract dwarfs every other waterfall in the world, but you can't see it because it's deep under the Atlantic Ocean.
Climate change may be melting glaciers, but it's also reducing the oxygen of the world's oceans. Without oxygen, many marine organisms may no longer be able to survive.
As the world becomes more urbanized, the demand for sand, a key ingredient of concrete, keeps growing. But there's only so much sand to go around.
By Dave Roos
Talk about a Brexit! Scientists have clues to catastrophic flooding that destroyed a land bridge that once connected England and France.
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New findings about ancient, extinct Australasian bandicoot and bilby species underscore how dire things are today when even survivors like these are struggling.
Millions of people die every year because of poor air quality, new international research finds. That number is expected to rise in coming years.
Most mammals have a penis bone called a baculum, but humans don't. A new study sheds light on the history of the baculum, and why ours is missing.
Now that its sequel is out, where did Al Gore's landmark environmental documentary hit the mark? What did it get wrong?
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A new 'atlas' of light pollution finds that one third of people on Earth can't see the night sky's most dramatic feature.
The OneLessStraw campaign encourages people to kick their straw habit to keep plastic from harming the environment.
Science has determined that disappearing completely into quicksand isn't possible - but that doesn't mean that getting stuck still won't kill you.
Surprisingly, living in a city with a high level of natural radiation doesn't have any ill effects.
By Alia Hoyt
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The experts have seen people trying to recycle bowling balls and curling irons. They call it 'wishful recycling'. But paper and plastic items can be problematic too.
By Dave Roos
Underwater icicles, also called brinicles or sea stalactites, form when super-cold brine meets normal seawater. The sub-zero phenomenon can kill some sea life.
The formidable gusher could stop flowing for a few months in 2019 in order to repair some bridges in dire need.
Although the trenched enclosures were probably used to conduct rituals, they can tell us how the ancient indigenous people of the Amazon managed their forests.
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The perfectly preserved remains of a 3,000-year-old settlement called Must Farm provide a window into the lives of the Bronze Age Britons.
Rising sea levels, increased flood and extreme heat are all signs of climate change. Cities are trying some innovate strategies to cope with and mitigate these events.
By Dave Roos