I first ran across Orta plastic-free self-watering seed pots last Spring at the Temescal Farmers Market in Oakland, CA. I wanted to review it back then, but what with buying a new home in Maryland, caring for my dad, and then the extreme heat of the Maryland summer, it never...
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Why I Love Plastic-Free Bite Toothpaste Bits
Ever since Lush reverted to packaging its Toothy Tabs toothpaste tablets in plastic containers instead of compostable cardboard boxes, I’ve been brushing my teeth with plain baking soda mixed with essential oils. (I pour a bit in the palm of my hand and run my wet toothbrush through it.) This...
Jules Thin Crust – Setting an Example for Zero Waste Restaurants
Last month, the City of Berkeley, CA, unanimously passed the nation’s most ambitious, comprehensive ordinance on disposable plastic foodware to date. The new law requires that: Disposable items like utensils, straws, lids, and sleeves may only be provided upon request or at a self-serve station, not automatically. Food vendors must provide...
Killer whales use specialized hunting techniques to catch marine mammals in the open ocean
Killer whales foraging in deep submarine canyons off the coast of California represent a distinct subpopulation that uses specialized hunting techniques to catch marine mammals, researchers report.
The first Neolithic boats in the Mediterranean
More than 7,000 years ago, people navigated the Mediterranean Sea using technologically sophisticated boats, according to a new study.
The heat index — how hot it really feels — is rising faster than temperature
Researchers showed in 2022 that heat index calculations by NOAA based on analyses from the 1970s don't adequately reflect the heat stress humans feel during the extremes of heat and humidity accompanying climate change. Using their revised heat index, the researchers looked at Texas's summer 2023 heat wave and found...
SWOT Satellite Catches Coastal Flooding During California Storms
Operated by NASA and the French space agency, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission provides a new view of water on land, at the coast, and in the ocean.
Icy Impacts: Planetary Scientists Use Physics and Images of Impact Craters to Gauge the Thickness of Ice on Europa
Sometimes planetary physics is like being in a snowball fight.
Cleaning up Environmental Contaminants With Quantum Dot Technology
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was focused on quantum dots — objects so tiny, they’re controlled by the strange and complex rules of quantum physics.
8-hour time-restricted eating linked to a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death
A study of over 20,000 adults found that those who followed an 8-hour time-restricted eating schedule, a type of intermittent fasting, had a 91% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.