Microplastics have been steadily increasing in freshwater environments for decades and are directly tied to rising global plastic production since the 1950s, according to a new study by an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers.
Drought Expands Across the U.S.
Unusually dry conditions gripped over half the contiguous United States in October 2024.
Fueling Greener Aviation With Hydrogen
Despite ongoing efforts to curb CO2 emissions with electric and hybrid vehicles, other forms of transportation remain significant contributors of greenhouse gases.
Satellite imagery may help protect coastal forests from climate change
A new study details how climate change transforms coastal wetlands in North Carolina from forest to marshland or even open water, and how satellite imagery may help better direct conservation efforts to preserve those areas.
New trigger proposed for record-smashing 2022 Tonga eruption
Fifteen minutes before the massive January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, a seismic wave was recorded by two distant seismic stations. The researchers propose that the seismic wave was caused by a fracture in a weak area of oceanic crust beneath the volcano's caldera wall. That fracture...
Scientists tackle farm nutrient pollution with sustainable, affordable designer biochar pellets
What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money? Researchers now show it's possible and economical.
Exposure to Certain Pollution Sources Harms Children’s Learning and Memory, USC Study Shows
A new USC study involving 8,500 children from across the country has revealed that a form of air pollution, largely the product of agricultural emissions, is linked to poor learning and memory performance in 9- and 10-year-olds.
Small Modular Nuclear Reactors can Help Meet US Energy and Emission Goals – If we Let Them
Interest in small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, is skyrocketing with tech companies including Google, Amazon and Microsoft investing in the emerging low-carbon energy technology.
New Method Successfully Recycles Carbon Fiber Composite into Reusable Materials
USC researchers have developed a new process to upcycle composite materials used in automobile panels and light rail vehicles, addressing an environmental challenge in the transportation and energy sectors.
Fossil of huge terror bird offers new information about wildlife in South America 12 million years ago
Evolutionary biologists report they have analyzed a fossil of an extinct giant meat-eating bird -- which they say could be the largest known member of its kind -- providing new information about animal life in northern South America millions of years ago.