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News & Articles By Frances Bloomfield

10/05/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Ice sheets have always melted quickly when the climate warms, according to research

The Cordilleran Ice Sheet is a mass of glacial ice that once covered a sizable chunk of North America during the last ice age. This major ice sheet is just one of many that has melted over the course of time due to ever-changing climate. However, researchers have discovered that the mass of the Cordilleran […]

09/10/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Drink responsibly: Are you aware of the environmental impact of single-use coffee cups?

There’s no denying the convenience that comes with single-use coffee cups. Simply fill them with water, take a sip, and throw them in the trash. No clean-up, no hassle, no fuss. But apart from that, is there any other good reason to actually use them? The few precious minutes you save with their usage just […]

08/27/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Breakthrough: Researchers use nanoparticles to separate oil from water

The system of separating water and oil is one that can be laborious and expensive. Fortunately, engineering researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have come up with a simpler yet more efficient method of removing oil from water: magnetic nanoparticles. “It’s a simple idea,” stated Hugh Daigle, a petroleum and geosystems engineering professor. […]

08/23/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Lasting gift from the dinosaurs: They fertilized our ecosystem

Dinosaurs helped nourish the global ecosystem with their dung, and the effects continue to be felt to this day. This was the conclusion that Northern Arizona University faculty member Christopher Doughty came to in his compelling new study. With over a decade of experience in studying large animals and their impact on the planet’s fertility, […]

08/04/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Billions of dollars in food wasted annually thanks to “use by” date on food labels

Over a billion tons of food is wasted every year, and the cause may lie in the label. Norbert Wilson, Professor of Food Policy in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, asserts that “use by” food dates are to blame for food waste. Of food waste, Wilson has theorized that consumers buy food […]

07/31/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Dead bat market: Southeast Asian bats are being killed by the thousands to feed a growing American market for the oddity

In Southeast Asia, bats are being slaughtered by the thousands. But rather than being culled solely to protect fruit crops, the deaths of these animals are fueled by the demands of dead bat enthusiasts in the United States. Website such as eBay, Etsy, and Instagram are becoming marketplaces for people to sell and buy dead […]

07/17/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Cost prohibitive AND completely ineffective: Weeds can no longer be controlled by herbicides, demanding new management strategies

The continued use of herbicides has given rise to weeds resistant to these chemicals, calling for the utilization of new weed management strategies. This was the conclusion that a multi-institutional team of researchers came to in their study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The study, a cooperative work among scientists from the University of […]

07/12/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Plastic pebbles, formed when plastic mixes with sand, now polluting beaches and endangering wildlife

The next time you stroll along the beach, be wary of any colorful pebbles you come across. Those aren’t rocks: they’re pebbles made of plastic. Also called “plastiglomerates,” hundreds of these pebbles have washed up on the beaches of Cornwall, England. According to CornwallLive.com, Atlantic currents are responsible for the surfeit of plastic pebbles across […]

06/26/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Trees sweat too! One species of eucalyptus found to release water during extreme heat

Sweating is our body’s way of keeping cool under high temperatures. Without sweat, our body temperature would go up and we would overheat. In fact, sweating is truly an effective way of maintaining a stable temperature that some trees do it too. This remarkable discovery was uncovered by a team of researchers led by scientists […]

06/09/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Symbiotic farming: Using sheep to graze weeds on coffee plantations found to be beneficial economically, agriculturally, and environmentally

Could sheep help solve the weed problem troubling coffee plantations? According to an investigative team from the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), they most certainly can. So much so that they found the use of sheep to be highly beneficial from economic, agronomic, and environmental viewpoints. To arrive at this […]

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