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03/06/2020 / By Michael Alexander

Dead Sea secrets revealed: Scientists explain why salt crystals pile up in the Dead Sea

For a couple of decades now, scientists and researchers have noticed a peculiar phenomenon occurring in the depths of the Dead Sea: salt snow. Scientists first noticed it in 1979 – they observed salt crystals forming on the surface of the famed lake, before “snowing” down and piling up on the lake bed. The deposits […]

03/05/2020 / By Isabelle Z.

Bayer’s chairman quits as the company attempts to settle Monsanto lawsuits

As Bayer continues to try to clean up the mess of lawsuits stemming from the destruction that Roundup has wreaked on human health and the environment, its chairman and a key figure in the firm’s takeover of Roundup manufacturer Monsanto, Werner Wenning, will be leaving his post. According to a company announcement, Wenning will step […]

03/05/2020 / By Zoey Sky

The war on plastic rages on: Bali government bans single-use plastics

Countries throughout the globe are joining the fight to end plastic waste, and Bali is one of the latest to ban the use of single-use plastic items to reduce ocean pollution. The law’s six-month transition period ended in June 2019 and on July 2 of the same year, the law prohibiting plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam came into effect. […]

02/29/2020 / By Franz Walker

Climate-based courting: Trees take note of climate when establishing symbiotic relationships

Plants such as trees form symbiotic relationships with bacteria and fungi in the soil, with the latter helping capture nutrients and minerals from the environment. In turn, the tree shares some of the food that it produces using the energy of the sun with these bacteria and fungi. Now, a study published in the journal Nature demonstrates that […]

02/28/2020 / By Michael Alexander

Large reservoirs of “fire ice” beneath the ocean can potentially trigger devastating disasters if released

Locked deep beneath our oceans, according to scientists, are deposits of frozen methane. Dubbed “fire ice,” these deposits, once released, can trigger large-scale natural catastrophes such as tsunamis and landslides – and scientists and experts currently have no idea how much of these fire ice deposits exist. According to Ann Cook, an associate professor in […]

02/27/2020 / By Michael Alexander

Researchers “shed light” on plants’ circadian clocks: Findings could be used to improve future crops

Every person has a circadian clock, an invisible internal mechanism synchronized with solar time. This “clock,” according to the National Sleep Foundation, drives a person’s circadian rhythm, which regulates daily sleep-wake cycles. As it turns out, even plants have one, too. First discovered in 1729 by French geophysicist and chronobiologist Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan after […]

02/27/2020 / By Michael Alexander

Great Barrier Reef on brink of 3rd major coral bleaching in 5 years, scientists warn

Scientists and conservationists make an alarming statement: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is on the brink of another major coral bleaching. As per official records, this will be the third bleaching event happening in the reef system within the last five years. “Bleaching” is a phenomenon wherein coral polyps expel the zooxanthellae or algae living inside […]

02/26/2020 / By Ralph Flores

A deadly sickness is sweeping across Ethiopia – and no one knows how or why it came to be

A “mysterious” disease is wreaking havoc in villages across Ethiopia’s Somali region. In a report published by The Guardian, locals and officials believe that this deadly mystery disease may be linked to a nearby Chinese natural gas project, a claim repudiated by federal government officials in Addis Ababa. In addition, they also denied the existence […]

02/25/2020 / By Zoey Sky

ENDANGERING the Pacific Ocean: Japanese proposal to dump radioactive water from disabled nuclear power plant gets APPROVAL

In December 2019, a government-appointed panel proposed that the best way to dispose of the radioactive water stored in Japan’s disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is to release it into the Pacific Ocean. This is the first of two suggestions from the committee counseling Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) on how to […]

02/24/2020 / By Divina Ramirez

“Plasticrust” is a new form of pollution that’s taking over shorelines

A new type of plastic pollution has made its way to the shores of Madeira in Portugal, a recent study revealed. A team of researchers at Portugal’s Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE) identified the pollution as “plasticrust” – patches of plastic that encrust rocks along the shore. Ignacio Gestoso, a marine ecologist at MARE and the lead author of the study, […]

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