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Pollution

Glass with clean drinking water being poured in against black background
Decontaminating Water with Plant Waste Protein

Sep 30, 2022

Scientists have created a membrane using sunflower and peanut oilseed meal that shows potential as a cheap, sustainable and scalable method to decontaminate heavy metals from water.

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Cigarette butt waste
Tobacco Industry is Big Plastic Polluter

Jul 29, 2022

Cigarette butts are the most common source of plastic pollution in the global environment, surpassing bottles, plastic bags and food wrappers.

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Hand holding leaf off hemp plant
Indigenous Efforts Use Hemp to Remove Forever Chemicals From Superfund Site

Jun 30, 2022

Researchers have discovered that hemp plants can successfully suck per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), "forever chemicals," out of contaminated soil via phytoremediation.

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Bee feeding off purple flower
Polluted Air Stumps Bees and Butterflies

Jun 30, 2022

Researchers have discovered that air pollutants can confuse pollinators that use odors to navigate and move around and communicate.

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Factory pollution inside of pill capsule
Pharmaceutical Pollution is Out of Control

Apr 29, 2022

A new study has determined that pharmaceutical drugs polluting the world’s rivers pose “a global threat to environmental and human health.”

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Smoke pollution coming out of industrial area
Methane Emissions Grossly Underreported

Apr 29, 2022

A recent report found that methane leak emissions from the oil, gas and coal industries are 70 percent higher than official government estimates globally.

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Bacteria on empty plastic bottle
Bacteria May Become Plastic Pathfinders

Feb 28, 2022

A study has discovered that microbes in oceans and soils worldwide are evolving to eat plastic.

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Discarded Styrofoam container polluting waterway environment
The 411 on Styrofoam: Why We Should Just Say No

Feb 28, 2022

The harm Styrofoam causes to human health and the planet outweighs its convenience. Here are safer, eco-friendly alternatives.

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Chart showing different sources of PFAS found indoors
Forever Chemicals in Indoor Air

Nov 30, 2021

A new technique for measuring the presence of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in indoor air has found them in kindergarten classrooms, offices, laboratories and homes.

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A sea turtle in an aquarium
Sea Turtle Care Center Connects Children with Conservation Efforts

Jul 30, 2021 ● By Anna Marie Imbordino

Ocean conservation efforts have taken a global spotlight as scientists, conservationists and legislators around the world look for solutions that protect our oceans and wildlife.

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Child blowing nose into tissue in city from irritation of polluted air
Avoid Air Pollutants to Protect Children’s Mental Health

Jul 30, 2021

Exposure to even moderate levels of traffic-related air pollutants during childhood results in a greater risk of mental illness by age 18, report researchers.

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Cleaned river flowing in woods with mountains in the background
Superfund Mine-Polluted Stream Restorations See Success

Jul 30, 2021

Large investments made to clean up acid drainage into streams and rivers polluted by toxic metals from abandoned mining sites are yielding success.

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Wild crow trained to pick up litter
Wild Birds Trained to Pick Up Litter

May 28, 2021

A Dutch company, Crowded Cities, has a device called the CrowBar that trains birds to collect discarded cigarette butts in exchange for food.

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Drone powered laser light show above a crowd of people
Rethinking Fireworks: Greener Ways to Celebrate the Fourth

May 28, 2021

Most fireworks are made of non-biodegradable plastics and harmful chemicals, polluting the ground, air and water. Here are some eco-friendly alternatives.

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Littered crumpled plastic bottle floating in water
Artificial Intelligence Joins Fight Against Marine Litter

Apr 30, 2021

MARLIT, an open-access web app based on a deep-learning artificial intelligence algorithm, will promote the detection and measurement of floating plastics in the sea.

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