Wed.Dec 08, 2021

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Ask a Scientist: How to Get a Charge out of Your EV

Union of Concerned Scientists

We recently received a query from a UCS member from Toledo, Ohio, who is thinking about buying an EV. “I currently own a hybrid (Prius),” Debbie P. wrote, “and would consider getting an EV for my next vehicle, but am concerned about sufficient access to charging places when traveling and also about how long it takes to charge such a vehicle.” I turned to Samantha Houston, a UCS senior vehicles analyst, to address Debbie P.’s question.

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The Latest Chapter in Los Angeles’ Century-Long Water War With the Eastern Sierra’s People & Environment

Legal Planet

Credit: Inyo-Mono County Agriculture Commissioner. There LADWP goes again. Recently the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced it was walking away from its longstanding obligation to provide Mono County residents and the environment with a tiny fraction of the water it transports from Mono County to LADWP’s urban customers in Los Angeles.

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Florida to Feed Starving Manatees, as Pollution Shrinks Food Supplies

Yale E360

Wildlife officials in Florida will feed starving manatees, whose food supplies have dwindled as a result of marine pollution, Reuters reported. Such interventions are extremely rare, as conservationists are wary of making animals dependent on humans for food. Read more on E360 ?.

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Clean Energy 2021 Year in Review: Midwest Progress

Union of Concerned Scientists

Legislative and policy victories in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota bode well for the future.

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Implementing D.E.J.I. Strategies in Energy, Environment, and Transportation

Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.

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The Stream, December 8, 2021: Hundreds Evacuate Oahu Military Base After Water Supplies Are Contaminated

Circle of Blue

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN. Despite evidence it could contaminate drinking water, the New South Wales government is reversing a decision to block a mine expansion project. Petroleum products contaminate the largest water system on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The department in charge Maryland’s water supply is severely underfunded and understaffed, a new analysis finds.

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Sensing gravity, the quantum way

Physics World

Much of quantum technology is linked to computing. It is easy to imagine how a better, more powerful computer, capable of solving complex problems, could be useful. But what is a computer, after all, if not a data-processing machine. Computers, quantum or otherwise, transform data into information, which is then used to steer scientific, medical, industrial processes.

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In a First, Physicists Glimpse a Quantum Ghost

Scientific American

After a decade of work, researchers have achieved the first ever experimental reconstruction of a quantum wave function. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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DeepMind experiment shows AI must grow smarter, not just bigger

New Scientist

The dominant approach to building more advanced artificial intelligences is simply to scale up their computing power, but AI firm DeepMind says we are reaching a point of diminishing returns

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Could curved X-ray detectors herald the next evolution in medical imaging?

Physics World

Digital flat-panel detectors are central to today’s clinical X-ray imaging systems. But flat detectors are ill-matched to the complex 3D shape of a human body. A better option could be to use curved detectors, which could minimize distortion around image edges and reduce vignetting compared with their planar counterparts. Efforts to produce flexible detectors, however, have so far been unsuccessful, due to the stiff and brittle nature of the underlying inorganic (mainly silicon-based) semiconduc

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Leaving thermal coal behind, one?victory?at a?time?

Eco Justice

Last month at the COP26 summit in Scotland, the world was confronted with the stark reality that not enough is being done to curb the climate emergency. We need to. Read more. The post Leaving thermal coal behind, one?victory?at a?time? appeared first on Ecojustice.

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Shaping a Resilient Future: Climate Impact on Vulnerable Populations

Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital

As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.

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As climate change parches the Southwest, here’s a better way to share water from the shrinking Colorado River

Environmental News Bits

by Daniel Craig McCool, University of Utah The Colorado River is a vital lifeline for the arid U.S. Southwest. It supplies water to seven states, Mexico, 29 Indian reservations and millions of acres of irrigated farmland.

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10 Environmental Wins to Celebrate This Year

Eco Justice

It’s been another record-breaking year for Canada – albeit too often for the wrong reasons. We’ve seen politicians and polluters playing roulette with our planet. We’ve seen the human cost. Read more. The post 10 Environmental Wins to Celebrate This Year appeared first on Ecojustice.

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An environmental sociologist explains how permaculture offers a path to climate justice

Environmental News Bits

by Christina Ergas, University of Tennessee Big farming is both a victim of climate change and a contributor. Droughts, floods and soil degradation threaten crop yields. But agriculture produces nearly one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. A potential antidote to harmful monocultures is a form of community farming invented back in the 1970s: permaculture.

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Solar tiny home C2X by Nestron comes with smart systems

Inhabitant

Tiny home construction just got a lot easier with the plug-and-play prefab C2X from Nestron. All plumbing, electrical and other smart systems come preinstalled in this tiny home, which includes electric heated floors, smart tablet and a standard-size washing machine.

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Sustainability at Retail

Sustainability impacts every nation, company, and person around the world. So much so that, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) issued a call for action by all countries to work toward sustainable development. In response to this and as part of a global Sustainability at Retail initiative, Shop! worked collaboratively with its global affiliates to address these critical issues in this white paper.

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United States Supreme Court Dismisses Mississippi v. Tennessee Groundwater Lawsuit

National Law Center

This blog was guest authored by Tiffany Dowell Lashmet. Tiffany is an agricultural attorney with Texas A&M Agrilife Research and Extension. The post United States Supreme Court Dismisses Mississippi v. Tennessee Groundwater Lawsuit appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

Law 101
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Wood-based conductors could make Li-ion batteries safer

Physics World

A new wood-based material that conducts ions 10-100 times better than other polymers could find use in next-generation solid-state lithium-ion batteries. The material, which was fabricated by researchers at Brown University and the University of Maryland in the US, combines copper and cellulose nanofibrils and could be used as either a solid battery electrolyte or as an ion-conducting binder for the cathode of an all-solid-state battery.

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Madagascar Christmas appeal – climate change and the famine 

A Greener Life

Madagascar wetland fires. Photo credit: Seed Madagscar. By Anders Lorenzen. In our second Madagascar fundraising appeal piece, we dive deeper into how climate change is driving this and what can be done to combat it. Since publishing our introductory article, research has been published stating that the famine was more to do with poverty and natural weather events than climate change.

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Maria Van Kerkhove interview: What we know about omicron so far

New Scientist

Exclusive: The World Health Organization’s technical lead on covid-19 says we will know how effective our vaccines are against omicron by Christmas

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A Curious Catalyst for Creativity in Social-Ecological Research

HumanNature

Guest Post By Anna Clare Monlezun , 2021-2022 Sustainability Leadership Fellow and Ph.D. Student in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University Being Human If being a human on Earth during a global pandemic wasn’t bad enough, how about being a researcher of humans? Or better yet, a student researcher whose completion of a lifelong dream depended on connecting with humans as a highly contagious virus gripped society as we knew it?

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Interrupting sleep after a few minutes can boost creativity

New Scientist

A technique for interrupting the first stage of sleep helps people solve a maths problem – the same approach was used by Thomas Edison and Salvador Dali

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Plug and play Pod is a tiny room that's assembled from a box

Inhabitant

Autonomous has created a new building kit for a 98-square-foot, one-room building called the Pod. It is so simple the average user could set it up in one day in their backyard, often without a permit, as it is free-standing and assembles from a box.

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Covid-19 news: Omicron partly evades vaccine protection

New Scientist

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

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FracTracker Alliance, Halt The Harm Network To Honor 4 With Sentinel Awards At Dec. 9 Program

PA Environment Daily

The FracTracker Alliance and Halt the Harm Network will honor four environmental justice advocates with Community Sentinel Awards for Environmental Stewardship during a December 9 virtual awards program from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Four award recipients from across the nation have been selected by a panel of judges include-- -- John Beard, Jr., Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Port Arthur Community Action Network (“PA-CAN”) of Port Arthur, TX -- Veronica Coptis, Executive Director, Center for Coalfiel

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Two dystopian novels explore how language can be used to control us

New Scientist

The ease with which words can be used to get inside our heads is explored in two excellent dystopian books, Outcast by Louise Carey and Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore, says Sally Adee

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Ag and Food Law Daily Update: December 8, 2021

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. REGULATORY: FWS. The post Ag and Food Law Daily Update: December 8, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Young people could make Canadian legal history in 2022

Eco Justice

Over the past year, we’ve become increasingly aware of the disastrous impacts of climate change in Canada. Last summer, in a matter of minutes, the town of Lytton, B.C. was. Read more. The post Young people could make Canadian legal history in 2022 appeared first on Ecojustice.

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PA Parks & Forests Foundation Offering On Demand Videos On Health Benefits Of Outdoor Recreation

PA Environment Daily

Improving your health and well-being can be as simple as getting outdoors to enjoy Pennsylvania’s parks and forests. The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation recently completed a video series on the health benefits of outdoor recreation to inspire healthy active lifestyles and a connection with nature. With 121 state parks, 2.2 million acres of state forest, and over 11,000 miles of trails, Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests offer a lot of opportunity and free access to the outdoors.

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How likely are you to get reinfected with the omicron variant?

New Scientist

Many people all over the world have now had one infection with covid-19 – how does that affect their future chance of a second round with the coronavirus?

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To See Where a Whale Has Been, Look in Its Mouth

Scientific American

The baleen that hangs from the jaws of some whale species contains clues about their migrations and diets. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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How likely are you to get reinfected now that omicron is spreading?

New Scientist

Many people all over the world have now had one infection with covid-19 – how does that affect their future chance of a second round with the coronavirus?

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This Protein Could Boost Brain Function without Exercise

Scientific American

An exercise pill might one day produce health gains without the exertional pain. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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We’ll never understand the universe while we’re drowning in admin

New Scientist

Funding cuts are undermining the scientific enterprise, impoverishing our attempts to discover the secrets of nature and share them widely, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

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$1.3B Toyota EV battery plant coming to North Carolina

Inhabitant

A North Carolina town with fewer than 3,000 citizens and known for its antiques festival is about to be on the cutting edge of the electric vehicle revolution. Toyota just announced that it will construct a $1.29 billion battery-building facility in little Liberty, North Carolina.

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Australia’s AI cameras catch over 270,000 drivers using their phones

New Scientist

The proportion of drivers in New South Wales illegally using their mobile phones has dropped fivefold since AI cameras began catching offenders

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