Fri.Jan 17, 2025

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Carbon Dioxide Levels Rose by a Record Amount Last Year

Yale E360

Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever before, putting hopes of limiting warming in jeopardy.

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I Didn’t Lose My Home in the Fires…But Can I Drink the Water?

Union of Concerned Scientists

As the known drinking water nerd amongst my friend group, I have been informally fielding questions about whether their water is safe to use near the wildfires in Southern California. Some common questions Ive heard include: How do I know if I can drink the tap water? Can I shower with it? When will it be safe? Beyond more generally getting the facts right on the water and wildfire issues in California, as this Guardian headline suggests, its smart to assume the worst about the safety of drinkin

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Fire at world’s largest battery facility is a clean energy setback

New Scientist

A fire at Vistra Energy's Moss Landing battery storage facility in California destroyed thousands of lithium batteries and a significant amount of the state's clean energy storage capacity

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Los Angeles Fires Were Fueled by Climate Change

Scientific American

Many factors, such as strong Santa Ana winds and urban planning decisions, played into the recent destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Robotic exoskeleton can train expert pianists to play faster

New Scientist

Trained pianists who hit a plateau improved their finger speed after a half-hour training session with a device that moves their fingers for them

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This Supermassive Black Hole May Harbor a Bizarre Undead Star

Scientific American

Strange x-ray pulses hint at a surprisingly long-lived white dwarf orbiting precariously close to a supermassive black hole

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More Trending

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How NASA Used the Hubble Space Telescope to Look at the Sun

Scientific American

A little-known chapter of the Hubble Space Telescope’s history is a reminder of the risks of looking at the sun

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Elusive phase change finally spotted in a quantum simulator

New Scientist

Researchers saw a chain of atoms in a quantum simulator go from being magnetic to not magnetic at all, the first time such a change has ever been seen in one spatial dimension

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Could Inflicting Pain Test AI for Sentience?

Scientific American

A new study shows that large language models make trade-offs to avoid pain, with possible implications for future AI welfare

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World's first AI chatbot has finally been resurrected after decades

New Scientist

ELIZA is famous as a rudimentary artificial intelligence and the first ever chatbot, but versions found online today are actually knock-offs because the original computer code was lost - until now

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The Key to Sustainable Energy Optimization: A Data-Driven Approach for Manufacturing

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. ♻️ Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets. 📊 Join us for a practical webinar hosted by Kevin Kai Wong of Emergent Ene

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SpaceX Starship Explosion Likely Caused by Propellant Leak, Elon Musk Says

Scientific American

The seventh test flight of SpaceX’s Starship ended with a successful landing of the rocket’s first stage but also the loss of the Starship vehicle

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2024 may have been the rainiest – as well as hottest – year on record

New Scientist

Global average precipitation in 2024 may have broken the previous record set in 1998, as rising temperatures boosted the amount of moisture in the atmosphere

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TikTok Ban Survives Supreme Court. What’s Next?

Scientific American

The end seems nigh for TikTok in the U.S.

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Blue Origin vs SpaceX: Who is winning the battle of the rockets?

New Scientist

Blue Origin and SpaceX both launched rockets on 16 January, but while Jeff Bezos' company saw a launch success with New Glenn, Elon Musk's Starship exploded. What does this mean for the future of the space industry?

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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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These Prime Numbers Are So Memorable That People Hunt for Them

Scientific American

Math enthusiasts challenge one another to find special prime numbers, including those that are palindromes and Smarandache numbers

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Adrian Tchaikovsky: "Could life have gone any other way?"

New Scientist

The author of the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club on the science that lies behind his novel Alien Clay, set on a prison planet where the biology is very different to that on Earth

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DEP Proposes Listing Nockamixon TCE Contamination Site In Nockamixon Twp., Bucks County On The PA Priority List Of Hazardous Sites

PA Environment Daily

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the January 18 PA Bulletin proposing to add the Nockamixon TCE HSCA Site in Nockamixon Township, Bucks County to the Pennsylvania Priority List of Hazardous Sites under the state Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act. ( PA Bulletin, page 584 ) Pennsylvanias Priority List of Hazardous Sites, a state version of the federal Superfund list, includes nine other sites. ( PA Bulletin, page 586 ) DEP has determined through investigation that there are

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Rabbits may eat their own teeth to boost their calcium intake

New Scientist

The animals' teeth are constantly being worn down due to their tough diet.

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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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DEP Posted 107 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 18 PA Bulletin

PA Environment Daily

Highlights of the environmental and energy notices in the January 18 PA Bulletin -- -- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - January 18 [PaEN] -- DEP published notice in the January 18 PA Bulletin inviting comments on a proposal to add the Nockamixon TCE HSCA Site in Nockamixon Township, Bucks County to the Pennsylvania Priority List of Hazardous Sites under the state Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act.

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Read an extract from Adrian Tchaikovsky's Alien Clay

New Scientist

In the opening to Adrian Tchaikovsky's science fiction novel Alien Clay, the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club, our hero wakes from years of space travel to a terrifying new reality

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Linguists Point to Expressions of Pain as a Possible Universal Language

Scientific American

Linguists think that the words that we use to express pain might tell us something about our shared biology and the commonality of language.

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Smoke and Ash Made More Toxic by the Contents of Burning Homes Threaten Residents of LA and Beyond

Inside Climate News

Public health officials and researchers urge the public to cover up outside and clean carefully indoors, but many low-income and disabled residents, and those lacking air conditioning, have difficulty staying safe in bad air. By Audrey Gray and Andrew Robinson LOS ANGELESThe air here has many flavors this week, none of them reassuring: Smoky. Acrid.

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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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UPDATE: PennTAP: Small & Mid-Size Industries Must Complete An Energy Technical Assessment Report To Be Eligible For RISE PA Decarbonization Grants

PA Environment Daily

The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program is responsible for administering the Small-Scale Award Track (SAT) for the RISE PA Decarbonization Grant Program. Industrial facilities with no more than 500 full time employees and a total project cost of no more than $1 million will be eligible for the SAT. Small and mid-size industrial facilities wanting to take advantage of RISE PA decarbonization grants must have a Qualified Assessor complete a Technical Assessment Report.

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BMI Sidelined in New Obesity Definition That Favors Health Evaluation

Scientific American

Instead of using the controversial body mass index, or BMI, to assess weight, an international group of scientists proposes an approach that looks at how excess body fat affects health

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Restoring a Local Boy’s Legacy, One Fish at a Time 

Academy of Natural Sciences

Written by Mark Sabaj, PhD, Curator of Ichthyology Our story begins in the year 1878 with the birth of Henry Weed Fowler in Holmesburg, a village on the right bank of the Delaware River that had been incorporated into Philadelphia twenty-four years earlier. Shortly before his 15th birthday, the precocious Fowler wrote a letter to the Academys Board of Curators.

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Seedlings For Schools Program Begins Accepting Orders Feb. 3

PA Environment Daily

The Seedlings for Schools Program , a partnership between the Game Commissions Howard Nursery and the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation , will begin accepting orders February 3. The program is available to all Pennsylvania schools with children enrolled from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Individual Homeschool orders are not valid, they must be placed through a Homeschool group, co-op or other association.

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EPA Releases Final Risk Evaluation for DINP, Finding Unreasonable Risk of Injury to Human Health When Workers Are Exposed under Four COUs

Nanotech

On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final risk evaluation for diisononyl phthalate (DINP) conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA states that it has determined that DINP presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health because workers could be exposed to high concentrations of DINP in mist when spraying adhesive, sealant, paint, and coating products that contain DINP.

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EPA, City Of Corry Sign Order/Consent Agreement To Correct Permit Violations And Replace Wastewater Treatment Plant In Erie County

PA Environment Daily

On January 17, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced an Administrative Order on Consent with the City of Corry and its municipal authority requiring them to correct federal Clean Water Act permit violations at their wastewater treatment plant. The City and Authority are planning to construct a new wastewater treatment plant that will meet their Clean Water Act permit requirements.

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Issues 90-Day Finding on Golden-cheeked Warbler Delisting Petition

Endangered Species Law

On January 20, 2025, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) will publish a positive 90-day finding on a 2016 petition (Petition) to delist the golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia ) (GCWA). The decision comes on the heels of the agency’s recent recommendation to downlist the GCWA from endangered to threatened. Pursuant to Endangered Species Act section 4 and relevant implementing regulations, the Service will receive information from the public to inform a more detailed s

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Penn State Extension To Host 4-Part Webinar Series On Pond Management Starting March 19

PA Environment Daily

The Penn State Extension will host a four-part webinar series on Pond Management starting March 19. Explore the dynamic world of pond ecosystems in this engaging webinar series, designed for pond owners, enthusiasts, and anyone passionate about learning more. This series offers valuable insights and practical guidance to help you better understand and manage your pond.

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Mayor Karen Bass: Los Angeles Needs to Adapt to Our Climate-Altered Future

NRDC

How Los Angeles wants to rebuild must account for what living in the city will be like in our climate-altered, extreme weather future.

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Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board Invites Comments On Proposed Changes To Eligibility Requirements To Pay Claims Under Tank Cleanup Program

PA Environment Daily

The Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board published notice in the January 18 PA Bulletin inviting comments on proposed changes to regulations establishing eligibility requirements for paying claims under the underground tank cleanup program. Among the proposed changes is a clarification of what fees need to be paid and when to be eligible for reimbursement for cleanup costs and that a participant in the program must have received the appropriate permit or certification for the undergrou

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