May, 2025

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Out of the Wild: How A.I. Is Transforming Conservation Biology

Yale E360

Artificial intelligence is being called a game changer for enabling scientists and conservationists to process vast troves of data collected remotely. But some warn its use could keep biologists from getting out in the field with the animals and ecosystems they are studying.

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Dry Colorado River Forecast Gets Drier

Circle of Blue

What a difference a month makes. The forecast for how much water will flow this year into Lake Powell, a bellwether reservoir on the Colorado River, was already meager. Now, after a dry April, its even more miserly. That does not bode well for a basin mired in contentious debate about which of the seven states should cut their water use and by how much.

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If Dodgers Don’t Quit Big Oil, the Olympics May Make Them

Legal Planet

One of the 76 gas signs at Dodger Stadium. Photo: Emmett Institute The Los Angeles Dodgers have all but ignored the growing calls from fans, activists, columnists, researchers, and a state lawmaker asking the team to cut ties with Big Oil and remove the two huge, orange 76 gas ads that dominate the clubs picturesque scoreboards. But the teams streak may be coming to an end: They can’t ignore the International Olympic Committee.

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Migraine Drug Ubrogepant Tackles Debilitating Early Symptoms

Scientific American

Results from a phase 3 clinical trial suggest that taking ubrogepant at the first sign of an oncoming migraine can prevent preheadache fatigue and light sensitivity

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Precision in Motion: Why Process Optimization Is the Future of Manufacturing

Speaker: Jason Chester, Director, Product Management

In today’s manufacturing landscape, staying competitive means moving beyond reactive quality checks and toward real-time, data-driven process control. But what does true manufacturing process optimization look like—and why is it more urgent now than ever? Join Jason Chester in this new, thought-provoking session on how modern manufacturers are rethinking quality operations from the ground up.

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How Much Transit Investment Is Needed to Get Back to “Normal”?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Transit is essential for the climate, our health, and our pocketbooks , but was never set up for success in transportation policy. While transit agencies in the United States have made slight increases in the amount of buses and trains they run, this has been insufficient to meet the growing demand for more transportation options. Even status quo levels of transit are far from the future of abundant transportation options needed to truly address global warming emissions, high car ownership costs

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The bold attempt to solve the toughest mystery at the heart of physics

New Scientist

Finding out whether gravity and therefore space-time itself is quantum in nature has long been thought impossible.

More Trending

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Predicted Arctic sea ice trends over time

Real Climate

Over multiple generations of CMIP models Arctic sea ice trend predictions have gone from much too stable to about right. Why? The diagnostics highlighted in our model-observations comparison page are currently all temperature based, and show overall that climate models have being doing well on these trends for decades. But there has been increasing attention to trends in non-temperature variables, and there, model performance is more mixed (Simpson et al., 2025).

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California Lawmakers Vote on Energy Affordability Soon

Legal Planet

Energy affordability has been a huge focus in Sacramento as the deadline nears for bills to move out of policy committees. Over the past three years, customers of the largest investor-owned electric utilities (IOUs) in the state have seen their rates rise by an average of 5-41%, with nearly one in five households behind on their electricity bills. Over the past couple of years, policymakers have written reports, held hearings, and committed to the goal of reducing energy burden on California hou

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Black Hole Mergers Show Strange Mathematical Link to String Theory

Scientific American

Researchers have shown that abstract mathematical functions from the frontiers of theoretical physics have a real-world use in modeling gravitational waves

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How Science and Advocacy Ended Dangerous Nuclear Testing in the United States

Union of Concerned Scientists

If you had opened up a newspaper 50 years ago, there is a good chance you would be reading about the latest nuclear explosion over your cup of coffee. Nuclear weapons have only been used twice in war, but more than 2,000 nuclear weapons were detonated during the Cold War. From 1945 to 1992, the United States alone conducted 1,030 nuclear testsfar more than any other country.

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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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Flash floods sweep through vital sanctuary for Australian animals

New Scientist

Wildlife carers fostering some of Australias most precious animals have had to rescue them one by one from rising waters and are now racing to repair fencing that keeps feral predators away

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When USDA Cuts Staff, Farmers Pay the Price: Lessons from the ERS and NIFA Relocations

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

In a move reminiscent of past disruptions but at a much larger scale, the Trump administration is implementing widespread staffing cuts across federal agencies. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is facing a significant reduction, expecting approximately 30,000 USDA positions to be eliminated. About 16,000 employees have already accepted deferred resignation offers.

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Thunder Bay is Bringing its Great Lake Shoreline Back

Circle of Blue

By Fatima Syed, The Narwhal My first glimpse of Lake Superior, in all its lore-and-song-inspiring glory, is a blurry one from the backseat of a taxi driving through Thunder Bay. Superior, or Gitchigumi, which means Great Lake in Anishinaabemowin, is the largest of those lakes, and the second largest lake in the world, containing 10 per cent of the planets fresh surface water.

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Calling Captain Renault

Legal Planet

Well, how shocking. Not : “While much of the country is being crushed by a housing affordability crisis, living in Austin, Texas, is becoming cheaper as rent prices in the city are dropping faster than anywhere else in the nation.” And why, pray tell? “Over the past few years, Austin built more new apartments than any other city in the country and even in Texas, which together with Florida approved the most new building development projects in the union since the COVID pandemic

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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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As Bird Flu Spreads, Vaccine Shows Promise for Protecting Cattle

Yale E360

Since bird flu was first discovered in U.S. cattle last year, the virus has spread to more than 1,000 herds across the country. A new vaccine for cattle has performed well in early tests, raising hopes that it could protect livestock and help prevent an outbreak in humans.

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New Infrared Contacts Let You See in the Dark

Scientific American

Straight out of science fiction, these contact lenses convert infrared light into visible light that humans can see

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Fossil tracks rewrite history of animals leaving water to live on land

New Scientist

The footprints of a reptile-like creature appear to have been laid down around 356 million years ago, pushing back the earliest known instance of animals emerging from the water to live on land

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President's Proposed Budget Cuts Will 'Incapacitate’ State Environmental Programs - $120+ Million At Risk In DEP’s Budget; Drinking Water, Wastewater Infrastructure Funding Cut 89%

PA Environment Daily

The Environmental Council of the States and the Environmental Protection Network reported this week the President's Budget Request issued on May 2 would cut over $1 billion going to states to administer federal pollution control and permitting programs, eliminating 16 of the 19 categorial state grants. In addition, the President proposes to cut drinking water and wastewater revolving infrastructure funding by 89%.

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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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The most recent climate status

Real Climate

Fjords and mountains in Northern Norway The Arctic Councils Arctic Monitoring and assessment Programme ( AMAP ) recently released a Summary for PolicyMakers Arctic Climate Change Update 2024. It is one of several stock taking exercises on the regional and global states of Earth’s climate. The other reports include the 2024 European State of the Climate (ESOTC) report , NOAAs Assessing the Global Climate in 2024 , Berkeley Earth , and the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) stat

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We need integrated funding to scale up multibenefit projects

Legal Planet

Climate and ecological challenges are fundamentally linked, demanding solutions that address both environmental and social issues. Multibenefit projectslike levee realignments that reconnect floodplainscan combine climate adaptation, water management and ecosystem restoration efforts. However, most funding programs focus on single-purpose projects, making it difficult to support multibenefit solutions.

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What Are Distributed Energy Resources?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Picture a home with solar panels on the roof and a battery mounted on an exterior wall, storing energy from the solar panels during the day for use at night. This ‘solar+storage’ system is an increasingly common sight across the country , with up to 25% of new solar installations including attached storage. It might be easy to think of this set-up as operating in isolation: only impacting the household and its occupants.

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Knitting’s Complex Shapes Explained in New Physics Model

Scientific American

A new mathematical model helps to advance the centuries-old art of knitting

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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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Sea level will rise fast even if we limit global warming to 1.5°C

New Scientist

Satellite observations show the ice sheets are melting faster than expected, and slowing sea level rise to a manageable rate would require lowering the global temperature below the current level

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On the Chopping Block: Trump Administration Moves to Rescind ESA Regulations Protecting Imperiled Species

Vermont Law

On the Chopping Block: Trump Administration Moves to Rescind ESA Regulations Protecting Imperiled Species By Delcianna J. Winders The U.S. Supreme Court heralded the Endangered Species Act (ESA or Act) as the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation. As set forth by Congress, the ESAs primary purpose is to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved....

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Analysis: Thailand’s solar sector faces hurdles in net-zero push

A Greener Life

The Ubolratana Dam hydro-floating solar hybrid power plant in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The country needs to rapidly scale up solar power to hit its 2050 net zero target, experts say. Photo credit: Lin Hao / Xinhua / Alamy. By Chalie Charoenlarpnopparut Entrenched gas interests and domestic issues put a strain on Thailands solar potential, writes renewable energy expert Chalie Charoenlarpnopparut.

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Fix Our Forests, version 2

Legal Planet

I wrote previously about the Fix Our Forests bill which has been passed by the House and is currently being considered by the Senate. I noted some concerns I had about its overuse of emergency authorities, its expansion of categorical exclusions, and some changes to litigation, as well as some positive features of the bill. A new version of Fix Our Forests has been introduced in the Senate by a bipartisan group of Senators.

Law
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How to Modernize Manufacturing Without Losing Control

Speaker: Andrew Skoog, Founder of MachinistX & President of Hexis Representatives

Manufacturing is evolving, and the right technology can empower—not replace—your workforce. Smart automation and AI-driven software are revolutionizing decision-making, optimizing processes, and improving efficiency. But how do you implement these tools with confidence and ensure they complement human expertise rather than override it? Join industry expert Andrew Skoog as he explores how manufacturers can leverage automation to enhance operations, streamline workflows, and make smarter, data-dri

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Nearly Half of US Breathes Unhealthy Levels of Pollution—Cars and Trucks Largely to Blame

Union of Concerned Scientists

Over 156 million people in the US are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollutants, according to the recently published 2025 State-of-the Air report from the American Lung Association (ALA). For 25 years the report has helped people across the country understand the quality of the air in their communities. It presents air pollution data at the county-level for two pollutants, deadly fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and ground-level ozone.

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Ways To Cope When Your Child Gets A Life-Altering Diagnosis

Scientific American

Parents often struggle with the news that their child has a major health issue.

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Strange microbes give clues to the ancestor of all complex life

New Scientist

The origin of complex eukaryotic cells, of the type found in all plants and animals, is shrouded in mystery.

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 Are Data Centers a Threat to the Great Lakes?

Circle of Blue

By Stephen Starr Benton Harbor on Lake Michigans southeast coast is known to visitors for its vacation feel and beautiful beaches. But its also one of the poorest cities in Michigan. In recent years, the area has struggled to find the funds to invest in critical infrastructure, most noticeably for its water supply which until recently had tested for dangerously high levels of lead.

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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.