Sat.Oct 16, 2021 - Fri.Oct 22, 2021

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To Find Out If ExxonMobil Really Supports a Carbon Tax, Just Follow the Money

Union of Concerned Scientists

Despite claiming to endorse a carbon tax, ExxonMobil has funneled millions of dollars to lawmakers who oppose the idea.

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From Homes to Cars, It’s Now Time to Electrify Everything

Yale E360

The key to shifting away from fossil fuels is for consumers to begin replacing their home appliances, heating systems, and cars with electric versions powered by clean electricity. The challenges are daunting, but the politics will change when the economic benefits are widely felt. Read more on E360 ?.

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What’s Up With Water – October 18, 2021

Circle of Blue

Transcript. Welcome to “What’s Up With Water,” your need-to-know news of the world’s water from Circle of Blue. I’m Eileen Wray-McCann. In South Africa, garbage and high levels of bacteria are contaminating the country’s rivers, and environmental activists are struggling to hold government officials accountable. That’s according to the Daily Maverick, a news group that says that local and federal agencies often blame each other, or simply downplay the urgency of the contamination, making it har

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North Carolina’s New Climate Legislation

Legal Planet

Last week, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an important piece of climate legislation. I wrote last month about major, bipartisan climate legislation in Illinois. Like the Illinois law, the North Carolina law enjoyed broad bipartisan support. The North Carolina legislature is under firm Republican. Nevertheless, the bill passed the state senate by a 42 to 7 vote and the state house by 90 to 20, before being signed by the Democratic governor.

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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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The Bar for Climate Ambition is Set by Science, Not Congressional Politics

Union of Concerned Scientists

Without the Clean Electricity Performance Program, it will be harder to meet the nation's climate targets, but it can be done.

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Finding Bright Spots in the Global Coral Reef Catastrophe

Yale E360

The first-ever report on the world’s coral reefs presents a grim picture, as losses mount due to global warming. But there are signs of hope — some regions are having coral growth, and researchers found that corals can recover if given a decade of reprieve from hot water. Read more on E360 ?.

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Nominees for a Science Award Were All White Men -- Nobody Won

Scientific American

A protest by a group of scientists has ignited spirited discussions about the persistent lack of diversity in such awards. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Colorado’s Fossil Fuel Industry Wants to Buy Your Friendship. Don’t Be Fooled.

Union of Concerned Scientists

A new UCS report found that the oil and gas industry has spent massive amounts of money in Colorado to buy political influence and block public health and environmental safeguards.

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Bitcoin Miners Resurrect Fossil Fuel Power Plant, Drawing Backlash From Environmentalists

Yale E360

A cryptocurrency-mining operation in central New York has reopened a shuttered fossil fuel power plant to power 15,300 computer servers used to unlock bitcoins, raising concerns among environmentalists, the Associated Press reports. Read more on E360 ?.

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When and why did human brains decrease in size 3,000 years ago? New study may have found clues within ants

Frontiers

By Suzanna Burgelman, Frontiers science writer. Image: Yongkiet Jitwattanatam/Shutterstock.com. The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Now, a new study has brought us closer to understanding some of its evolution. It shows that human brains decreased in size approximately 3,000 years ago. By studying ants as models to illustrate why brains may increase or decrease in size, the researchers hypothesize that brain shrinkage parallels the expansion of collective intelligence in human

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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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Sperm quality has been declining for 16 years among men in the US

New Scientist

Data from 170,000 semen analyses performed in the US between 2005 and 2021 reveals a worrying decline in sperm quality

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Here’s What Richer Countries Must Deliver to Make COP26 in Glasgow a Success

Union of Concerned Scientists

We’re less than two weeks out from the start of the annual U.N. international climate talks, also referred to as COP26, which are set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31-November 12. The gravity of the moment should be sinking in for world leaders. From a climate-caused drought in Madagascar that threatens food […].

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Rising Arctic Temperatures Mean Migrating North No Longer Worth It for Many Species, Study Finds

Yale E360

As temperatures rise in northern regions, migrating species are seeing less benefit from migrating north for the summer months, according to scientists who reviewed 25 recent studies. Read more on E360 ?.

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Four Success Stories in Gene Therapy

Scientific American

The field is beginning to fulfill its potential. These therapies offer a glimpse of what’s to come. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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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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Global fossil fuel extraction plans are double what we can safely burn

New Scientist

Staying under 1.

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Your Chicken Nuggets May Be Driving the Pandemic

Union of Concerned Scientists

Earlier this year, Tyson Foods, Inc., the biggest chicken and meat company in the United States (ranked fifth in the world), spent just over $2 billion to buy Keystone Foods, the company that makes every single chicken nugget that gets sold by McDonald’s. Keystone Foods is just the latest conquest to be added to Tyson’s […].

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Microplastics May Be Impacting the Climate, Study Finds

Yale E360

Tiny bits of plastic are swirling in the sky, and a new model suggests they could be subtly affecting the climate. Read more on E360 ?.

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This Simple Experiment Could Challenge Standard Quantum Theory

Scientific American

Measuring the time it takes particles to travel between two points may offer the best-yet test for Bohmian mechanics. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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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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Nearly every person in Iran seems to have had covid-19 at least once

New Scientist

An analysis of covid-19 infections among Iranian people casts further doubt on the idea that herd immunity can be achieved without vaccination

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The Build Back Better Act is a Bridge to the Future We Need. Senator Manchin, Don’t Blow It Up!

Union of Concerned Scientists

Climate and Energy Policy Director Rachel Cleetus lays out the moral case for Senator Manchin–and Senator Sinema–to support the investments we need in clean energy through the budget reconciliation bill.

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Quantum imaging techniques could help find exoplanets

Physics World

Astronomers in Australia and the UK have shown how exoplanets could be observed directly by using quantum hypothesis testing methods to analyse telescope images. Zixin Huang at Macquarie University, and Cosmo Lupo at the University of Sheffield have shown that the techniques can be used to discriminate between light emitted by a star-planet system and a star with no planets.

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We Need to Ground Truth Assumptions about Gene Therapy

Scientific American

Researchers, practitioners and patients must balance the discipline’s promise with its reality. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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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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Extinct Japanese wolf is the closest wild relative of dogs yet found

New Scientist

The extinct Japanese wolf is not the direct ancestor of dogs but its DNA shows it is more closely related to those ancestors than any other wolves yet found

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EPA Plans to Take Bold Action on PFAS. Will it Be Enough?

Union of Concerned Scientists

EPA's new plans for regulating PFAS are an important step in the right direction. But more needs to be done.

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Scanning the cosmos for signs of alien technology

Physics World

In 1802 the young German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss suggested a way to make our presence known to would-be Martians – by clearing a huge area in the Siberian forest, planting it with wheat, and creating a pattern indicative of the Pythagorean theorem. Some 80 years later, astronomer Percival Lowell – founder of the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff , Arizona, and proponent of the idea that astronomers had spotted canals on Mars – suggested digging our own canals in the Sahara desert.

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Vapor Storms Are Threatening People and Property

Scientific American

More moisture in a warmer atmosphere is fueling intense hurricanes and flooding rains. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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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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Why hope and optimism are crucial for fighting climate change

New Scientist

Doom-filled facts will never be enough to tackle climate change.

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Warming Trends: Where Have All the Walruses Gone? Plus, a Maple Mystery, ‘Cool’ Islands and the Climate of Manhattan

Inside Climate News

A column highlighting climate-related studies, innovations, books, cultural events and other developments from the global warming frontier. By Katelyn Weisbrod Researchers are recruiting 500,000 citizen scientists to help count walruses, which face massive challenges as the climate changes. The World Wildlife Fund and the British Antarctic Survey have gathered 600,000 satellite images from th.

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Climate change in a nutshell: the causes and effects of global warming, simply put

Physics World

It might sound impossible to explain something as complex as the mechanisms of climate change both simply and accurately. But this is exactly what David Nelles and Christian Serrer – students at the University of Friedrichshafen, Germany – have achieved with their book Small Gases, Big Effect: This is Climate Change. Approved by more than 100 scientists, Small Gases, Big Effect starts with a breakdown of the components of the Earth’s climate, before detailing the many interconnected factors that

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I Eat Fish, Am I Eating Microplastics?

Ocean Conservancy

Written by Hayley McIlwraith, Research Assistant in the Rochman Lab and Chelsea Rochman, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, co-founder of the University of Toronto Trash Team and Scientific Advisor to Ocean Conservancy. Plastic is everywhere. It’s in the laptop I’m using to write this blog, in the clothes I’m wearing as I sit at my desk and in the packaging protecting the food that I’m snacking on in between sentences.

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COP26: A moment for the world to truly confront the climate emergency

New Scientist

The international climate summit in the UK is a big moment in the fight against global warming.

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