Sat.Jul 17, 2021 - Fri.Jul 23, 2021

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Land Grabbers: The Growing Assault on Brazil’s Indigenous Areas

Yale E360

Under President Jair Bolsonaro, illegal miners, loggers and ranchers are invading and occupying ever-larger amounts of Indigenous territory. Brazil’s original inhabitants are increasingly opposing these incursions, leading to conflicts and a surge in killings of local activists. Read more on E360 ?.

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Unveiling the Public Health Burden of Natural Gas

Union of Concerned Scientists

Environmental health has always been of concern to me, as it is to many of us. Climate change has affected our lives in seemingly inconsequential but sad ways, like white Christmases becoming green Christmases just within the span of my childhood, but also in substantial ways, like excessively hot summers and increased flooding, to name […].

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Highly programmable quantum simulator operates with up to 256 qubits

Physics World

Physicists have demonstrated a large-scale, programmable quantum simulator, featuring a precisely-arranged two-dimensional array of 256 quantum bits (qubits). Designed by a team headed up at Harvard University , the system uses arrays of highly focused laser beams to trap individual atoms and drag them into desirable arrangements. The design, which the researchers describe in Nature , marks a key step forward in the global race to design larger, more reliable quantum computers, and could signifi

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Tomato fruits send electrical warnings to the rest of the plant when attacked by insects

Frontiers

By K.E.D Coan, science writer. Image: Eugenegurkov/Shutterstock. Tomato fruits inform the mother plant when they are being eaten by caterpillars, shows a new study. Little is known about whether a fruit can communicate with the plant to which it’s attached, which could be important for warning the plant of threats. This early evidence shows that pest attacks do trigger defensive electrical and biochemical responses across the plant.

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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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Series of Rare Arctic Thunderstorms Stuns Scientists

Yale E360

Three successive thunderstorms formed in the Arctic last week, a rare phenomenon in the frigid north, but one that is likely to become more common as the planet warms, Reuters reported. Read more on E360 ?.

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To Transform the Electricity System, We Must Transform Electricity Governance

Union of Concerned Scientists

Most people know very little about the institutions that run the electricity grid. Yet one of the key findings of “A People-Centered Clean Energy Transition,” a new report co-authored by an advisory committee—of which I am a member—and the Union of Concerned Scientists, is the centrality of the electricity system in creating an equitable clean energy future.

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E-Waste: What Happens When We Fail To Recycle Electronics

Earth 911

Today, the average person owns three to four electronic devices. But what happens after these. The post E-Waste: What Happens When We Fail To Recycle Electronics appeared first on Earth911.

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Should Children Get COVID Vaccines? What the Science Says

Scientific American

With vaccination campaigns underway in some countries while others weigh the options, Nature looks at the evidence for vaccinating younger people. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Re-examining my Personal Biases: Clinical Work and Research with Justice-Involved Individuals

Union of Concerned Scientists

Reflecting on my prejudices toward justice-involved clients revealed to me that I had treated them like inmates rather than clients.

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‘Second sound’ appears in germanium

Physics World

Researchers in Spain and Italy have observed “second sound” in a room-temperature semiconductor for the first time. This phenomenon, which occurs when distinct waves of temperature pass through a material, had previously only been observed in exotic superfluids at ultracold temperatures (and, more recently, in graphite). Its surprise appearance in a material widely used in electronic chips could make it possible to improve the performance of electric devices by managing waste heat better.

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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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New method predicts ‘stealth’ solar storms before they wreak geomagnetic havoc on Earth

Frontiers

By Mischa Dijkstra, Frontiers science writer. Image credit: Lukasz Pawel Szczepanski / Shutterstock.com. Scientists show for the first time that ‘stealth’ coronal mass ejections, a type of solar storm, can be detected early on the Sun’s surface. This could help put measures in place that limit damage to technology and energy grids on Earth from the electromagnetic radiation.

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Burrowing Owls Face an Uncertain Future

Cool Green Science

Why are burrowing owls declining? Research and hope for the underground owl of the Americas. The post Burrowing Owls Face an Uncertain Future appeared first on Cool Green Science.

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Appalachia Poised to Be Part of Shift to Clean Energy

Union of Concerned Scientists

Federal action is key to cleaning up fossil fuel industry pollution.

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An interactive play where quantum physics and psychology collide

Physics World

Weird world The Mirror Trap is an online show combining quantum physics with psychology, in which the audience participates in the strange-face-in-the-mirror experiment. (Courtesy: Simon Watt). When an event is labelled as a “play/ experience/ installation/ horror story”, it’s hard not to be intrigued. Trickier still when its organizers dare (rather than invite) you to take part.

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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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Who counts as an astronaut? Not Jeff Bezos, say new US rules

New Scientist

The US Federal Aviation Administration has updated its rules on who counts as a commercial astronaut, making it tougher for space tourists to earn official astronaut wings

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Bloom Energy, Heliogen Partner On Low-Cost Green Hydrogen

Environmental Leader

Bloom Energy and Heliogen have announced plans to produce green hydrogen using only concentrated solar power and water, further accelerating progress toward a zero-carbon future. The companies’ first integrated solution is expected to be operational by the end of 2021. Green hydrogen is one of the top ten technologies shaping. Read more ». The post Bloom Energy, Heliogen Partner On Low-Cost Green Hydrogen appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Confronting the Consequences of an Extractive Economy

Union of Concerned Scientists

Renewables, energy efficiency are key solutions for the climate emergency.

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Climate Change and Me

Academy of Natural Sciences

The first climate change presentation I saw was back in the 1970s when I was working for the National Weather Service. The speaker, J. Murray Mitchell, was the top climate scientist for NWS. At the time, media speculation and popular books were suggesting a new “ice age” was coming. While that got the bulk of the publicity, Dr. Mitchell assured us that the warming of the climate would be the biggest problem in the future.

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Covid-19 news: England unlocks as UK cases continue to soar

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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Removing Batteries From the Internet of Things

Earth 911

The chatter about the “internet of things” makes it sound like the solution to all. The post Removing Batteries From the Internet of Things appeared first on Earth911.

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A Framework for a People-Centered Clean Energy Transition

Union of Concerned Scientists

It's time for systemic change in our energy syst now.

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Ag & Food Law Daily Update: July 19, 2021

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. REGULATORY: AMS, The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: July 19, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Transparent coating captures aerosol droplets from air

Physics World

A transparent, viscous coating that can be brushed or painted onto any type of surface could reduce disease transmission by capturing airborne droplets. The coating, which is based on a polymer commonly employed in cosmetics, could be applied to plexiglass barriers and face shields as well as windows, walls, ceilings or even curtains. Used in this way, it could remove virus-laden particles from the air and so slow down the spread of infectious respiratory diseases like COVID-19, according to the

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On California’s Coast, Black Abalone, Already Vulnerable to Climate Change, are Increasingly Threatened by Wildfire

Inside Climate News

In Big Sur, scientists are rescuing the abalone from landslides caused by the Dolan Fire, and moving them to safety in new neighborhoods where “resident abalone” already thrive. By Anne Marshall-Chalmers BIG SUR, Calif.— It’s four in the morning, damp and dark along the central California coast. Huddled around the back of a minivan, five scientists in waders and boots tenderly move 41 black abalone from large white coolers into reusable Trader Joe’s grocery totes lined with wet, cold washcloths

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Flu Has Disappeared for More Than a Year

Scientific American

Mask wearing, social distancing and other steps to stop COVID-19 have also curtailed influenza. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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European Data Center Becomes First to Use Vegetable Oil Fuel for its Generators

Environmental Leader

Kao Data, a developer and operator of carrier neutral data centers for high performance colocation, has announced it has become the UK's first data center to transition all backup generators at its Harlow campus to HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fuel. The post European Data Center Becomes First to Use Vegetable Oil Fuel for its Generators appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Vibrations drive X-ray flares in Jupiter’s aurora

Physics World

The mechanisms behind the energetic X-ray flares in Jupiter’s version of the Northern Lights are remarkably similar to those that produce Earth’s aurora, an international team of astronomers has discovered. Using simultaneous observations by two different satellites, researchers co-led by William Dunn at University College London and Zhonghua Yao at the Chinese Academy of Sciences determined that both processes are driven by vibrations in planetary magnetic fields – a phenomenon that could be un

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WOTUS Update: EPA Makes Announcement, Status Update for On-Going Lawsuits

National Law Center

On June 9, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) released a joint statement announcing. The post WOTUS Update: EPA Makes Announcement, Status Update for On-Going Lawsuits appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Why chemical pollution is turning into a third great planetary crisis

New Scientist

Thousands of synthetic substances have leaked into ecosystems everywhere, and we are only just beginning to realise the devastating consequences

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The Idea That Trees Talk to Cooperate Is Misleading

Scientific American

It’s a romantic notion, but pretending they’re like humans could actually harm the cause of conservation. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Majorana modes continue to elude

Physics World

Not observing a theoretically predicted feature in an experiment can be frustrating, but it is also a crucial step for advancing science. This is what happened when a team of physicists in Austria, Denmark and Spain went looking for a feature that purportedly comes from Majorana bound states, which are exotic quasiparticles that might one day become the workhorses of quantum computing.

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Ag & Food Law Daily Update: July 22, 2021

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. REGULATORY: EPA. The post Ag & Food Law Daily Update: July 22, 2021 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Dogs will ignore you if they know you are lying, unlike young children

New Scientist

Dogs tend to ignore suggestions from people who are lying, hinting that – unlike human infants and some other primates– they might recognise when a person is being deceptive

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BREAKING NEWS: PA Supreme Court Again Declares Transfers From DCNR Oil & Gas Fund Unconstitutional Under Environmental Rights Amendment

PA Environment Daily

On July 21, the PA Supreme Court issued a decision again declaring unconstitutional the transfer of monies from DCNR’s Oil and Gas Fund-- derived from natural gas drilling in State Forests-- to the General Fund to balance the state budget and fund agency operations. The Court said in its decision, “.we hold that the income generated from the revenue streams at issue must be returned to the corpus as a matter of trust law.

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