Month: January 2014

  • The Effects of Third-hand Smoke

    Many of us are familiar with first-hand smoke and second-hand smoke, but what about third-hand smoke? Well, you better get familiar with it because according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the effects of third-hand smoke may be just as deadly as first-hand smoke. Let’s break it down:…

  • Comets and Woolly Mammoths

    New evidence suggests that a comet collision might have been the trigger for the Younger Dryas, contributing to North America’s megafauna extinction. UC Santa Barbara’s James Kennett, professor emeritus in the Department of Earth Science, posits that such an extraterrestrial event did occur killing off woolly mammoths, giant ground sloths and saber-tooth tigers 12,900 years…

  • L’Oreal moves against forest destruction

    L’Oreal, the world’s largest beauty and cosmetics company, has committed to remove forest destruction from its products by 2020. Top brands like Garnier, Diesel, Lancome, Giorgio Armani and Yves St Laurent will no longer be contribute to forest destruction following this promise by the world’s biggest beauty products company.

  • Yellowstone Grizzlies Under Threat

    Yellowstone’s Grizzly bears are facing multiple threats, writes Anna Taylor – from proposals to remove their protection under the US Endangered Species Act, and shortages of key foods caused by climate change. Grizzly bear trophy hunting in Yellowstone National Park may resume in 2014 if the proposal to remove the bears from the protection of…

  • US Solar Employment Growing at 10 Times the National Average

    When it comes to job creation, it appears that the U.S. economy has undergone radical change over the past couple of decades as the full extent of neoconservative economic, trade and tax policies, along with rapid technological change, have been more fully realized.

  • Solar Energy is cash and sunshine in your pocket

    Is there money to be made on your roof? With the never-ending availability of sunshine and the evolution of solar technology many are recognizing the benefits of solar. The decision making process though is not for the faint of heart. Recognizing the difficulty in breaking through the process a company called Generaytor out of Tel…

  • Panama’s sloths harbor potential drugs

    Sloths may be slow, apparently boring animals, but their hair is fast becoming an intriguing avenue for scientists seeking new drugs, including antibiotics and cancer-fighting compounds. A paper published in PLOS One this month (15 January) shows that sloth hair harbors a rich diversity of fungi whose extracts may contain a treasure trove of compounds…

  • Extreme Weather Events Create Uncertain Future for Penguins

    Changes in average climatic conditions combined with the increasing frequency of unpredictable, extreme weather events may disrupt scientific predictions of the future penguin populations, according to a study published in PLOS ONE on January 29, 2014 by Amélie Lescroël from the Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CNRS), France and colleagues.

  • Record year for offshore wind energy hides slowdown in new projects

    A record number of offshore wind turbines were connected to the grid in Europe last year – and nearly 50% of the projects were installed in UK waters, according to a new report released today. However, the pipeline of new wind energy projects is running worryingly low, according to the new industry briefing.

  • Scientists transform old plastic shopping bags into vehicle fuel

    Researchers have discovered a method to re-use discarded shopping bags by transforming them into a fuel that can power car engines. Scientists in India say they have developed a relatively low-temperature process to convert certain kinds of plastic waste into liquid fuel as a way to re-use discarded plastic bags and other products. Many pundits…