Wed.Jan 24, 2024

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Thousands of Emperor Penguins Discovered by Satellite

Yale E360

A careful study of satellite imagery has revealed four previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins along the edges of Antarctica, a promising discovery in a region increasingly endangered by climate change.

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The USDA’s Climate Hubs Could Help Farmers Adapt to Extreme Weather

Union of Concerned Scientists

After months of delay, it appears possible (though far from guaranteed!) that the food and farm bill might finally begin moving forward in Congress. This critical legislation was originally expected to be signed into law by the fall of 2023, but a chaotic schedule—and an often dysfunctional Congress—got in the way. Instead of passing a new food and farm bill for the first time since 2018, Congress instead approved a one-year extension last fall and punted the task of crafting an updated bill to

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Groundwater Levels Around the World Are Dropping Quickly, Often at Accelerating Rates

Inside Climate News

Rapid declines are most common in aquifers under croplands in drier regions, including California, the most extensive analysis of groundwater trends so far shows. By Liza Gross Groundwater supplies are dwindling in aquifers around the world, a groundbreaking new study found, with the rates of decline accelerating over the past four decades in nearly a third of aquifers studied.

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Fossilized Finances: Oil and Gas Subsidies in the Permian Basin

NRDC

A new NRDC report shows how, despite the need to curb fossil fuel production, outdated tax giveaways incentivize further extraction in the country's largest oil and gas region.

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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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A Historic and Devastating Drought in the Amazon Was Caused by Climate Change, Researchers Say

Inside Climate News

A new report untangles the impact of global warming on an “exceptional” drought across the world’s largest land-based carbon sink. By Georgina Gustin Climate change was the primary driver of a massive drought in the Amazon basin in 2023 and will likely cause future extreme droughts, with potentially dire consequences for global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report from World Weather Attribution.

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I'm teaching again after 20 years away. The tech is pure absurdity

New Scientist

Returning to university teaching after almost two decades, Annalee Newitz finds they have become the Rip Van Winkle of pedagogy and tries to get to grips with the terrible learning technology

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Syphilis-like bacteria found in 2000-year-old human remains in Brazil

New Scientist

Four skeletons in a prehistoric burial site in Brazil contain the DNA of bacteria that are closely related to the syphilis bacterium, giving clues as to the infection's origin

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Transportation Funding Gets a Potential Boost

NRDC

A new bill from Congressman Hank Johnson could help secure desperately needed operations funding for transit agencies across the country.

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Fungi grow faster if you play sounds to them

New Scientist

Fungi exposed to acoustic stimulation in lab experiments have faster growth rates, suggesting a possible way to speed up composting and restore habitats

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A Wild Claim about the Powers of Pi Creates a Transcendental Mystery

Scientific American

Mathematicians cannot determine whether multiplying pi by itself repeatedly might produce a whole number

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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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Retinal images could predict future risk of heart or lung disease

New Scientist

People with unusually thin retinas are at greater risk of later developing bronchitis and other conditions, suggesting retinal scans could eventually become a component of routine health screening

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Groundwater Is Declining Globally, but There Are Hopeful Exceptions

Scientific American

The most detailed global look at groundwater yet shows a lot of loss but also stories of success in restoring some aquifers

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Filterworld review: Are algorithms staging a cultural takeover?

New Scientist

From music playlists to what we eat or who we date, we are accidentally outsourcing our cultural tastes and personal desires to homogenising feeds, argues Kyle Chayka in his new book

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Unprecedented Supernova Survey Underscores Dark Energy Mystery

Scientific American

The Dark Energy Survey has released a long-awaited analysis based on more than 1,500 supernovae.

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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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Wearable device monitors tumour size and displays it in an app

New Scientist

A wearable device that sticks to the skin can constantly measure the size of certain tumours and wirelessly transmit that information to a smartphone

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The Opioid Crisis Is Now Being Tracked with Wastewater

Scientific American

Levels of opioids and other drugs in sewage could help public health authorities home in on drug use and target treatment efforts

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Why is the US still in such poor health, despite its wealth?

New Scientist

A decade ago, a study showed that the US had the lowest life expectancy among high-income countries.

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USDA Rural Development Funds 3 More Clean Energy Projects In Huntingdon, Lancaster, Perry Counties

PA Environment Daily

On January 24, U.S. Department of Agriculture State Director for Rural Development Bob Morgan announced USDA is investing $661,453 to support three more solar energy projects in Huntingdon, Lancaster and Perry Counties. These projects are in addition to the $5.2 million in funding for 34 projects announced on January 22. Read more here. The new projects include-- -- The Huntingdon Country Club Inc. in Huntingdon County, a golf course located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, was awarded $24,563 to pu

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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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Robot avatar lets people see and feel things remotely through VR

New Scientist

A person wearing a VR headset and haptic feedback gloves can control the iCub 3 robot and experience being somewhere else

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This Nomadic Eccentric Was the Most Prolific Mathematician in History

Scientific American

The bizarre life and legacy of Paul Erdős, the most prolific mathematician ever

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Exploring our body oddities is about far more than just idle curiosity

New Scientist

Dedicating time and money to inquire about aspects of our physiology that appear to serve little purpose might seem a little strange, but it turns out to be a great route to breakthroughs in biology

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Ozempic and Other Weight-Loss Drugs Are Sparking a Risky New War on Obesity

Scientific American

The world has launched into an era of injectables not just to treat obesity but to manage weight. Is that all good news?

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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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Lithium mining looks set to reshape Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni salt flat

New Scientist

Photographer Matjaz Krivic has been charting the effects of lithium mining on locals in the world's largest salt flat in Bolivia since 2016

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Female Chameleon Erupts with Color Before Death

PBS Nature

In her last moments, this female chameleon's skin erupts with color. All that remains are thousands of her eggs buried deep beneath the surface.

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Breaking Through review: Katalin Karikó's amazing Nobel story

New Scientist

Biochemist Katalin Karikó believed in mRNA's potential, but funders were quiet and she was demoted.

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Penn State Extension - Farm Conservation Success Story Series: First Stop Westmoreland County - John Kitz's Mount Pleasant Farm

PA Environment Daily

The latest Penn State Extension Ag Conservation Currents newsletter features the latest information on farm conservation. BMP Success Stories Across the Pennsylvania landscape, the implementation of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) provides a critical opportunity for fostering environmental stewardship and supporting Pennsylvanian agriculture.

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Menstruation isn't dirty, so let's drop terms like sanitary towels

New Scientist

Describing menstrual products using euphemistic language such as "feminine hygiene products" reinforces the trope that menstruation is shameful.

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Advancements by ESS Signal Energy Storage Progress 

Cresforum

ESS Inc. is a leading manufacturer of long-duration energy storage (LDES) systems for commercial and utility-scale application, and they are recently announced several exciting updates: New Project in Missouri ESS commissioned a new Energy Warehouse (EW) at the Contingency Base Integration Training Evaluation Center operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

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Finger food is now on the menu at Chopt salad chain

New Scientist

Feedback is intrigued to discover that nominative determinism can also apply to companies, but distressed to learn what this can mean for those purchasing salads

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XTO Energy Begins Plugging First Of 4 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells At Butler County Well Pad

PA Environment Daily

On January 23, 2024, DEP did a follow-up inspection at the Coretsky shale gas well pad in Prospect Borough, Butler County operated by XTO Energy, Inc. [ExxonMobil] and found plugging operations had begun on the first of four abandoned shale gas wells at that pad. DEP inspector Brian MacQuarrie noted AXIS workover Rig 53 was on location and at the Patton 2H and put 4,650 feet of tubing down the well and pumped 1,260 gallons of freshwater and thin drilling “mud” down the hole.

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Wilderness with Simon Reeve: A travel show with green credentials

New Scientist

Some urbanites feel like nature-travel shows almost come from another planet, while others worry they encourage harmful tourism.

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How Long Does It Really Take to Form a Habit?

Scientific American

There’s a myth that it takes 21 days to form a habit.

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