Tue.Aug 20, 2024

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Electric School Buses: The Best Choice for Our Kids and Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

The iconic yellow school bus is a familiar sight on our streets no matter where you live in the US, transporting millions of kids safely to and from school every day. While the color of school buses is still the same old yellow that it was when I was going to elementary school, there’s been a lot of changes going on under the hood recently. It turns out school buses are at the leading edge of the transition to electric heavy-duty vehicles.

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Killing Growth Plan for Greater Golden Horseshoe is a Disaster for Ontario’s Environment and Efforts to End Housing Shortage

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Phil Pothen, Land Use and Land Development program manager, in response to Ontario’s Provincial Planning Statement Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – The Ontario government’s repeal of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe may be a death sentence for the province’s best farmland and many endangered species, and it also ends any real hope of fixing the housing shortage.

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What Does Meaningful Community Engagement Look Like in Massachusetts?

Union of Concerned Scientists

What words or feelings immediately come to mind when you think of a public meeting? If words like long, confusing, or inaccessible rise to the top, you’re not alone. As graduate students pursuing degrees in planning, we’re all too aware of the challenges associated with public engagement processes. Sometimes it can feel like the meeting is simply checking a box, and not truly engaging the community in which the proposed idea or plan is going to impact.

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Fuzzy quantum effects have been seen on the largest scale yet

New Scientist

A weird quantum phenomenon called delocalisation has been measured for a 100-nanometre glass bead, helping reveal where the boundary lies between quantum and classical physics

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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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Many Older People Maintain and Even Gain Cognitive Skills

Scientific American

Contrary to stereotypes of the doddering elderly, research shows that half of people older than age 70 stay mentally sharp

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How 'forever chemicals' reached one of the world's most pristine areas

New Scientist

Scientists have found significant concentrations of a type of PFAS chemical in the air deep in the Amazon rainforest, suggesting it travelled over 100 kilometres from an industrial hub

More Trending

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Our efforts to cope with extreme temperatures are making them worse

New Scientist

An analysis of daily carbon dioxide emissions since 1970 has revealed increasingly large spikes that appear to be caused by growing energy use during extreme weather events

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Without AC, Texan Prisons Sentence People to Unsafe Heat

Scientific American

Air-conditioning is uncommon for incarcerated people, and the heat index inside many of Texas’s 100 prison buildings can exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit

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Cocaine in mummified brains reveals when Europeans first used the drug

New Scientist

The use of cocaine only took off in Europe during the 19th century, after the drug was chemically isolated from coca leaves, but new evidence suggests much earlier use

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Europe's JUICE Jupiter Probe Zooms past the Moon in Historic Flyby

Scientific American

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft took a shortcut to the giant planet by way of the Earth and the moon

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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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The surprising science of coffee and its effect on both body and mind

New Scientist

The latest research on caffeine reveals why coffee and decaf can be so good for your health, but energy drinks can be lethal

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Science Improves When People Realize They Were Wrong

Scientific American

Science means being able to change your mind in light of new evidence

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Does eating meat really raise your risk of type 2 diabetes?

New Scientist

Red and processed meat, and even poultry, seem to raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study of nearly 2 million adults, but not everyone is convinced

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Can Thousands of Huge Machines Capture Enough Carbon to Slow Climate Change?

Scientific American

Tech firms, oil companies and the U.S. government are investing billions of dollars in carbon capture technology to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Can it save the warming world?

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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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AI could help shrinking pool of coders keep outdated programs working

New Scientist

Computer code dating back to the 1960s is still vital to banks, airlines and governments, but programmers familiar with the language are in short supply.

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John McFall Is Breaking Barriers as the World’s First Parastronaut

Scientific American

Paralympian and surgeon John McFall is redefining the astronaut image and proving that space travel is achievable for people with physical disabilities

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PA Sea Grant: Lake Erie Shipboard Educator Science Workshop StoryMap Highlights This Year's Experience

PA Environment Daily

This summer fifteen educators from across the Great Lakes states joined Sea Grant educators from the Center for Great Lakes Literacy and Great Lakes scientists for a week-long Shipboard Science Workshop on Lake Erie. The opportunity, which took place aboard the EPA’s research vessel Lake Guardian, launched July 7 from Cleveland, Ohio. Three educators from Pennsylvania participated-- Casey Keating (Erie County), Brienne May (Westmoreland County), and Sarah Sato (Chester County)-- and were among f

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Do Space and Time Follow Quantum Rules? These Mind-Bending Experiments Aim to Find Out

Scientific American

Proposed experiments will search for signs that spacetime is quantum and can exist in a superposition of multiple shapes at once

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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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Erie 2030 District Announces $4.2 Million In Energy Savings; Emissions; Energy Demand Reductions In 2023

PA Environment Daily

On August 20, the Erie 2030 District released its 2023 Progress Report , revealing that District property partners reduced energy demand 17.5% against baseline in 2023 and saved $4.2 million in energy costs. Partners also achieved a 35.3% reduction in carbon emissions, avoiding 30,500 metric tons of CO2e [Carbon Dioxide] emissions against Green Building Alliance baseline, the equivalent of six million car trips around Presque Isle State Park.

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New Pain Medication Suzetrigine Prevents Pain Signals from Reaching Brain

Scientific American

The medication initially known as VX-548 blocks sodium channels in nerves, blocking pain signals before they reach the brain

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Canada Begins 60-Day Comment Period on Computational Tool for Chemical Screening and Prioritization

Nanotech

As part of its implementation of the modernized Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), on August 17, 2024, Health Canada published a Canada Gazette notice announcing the availability of its Science Approach Document — Chemical Screening and Prioritization: Health Canada’s Automated Workflow for Prioritization (HAWPr). The science approach document (SciAD) describes the scientific approach that Canada applied to more than 25,000 chemicals on the Domestic Substances List (

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How Did Dinosaurs See, Smell, Hear and Move?

Scientific American

New fossils and analytical tools provide unprecedented insights into dinosaur sensory perception

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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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NSF Biomaterials Program Publishes RFI

Nanotech

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Biomaterials Program published a request for information (RFI) on August 20, 2024. NSF requests input from stakeholders on opportunities, challenges, emerging areas, and frontiers in biomaterials research. 89 Fed. Reg. 67498. According to NSF, the RFI will help inform future program directions, new initiatives, and potential funding opportunities.

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Next-Generation Biotech Is Rendering Some Lab Animals Obsolete

Scientific American

Replacing research animals with tools that better mimic human biology could improve medicine

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EPA Proposes SNUR for Graphene Nanoplatelets (Generic)

Nanotech

On August 20, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) ) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances, including graphene nanoplatelets (generic), that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and a Microbial Commercial Activity Notice (MCAN) and are also subject to a TSCA Order. 89 Fed.

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How Does a Bioluminescent Petunia Glow?

Scientific American

A bioluminescent petunia led me to a world of radiant mushrooms, 19th century experiments and a modern rivalry between scientists in Russia and the Americas

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PA Resources Council, Partners Hold Household Chemical Collection Events In Allegheny, Fayette, Beaver Counties On Sept. 7, 21, Oct. 12

PA Environment Daily

In September and October, Pennsylvania Resources Council will host three household chemical collection events in western Pennsylvania to enable area residents to conveniently dispose of materials such as cleaners, paints, batteries, automotive fluids, e-cigarettes/vapes and pesticides. -- Allegheny County: September 7 , from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. South Park Wave Pool parking lot -- Fayette County September 21 , from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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New Insights on Dinosaurs, Pain and Carbon Capture

Scientific American

How we’ll learn more about dark matter, quantum gravity and substitutes for lab animals

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Another step in the long, slow road to protect Woodland Caribou in Alberta: Draft Regulatory Details Released

Environmental Law Centre

Woodland caribou – an iconic Canadian species – has been legally recognized as a threatened species under Alberta’s Wildlife Act since 1985. By June 2018, the federal government released a. The post Another step in the long, slow road to protect Woodland Caribou in Alberta: Draft Regulatory Details Released appeared first on Environmental Law Centre.

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Dark Matter Hunters May Never Find the Universe’s Missing Mass

Scientific American

Dark matter has turned out to be more elusive than physicists had hoped

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Microplastics monitoring in freshwater systems: A review of global efforts, knowledge gaps, and research priorities

Environmental News Bits

Zhao, B., Richardson, R. E., & You, F. (2024). Microplastics monitoring in freshwater systems: A review of global efforts, knowledge gaps, and research priorities. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 477, 135329. [link] Abstract The escalating production of synthetic plastics and inadequate waste management have led to pervasive microplastic (MP) contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

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Voting Is Just the Beginning

Scientific American

Your vote matters.

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