July, 2021

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Once a Rich Desert River, the Gila Struggles to Keep Flowing

Yale E360

The Gila was once a vibrant desert river, providing a lifeline for the riparian habitat and wildlife that depended on it in the U.S. Southwest. But population growth, agricultural withdrawals, and, increasingly, climate change have badly diminished the river and threaten its future. Read more on E360 ?.

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Constant, Compounding Disasters Are Exhausting Emergency Response

Circle of Blue

Fires, droughts, floods, power outages. The interval between disasters is shortening, or in some cases disappearing altogether. New homes rise from the post-fire rubble in Talent, Oregon. The Alameda Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Talent and nearby Phoenix in early September 2020. Photo © Brett Walton/Circle of Blue. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue — July 6, 2021.

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Ask a Scientist: Defending the Right to Vote

Union of Concerned Scientists

Talking to Taryn MacKinney, an investigative researcher with our Center for Science and Democracy, about how science is intertwined with democracy and the prospects for voting reform bills on Capitol Hill.

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Climate adaptation should be based on robust regional climate information

Real Climate

Climate adaptation steams forward with an accelerated speed that can be seen through the Climate Adaptation Summit in January (see previous post ), the ECCA 2021 in May/June, and the upcoming COP26. Recent extreme events may spur this development even further (see previous post about attribution of recent heatwaves). To aid climate adaptation, Europe’s Climate-Adapt programme provides a wealth of resources, such as guidance, case studies and videos.

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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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Japanese Nobel-prize-winning particle physicist Toshihide Maskawa dies aged 81

Physics World

The Japanese Nobel-prize-winning physicist Toshihide Maskawa died on 23 July at the age of 81. Maskawa shared half the 2008 Nobel prize with the Japanese physicist Makoto Kobayashi for their work on the mechanism of “broken symmetry” that led to the prediction of a new family of quarks. The other half was awarded to the Japanese–American particle physicist Yoichiro Nambu for applying spontaneous symmetry breaking to particle physics.

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Can Arctic Animals Keep Up With Climate Change? Scientists are Trying to Find Out

Inside Climate News

New studies suggest that rising temperatures may prove disastrous for species of birds, fish and other animals that are adapted to the cold of Arctic climes. By Haley Dunleavy In 2019, Emily Choy rappelled off the side of a guano-covered cliff almost 400 feet above Hudson Bay, and reached for a sleek black-and-white seabird. The laughing calls of more than 60,000 thick-billed murres surrounded her.

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Detroit Flooding Previews Risks from a Warming Climate

Circle of Blue

Warmer global temperatures cause more water to evaporate from Earth’s surface and oceans, meaning that there is more fuel for storms. Notorious4life. Urban infrastructure in many cities was not built for current and future climate pressures. By Laura Gersony, Circle of Blue — July 1, 2021. Six inches of rain battered the Detroit metro area last weekend, a deluge that overwhelmed the region’s drainage system.

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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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Machine learning and knowledge engineering uncovers significant role of elevated blood glucose in severe Covid-19

Frontiers

By Colm Gorey, Frontiers’ Science Communications Manager. A digital reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 primary infection in the lungs. Image: Blue Brain Project/EPFL 2005-2021. All rights reserved. Why does Covid-19 present itself more severe in some patients but not in others? The question has puzzled researchers and clinicians since the start of the pandemic, but now new research from the EPFL Blue Brain Project may have found a major clue to solving the mystery thanks to machine learning.

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Cosmic-ray threat to quantum computing greater than previously thought

Physics World

Cosmic intruders : Energetic particles from space and natural background radiation can trigger hard-to-correct errors when they collide with chips containing superconducting qubits. (Courtesy: Chris Wilen). Quantum computers may need a redesign to protect them from background radiation, say physicists. After earlier experiments showed that cosmic rays can severely disrupt the operation of superconducting quantum bits (qubits), an international team led by Robert McDermott of the University of Wi

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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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Climate-Driven Changes in Clouds are Likely to Amplify Global Warming

Inside Climate News

New research, using machine learning, helps project how the buildup of greenhouse gases will change clouds in ways that further heat the planet. By Bob Berwyn Scientists know that global warming is changing clouds, but they haven’t been sure whether those changes would heat or cool the planet overall.

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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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Cheap Cybersecurity Defenses Exist, But They’re Not Reaching Water Utilities Who Need Them

Circle of Blue

An era of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure has begun. Rural water utilities have vulnerabilities and advantages. The vast majority of water utilities in the country serve fewer than 10,000 people. These utilities face unique challenges in defending themselves against cyberattacks. Photo courtesy of Colin / Wikimedia Commons. The vast majority of water utilities in the country serve fewer than 10,000 people, and they tend to have less resources and tighter budgets than their larger counter

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Stop the Burn, Save Lives: The case for a community-led zero waste model in Baltimore

Union of Concerned Scientists

The Baltimore region ranks among the worst in the U.S. for air pollution. Baltimore has two active trash incinerators and decades of pollution from both active and decommissioned industrial factories. A study by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in 2017 found air quality in the region was ranked moderate or worse one of every three days, […].

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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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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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PET imaging tracks ingested microplastics in mice

Physics World

Microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic debris less than five millimetres in length, are designed for commercial use or created through the breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste. They litter our oceans , they have been detected in everything from aquatic life to drinking water, and they take lifetimes or longer to decompose. In 2019, the World Health Organization called for more research on the effects of microplastics to the environment and human health.

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Meet Our Ocean’s Zebra Sharks

Ocean Conservancy

You’ve heard of great whites. You’ve heard of hammerheads. And you’ve probably heard of makos, whale sharks and bull sharks. But have you heard … of zebra sharks? Move over, tiger sharks—there’s a new wildly-named elasmobranch species in town, and they’re here to show their stripes (sort of). Today, I’m here to walk you through seven sea -riously wild facts about this curious carpet shark species.

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Will Russia’s Forests Be an Asset or an Obstacle in Climate Fight?

Yale E360

New research indicating Russia’s vast forests store more carbon than previously estimated would seem like good news. But scientists are concerned Russia will count this carbon uptake as an offset in its climate commitments, which would allow its emissions to continue unchecked. Read more on E360 ?.

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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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Dealing With The Soup of Chemicals That Can Get Into Your Drinking Water

Circle of Blue

Chemical Valley in Sarnia, Ontario sits on the St. Clair River upstream of drinking water intakes for several Detroit metropolitan municipalities. Photo Lester Graham. All the things that go down the drain and end up at the waste water treatment plant are not removed there. It’s a soup of chemicals. Chemicals in water can mix. While that’s well known by scientists, they don’t have the research facilities and money necessary to study what the complex mixtures of chemicals do to human health

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We’re in a Climate Crisis. Congress Must Go Big on Climate Action Now.

Union of Concerned Scientists

Top priorities for Congressional action on climate change.

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Planes Sampling Air Above the Amazon Find the Rainforest is Releasing More Carbon Than it Stores

Inside Climate News

The study, which found greater depletion of carbon storage in the heavily deforested eastern Amazon, confirmed previous research that used satellites or hands-on measuring techniques. By Georgina Gustin Over the last several years researchers have said that the Amazon is on the verge of transforming from a crucial storehouse for heat-trapping gasses to a source of them, a dangerous shift that could destabilize the atmosphere of the planet.

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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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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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The Glass Octopus is See-Through and Spectacular

Ocean Conservancy

Need a reminder that our ocean is full of unusual animals? Look no further than the glass octopus. The glass octopus ( Vitreledonella richardi ) is a very rarely seen cephalopod found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. The species gets its name from its nearly-transparent body—you can see straight through to the optic nerve, eyes and digestive tract.

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The Race for EV Parts Leads to Risky Deep-Ocean Mining

Yale E360

The electric vehicle boom is driving a surge in demand for prized metals needed for batteries and other components. Some companies say the solution lies in mining the deep oceans, but scientists say that could irreversibly damage a vast, largely pristine ecosystem. Read more on E360 ?.

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China Is Pulling Ahead in Global Quantum Race, New Studies Suggest

Scientific American

The competition between the U.S. and China over development of quantum technology has implications for both the future of science and the two countries’ political relations. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Just 25 mega-cities produce 52% of the world’s urban greenhouse gas emissions

Frontiers

By Suzanna Burgelman, Frontiers science writer. Image: Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock. New research published by the open access publisher Frontiers inventories greenhouse gas emissions of 167 globally distributed cities. The study shows that just 25 mega-cities produce 52% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the studied cities. Asian cities emit the most greenhouse gasses (GHG), and most cities of developed countries had significantly higher per capita GHG emissions than those of developing count

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Ice Dam Bursts Threaten to Increase Sunny Day Floods as Hotter Temperatures Melt Glaciers

Inside Climate News

Scientists say meltwater flooding will increase as the ice continues to retreat, but will eventually stop—when all the ice is melted and the glaciers are no more. By Haley Dunleavy As residents of southeast Alaska welcomed the return of sunny, warm weather this week after two months of heavy rains, they probably did not expect floods to be in the forecast.

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Multi-party quantum key distribution paves the way for quantum-secure conference calls

Physics World

Researchers in the UK and Germany have used quantum entanglement to securely distribute secret keys among multiple users in a network. By distributing entangled photons over optical fibres at telecommunications wavelengths, the team demonstrated that conventional telecoms infrastructure offers a viable path towards realizing a large-scale network of interconnected quantum devices – and perhaps even quantum-secure conference calls using Zoom or other platforms.

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Communities rally across the GTA to say No More Highways

Enviromental Defense

On Saturday, July 24th, communities and volunteers across the Greater Toronto Area turned out in the face of a pandemic and the threat of severe thunderstorms to stand up and say to the Ontario government: “No More Highways!” . The message of No More Highways is first and foremost about saying no to the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413, two proposed new 400-series highways which would pave over parts of the Greenbelt, destroy endangered species’ habitats, and open up huge areas of prime farmland

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Can Retrofitting Dams for Hydro Provide a Green Energy Boost?

Yale E360

With the era of building big dams over in the U.S., a growing number of existing dams are being modified to produce hydropower. These projects, advocates say, avoid the damaging impacts of new dams and could generate enough renewable electricity for several million homes. Read more on E360 ?.

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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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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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