Scientists Finally Know What Killed Billions of Sea Stars
A guest post by Mariella B. L. Careaga
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Is Air Pollution Triggering Autoimmune Diseases?
Autoimmune diseases have been on the rise worldwide. Scientists suspect that environmental factors, such as air pollution, may be partly to blame. This recent study used a clever approach called Mendelian randomization to test whether air pollution may cause common autoimmune diseases.
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Invisible Plastics in Our Water: Phthalates in an Urban River Used for Agriculture in Central Mexico
Plastic pollution is often associated with visible waste such as bottles, bags, or microplastics floating in oceans. However, some of the most concerning plastic-related pollutants are invisible, chemically persistent, and capable of traveling silently through water systems. Among these are phthalates, a group of synthetic chemicals widely used to make plastics flexible and durable.
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Suffocating or Surviving: Why Life Along the Seafloor Can Persist Despite Low Oxygen Conditions
Low oxygen zones are common along coastal areas today. Scientists recently discovered how ocean physics can lessen the impact of hypoxia on seafloor ecosystems.
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Silent Sacrifice: Communities Paying the Price for Green Technology
Cobalt is an essential mineral for lithium ion batteries which are used in everyday technologies from electric vehicles to smart phones. Most of the world’s cobalt comes from the Dominican Republic of Congo which has extensive mining operations that contribute to environmental degradation. Artisanal miners are used and often exploited for their labour which exacerbate pollution by bringing it into urban environments. Local communities end up suffering from health issues because of this pollution.
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Animal Welfare: Do Piglets in Pens Go Hog Wild for Certain Colors?
According to the USDA, since 1990, the number of hog farms has declined by more than 70% as individual enterprises has grown larger. Unfortunately for pigs raised in the U.S., their housing conditions are more restrictive than the piglet depicted here. Presumably, the primary reason for this is to make room for more livestock.
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Gender Matters for Impacts of Human-Wildlife Conflict
Source article: Adler, K. A., Gore, M. L., & Wilkinson, C. E. (2025). The gendered costs of human-wildlife conflict: A
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Step by Massive Step: How Dinosaur Megafauna Shaped the Earth
Dinosaurs roamed the Earth for over 100 million years, but how did the Earth respond to all this roaming? And how did the Earth change when these massive reptiles ceased to roam? New research suggests that dinosaur megafauna promoted specific fluvial environments that changed and largely disappeared after the dinosaurs went extinct, demonstrating the interwoven relationship between animals and their ecosystems.
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Are Bioplastics a Good Alternative to Traditional Plastics? A Recent Study in Mice Indicates They Might Not Be.
Bioplastics may offer advantages over traditional plastics. However, a recent study in mice suggests that dietary exposure to bioplastics may lead to adverse health effects, including insulin resistance.
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Childhood leukemia and the environmental influence
When people think of cancer, they often picture an older person. But cancer is also prevalent among children. Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, and its incidence has risen globally in recent years. Researchers are exploring how lifestyle and environmental factors may influence its development.
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