A growing body of evidence suggests that preconception and prenatal exposure to certain environmental toxins can impact fetal development adversely and lead to potentially long-lasting health effects. However, most reproductive health providers are not trained in environmental health and do not have the tools to counsel patients on this topic. A team of researchers, led [...]
Thirty-thousand-year-old bison bones discovered in permafrost at a Canadian goldmine are helping scientists unravel the mystery about how animals adapt to rapid environmental change. The bones play a key role in a world-first study, led by University of Adelaide researchers, which analyses special genetic modifications that turn genes on and off, without altering the DNA [...]
Charles Greene, a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell University and expert on protection of threatened marine ecosystems has warned of a potential ecological disaster posed by the 2,300 tons of fuel oil still aboard the capsized cruise ship, Costa Concordia. The Italian vessel is currently half-submerged on the rocks in the international [...]
The uncontrolled re-entry of Russia’s Phobos-Grunt spacecraft is expected to occur early next week. This satellite re-entry underscores the importance of space situational awareness and the need for data sharing, as well as the role of international cooperation to minimize the threat posed by large re-entering space objects. Phobos-Grunt was hurled into space last Nov. [...]
More than 3,000 gallons of Huron River water were transported to the University of Michigan campus recently to create 150 mini-Hurons for the study of environmental changes affecting freshwater habitats like rivers and streams. The artificial streams are called flumes, and U-M’s new $ 1 million “Flume Room” is in Dana Building, home to the [...]
Concrete is the most common construction material used globally, accounting for 70 percent of all construction materials. Though concrete has advantages such as easy application and high availability, it has major disadvantages when considering sustainability. Dr. Jialai Wang, a University of Alabama associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, is working on a solution [...]
The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate gave final approval to fiscal appropriations for 2012 that continue funding for the Education and Research Centers (ERCs) Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. This important decision ensures that ERCs will be funded in 2012 at the same level as 2011 – including [...]
A new study co-authored by University of Florida researchers on the endangered Ozark Hellbender giant salamander will study its skin microbes, bacteria and fungi that defend against pathogens. The research published in the online journal PLoS One will probe the salamander’s declining health and habitat. It could provide a baseline how changing ecosystems are affecting the [...]
Scientists at New York University’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, the American Museum of Natural History, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the New York Botanical Garden have created the largest genome-based tree of life for seed plants to date. Their findings, published today in the journal PLoS Genetics, plot the evolutionary relationships of 150 [...]
Despite similar traumatic exposures, peacekeepers and relief workers do not show the same mental health effects as combat veterans, reports a study in the December Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Using data from a nationwide mental health survey, the researchers analyzed psychiatric symptoms among 272 U.S. [...]
