Environment

Biological deserts: The harms of monoculture tree plantations for carbon storage

Environment / /

Plant a tree for every dollar donated, 10,000 steps walked, or 50 Google searches made. Across the globe, tree-planting initiatives such as these campaigns have skyrocketed in response to the rising threat of climate change. Numerous organizations, from nonprofits to governments to businesses, plant billions of trees each year in the hopes of offsetting greenhouse […]

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Underwater impostor: A mimic octopus’s guide to identity theft

Biology, Environment / /

In the depths of the ocean, one true master of disguise steals the spotlight. The mimic octopus, scientifically known as Thaumoctopus mimicus, is a species of octopus native to the Indo-Malayan Archipelago and Great Barrier Reef. A sand dwelling cephalopod, the mimic octopus is found at depths ranging from 2 to 12 meters near river

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Opinion: How fossil fuel corporations distorted the climate change conversation

Culture, Environment, Opinion / /

James E. Hansen’s congressional testimony in 1988 officially introduced American policymakers to the need for a climate intervention. In the same year, George H.W. Bush declared greenhouse gasses as the enemy, in response to Hansen, when he promised to fight the greenhouse gas effect with “the White House effect” on the campaign trail. However, a

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Aerial electricity: Lightning and other poorly-understood phenomena

Environment, Physics, Space, World / /

Lightning is not uncommon, nor is it particularly subtle. In fact, with approximately 9 million strikes per day, it is one of the loudest, brightest, and most common natural phenomena known to the terrestrial sciences. Most people know lightning as loud arcs of light that sometimes occur during severe storms. Indeed, this is the most

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Sticky solutions: Octopus-inspired suction patches revolutionize drug delivery

Biology, Environment, Health / /

The traditional approach of administering certain medications through direct injection can be particularly effective for drug delivery, but may be uncomfortable for children and those with needle phobias. While oral medications are available for some drugs, large-molecule drugs that treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or cancer can only be administered through an

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Not so forever chemicals: A new treatment for PFAS removal

Biology, Chemistry, Environment / /

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, have persisted in the environment for decades, earning the name “forever chemicals.” These man-made chemicals, found in nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, and grease-resistant packaging, have been manufactured since the 1940s, and have since impaired waters globally. PFAS contain carbon and fluorine bonds, one of the strongest bonds in

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Nature’s fury, humanity’s struggles

Environment / /

Natural disasters not only wreak havoc on communities, but also on the nation’s blood supply. Floating cars, broken buildings, and contaminated water are just a few of the intense secondary effects that natural disasters leave in their paths. Grieving families, hospital visits, and shattered homes leave communities in an overall state of loss and immense

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Catch basin for microplastics: The sedimentary storage of plastics in Narragansett Bay

Environment / /

Within just the top two inches of sediment covering the shorelines and seafloor of Narragansett Bay, over 1,000 tons of microplastics reside. As a relatively new factor in the sedimentary system, plastics have reached the majority of ecosystems on the planet, from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest parts of the oceans. Microplastics vary

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