As plastic ages or is exposed to heat or stress, it can release trace amounts of some of its ingredients. Of particular concern are bisphenol-a (BPA), used to strengthen some plastics, and phthalates, used to soften others.
These chemicals are used in hundreds of household items; BPA is in everything from baby bottles to can linings, [...]
In this interview, author and food activist Michael Pollan talks about biofuels and the food crisis, the benefits of grass-fed beef, and how environmentalists should think about sustainability.
Many people don’t recognize the food they eat as an environmental topic. Only in recent years has there been recognition that sustainable farming offers a very important model [...]
It’s time to bid farewell to the good old light bulb; environment-friendly LEDs promise to become cheaper.
The incandescent bulb is one of humanity’s most useful inventions, but this ubiquitous product is now nearing the end of its life. It may soon be replaced by a product that is yet to be used widely for lighting, [...]
With help from a marine bacterium, scientists may soon come up with a bio-adhesive that is several times stronger than the glues currently available.
I wish there was an adhesive the surgeon could use on my belly instead of the stitches,” moans 35-year-old Amita Sen, who recently underwent a Caesarean section. People nowadays seem to be [...]
Climate change will pose “substantial” health threats including heat waves, hurricanes and pathogens in coming decades, the Environmental Protection Agency said .
Click to see:->Global worming is a preeminent public health threat
Click to see:->Climate change poses “abrupt” threat to public health
“It is very likely” that more people will die during extremely hot periods in future years, [...]
Bulky and obtrusive rack-mounted solar panels may be a thing of the past.
Spurred by recent advances in technology, solar panel makers are scrambling to come up with neater and cleaner products that will overcome the aesthetic objections of home owners to traditional solar panels.
They are building their technology directly into different kinds of roof tiles, [...]
Scientists claim to have found a workable way of reducing CO² (Carbon dioxide) levels in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels — by adding lime to seawater.
The oceans are already the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbing 2 billion tonnes of carbon every year. Increasing absorption ability by just a few per cent could dramatically increase CO² [...]
One more unwanted consequence of global warming may be an increase in cases of kidney stones in areas with rising temperatures, US researchers said.
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A kidney stone: Researchers say climate change could cause a 30 per cent rise in cases
Kidney stones — excruciatingly painful hard deposits of minerals and salts that can form in the kidneys [...]
A small company in the US is developing an alternative for carbon sequestration that takes carbon dioxide (CO²) and tailings from mining operations and turns the mix into materials of a “higher order” for use in a variety of industrial, agricultural, and environmental applications, which has been dubbed as ‘green carbon’.
According to a report in [...]
Using sheets of glass covered with organic dyes, scientists have devised an efficient and practical solar power device that they believe can help make this clean, renewable energy source more affordable.
Experts eager for energy sources that do not involve the burning of fossil fuels often point to the promise of solar energy — harnessing sunlight [...]
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) are designing a ventilation system that could protect schools, hospitals, and other public buildings from chemical warfare and bioterrorist attacks, thus making the buildings “immune”.
According to engineering dean and lead researcher Janusz Kozinski, “Think of it as a complex fire alarm for industrial chemical spills, airborne [...]
A scientist has invented the world’s fastest bio-degradable polymer that degrades faster than other plastics.
According to a report in The New Straits Times Online , the invention, known as “Degra-TPE”, which was created by Professor Hanafi Ismail, is made using recycled and natural materials.
The invention has won Professor Ismail a gold medal at the International [...]
The summer months are the peak for water use, and the water bills prove it.
Homeowners want to keep their lawns lush and green despite scorching temperatures.
The piles of sweaty clothes in the laundry room reappear each day, and the layer of dust on the car keeps coming back no matter how many times you wash [...]
Despite their love for power-guzzling super toilets and other gadgets, the Japanese have managed to drastically cut down energy consumption on the whole.
Japanese toilets can wash one’s bottom, whisk away odours and do more.
When it comes to saving energy, the Japanese have much to teach the US and other rich countries, whose leaders descend [...]
A carpet of carbon nanotubes may be the perfect black material to trap solar energy.
A solar panel atop a house in Calcutta vertically aligned carbon nanotubes
vertically aligned carbon nanotubes
Rising population, especially in the developing countries, and the ever increasing energy demand by industries have had futurologists worrying over the power scenario in [...]