Nanomaterials could mean more algae outbreaks for wetlands, waterways. Duke Today, June 25, 2018. The last 10 years have seen a surge in the use of tiny substances called nanomaterials in agrochemicals like pesticides and fungicides. The idea is to provide more disease protection and better yields for crops, while decreasing the amount of toxins sprayed on agricultural fields. But when combined with nutrient runoff from fertilized cropland and manure-filled pastures, these “nanopesticides” could also mean more toxic algae outbreaks for nearby streams, lakes and wetlands, researchers report.
Category Archives: pollution
Laser sniffs out toxic gases from afar
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Laser sniffs out toxic gases from afar. Duke Today, December 3, 2014. Scientists have developed a way to sniff out tiny amounts of toxic gases — a whiff of nerve gas, for example, or a hint of a chemical spill — from up to one kilometer away. The new technology can discriminate one type of gas from another with greater specificity than most remote sensors — even in complex mixtures of similar chemicals — and under normal atmospheric pressure, something that wasn’t thought possible before. Picked up by NPR affiliate WUNC.
Not just for the birds: Man-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too
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Not just for the birds: Man-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, March 21, 2012. A growing body of research shows that birds and other animals change their behavior in response to man-made noise, such as the din of traffic or the hum of machinery. But human clamor doesn’t just affect animals. Because many animals also pollinate plants or eat or disperse their seeds, human noise can have ripple effects on plants too, finds a new study. Picked up by Scientific American, the Christian Science Monitor, MSNBC, National Public Radio, Audubon Magazine, the Miami Herald, BBC News, Science News, Discovery News, the New York Times and TIME Magazine.