When wildfires threaten people’s communities, human health is impacted far beyond the inferno. Residual smoke distributes on the breeze, infiltrating homes, schools and offices. To help people protect themselves and their families, researchers have developed a low-cost, durable, do-it-yourself (DIY) air cleaner that works as well as more expensive HEPA filters to clear indoor air of pollutants such as smoke and possibly limit the impact of airborne disease spread. Richard Corsi, dean of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis)…

Sensors attached to animals gather valuable data to track and mitigate the human influence on marine life. The Kobe University review paper emphasizes the importance of integrating data from various sources and advocates for an “Internet of Animals” based on open access and shared standards. Humanity influences marine life through a broad range of activities, spanning from fishing and pollution to noise from boats, construction and mining. To enable a sustainable life together, we need to monitor the influence of…

Large and connected forests are better for harboring biodiversity than fragmented landscapes, according to research supported by Michigan State University. Ecologists agree that habitat loss reduces biodiversity. But they don’t agree whether it’s better to focus on preserving many smaller, fragmented tracts of land or fewer larger and more continuous landscapes. The study, published in Nature and conducted by researchers from Michigan State University, University of Michigan and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research among others, examined 4,006 species…

Scientists break down plastic using a simple, inexpensive catalyst and air Harnessing moisture from air, Northwestern University chemists have developed a simple new method for breaking down plastic waste. The non-toxic, environmentally friendly, solvent-free process first uses an inexpensive catalyst to break apart the bonds in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic in the polyester family. Then, the researchers merely expose the broken pieces to ambient air. Leveraging the trace amounts of moisture in air, the broken-down PET is…