Earth and Human Activity

Animals

Teens use science to worm through plastic waste

Some beetle larvae can eat plastic, which might be good for our pollution problem. But which types eat the most can vary a lot, these young scientists find.

Animals

Catching ‘Dory’ fish can poison entire coral reef ecosystems

More than half of saltwater-aquarium fish sold in the United States may have been caught in the wild using cyanide, new data show.

Earth

Fighting big farm pollution with a tiny plant

Fertilizer runoff can fuel the growth of toxic algae nearby lakes. A teen decided to harness a tiny plant to sop up that fertilizer.

Chemistry

Concrete science

Teen researchers are exploring ways to strengthen this building material, use it for safety purposes and use its discarded rubble.

Climate

Zapping clouds with lasers could alter Earth’s climate

Scientists zapped ice crystals in a lab. They were exploring whether this approach might be used to break those crystals in clouds — potentially as a way to cool Earth’s fever.

Computing

‘Couch potatoes’ tend to be TV-energy hogs

Many government programs urge people to save electricity by using more efficient TVs. Here’s why these programs should target “couch potatoes.”

Animals

Uh oh! Baby fish prefer plastic to real food

Given a choice, baby fish will eat plastic microbeads instead of real food. That plastic stunts their growth and makes them easier prey for predators.

Health & Medicine

Heat sickness

Scientists worry that increasing temperatures could combine with air pollution to up rates of illness and premature death — perhaps dramatically.

Earth

How ancient African fish feed today’s Amazon

Many of the world’s lushest tropical forests would starve if winds didn’t bring them nutrient-rich dust from across an ocean.

Animals

Polar bears swim for days as sea ice retreats

Melting sea ice is forcing polar bears to swim long distances — up to nine days in one case. Such long treks may be more than the bears can handle.

Earth

Common water pollutants hurt freshwater organisms

The germ killers we use and the drugs we take don’t just disappear. They can end up in the environment. There they can harm aquatic organisms, three teens showed.

Animals

Pollen can become bee ‘junk food’ as CO₂ rises

Increasing levels of the greenhouse gas are changing diminishing the food value of pollen, bees’ only source of protein.