Latest News

Climate change has exacerbated more than 200 infectious diseases and dozens of non-transmissible conditions, such as poisonous-snake bites, according to an analysis1. Climate hazards bring people and disease-causing organisms closer together, leading to a rise in cases. Global warming can also make some conditions more severe and affect how well people fight off infections.

Most studies on the associations between climate change and disease have focused on specific pathogens, transmission methods or the effects of one type of extreme weather. Camilo Mora, a data scientist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and his colleagues scoured the literature for evidence of how ten climate-change-induced hazards — including surging temperatures, sea level rise and droughts — have affected all documented infectious diseases (see ‘Climate hazards exacerbate diseases’). These include infections spread or triggered by bacteria, viruses, animals, fungi and plants (see ‘Mode of transmission’). The study was published in Nature Climate Change on 8 August.

Click here to learn more

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the Democrats' massive climate, health and tax bill into law, marking a major accomplishment for his domestic agenda less than three months before midterm elections.

Speaking from the White House State Dining Room, Biden touted the Inflation Reduction Act as "further proof that the soul of America is vibrant, the future of America is bright and the promise of America is real and just beginning."

Click here to learn more

When the big flood comes, it will threaten millions of people, the world's fifth-largest economy and an area that produces a quarter of the nation's food. Parts of California's capital will be underwater. The state's crop-crossed Central Valley will be an inland sea.

The scenario, dubbed the "ARkStorm scenario" by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey's Multi Hazards Demonstration Project, is an eventuality. It will happen, according to new research.

Click here to learn more

On Friday, July 22, US senator Catherine Cortez Masto visited Fulcrum BioEnergy’s new Sierra BioFuels Plant in Storey County.
For years, governmental red tape prevented this plant from launching operations, but as a result of advocacy by Senator Cortez Masto with both the Trump and Biden administrations, the plant will soon begin production. Cortez Masto’s work has helped protect 120 permanent jobs and over 1,000 indirect jobs across Nevada.

Click here to learn more

MELBOURNE, Fla. — For most of his 15 years, Levi Draheim led a beachy life on a barrier island on Florida's east coast, swimming, surfing and sailing in the nearshore waves. He dreamed of someday becoming a marine biologist. But Levi's world is changing.

Warming temperatures led to widespread Sargassum seaweed and harmful algae blooms in the Atlantic Ocean and 156-mile Indian River Lagoon, which together encircle the island. The seaweed and algae blooms have left beaches stinking with rotting seaweed and dead marine life. In the Indian River Lagoon, the algae blooms have killed seagrass, leading to an unprecedented die-off of manatees that consume the marine plants. On some days, Levi wore a mask at the beach to guard against the smell.

Click here to learn more

Talk about hot nights, America got some for the history books last month.

The continental United States in July set a record for overnight warmth, providing little relief from the day's sizzling heat for people, animals, plants and the electric grid, meteorologists said.

The average low temperature for the lower 48 states in July was 63.6 degrees (17.6 Celsius), which beat the previous record set in 2011 by a few hundredths of a degree. The mark is not only the hottest nightly average for July, but for any month in 128 years of record keeping, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climatologist Karin Gleason. July's nighttime low was more than 3 degrees (1.7 Celsius) warmer than the 20th century average.

Click here to learn more

Solar panels often get a bad rap for spoiling the appearance of homes and businesses. Yet, this may be about to change.

A research group has fabricated a highly transparent solar cell with a 2D atomic sheet. These near-invisible solar cells achieved an average visible transparency of 79%, meaning they can, in theory, be placed everywhere - building windows, the front panel of cars, and even human skin.

Click here to learn more

The Biden administration wants to spur the electrification of the transportation sector beyond traditional cars.

The Energy Department plans Thursday to announce it will spend $96 million to reduce emissions by pushing forward the technology and charging infrastructure needed to electrify tractors, construction equipment, planes, trains, boats, and other off-road vehicles. The funding will also be focused on alternative fuels, which could further reduce emissions.

Click here to learn more

"The USDA is accepting applications for a new pilot program supporting the development of biobased products, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday."

"Under this program, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) can award up to $10 million divided among the highest rated applications that include eligible universities and private-sector partners, according to a release from Vilsack’s office."

Click here to learn more

A new low-temperature, multi-phase process for upgrading lignin bio-oil to hydrocarbons could help expand use of the lignin, which is now largely a waste product left over from the production of cellulose and bioethanol from trees and other woody plants.

Click here to learn more