Environment

A scientist samples sediments at the bottom of the Pacific

Researchers take a planet-wide census of bacteria

Scientists at Argonne lab are leading an effort to catalog the world's most abundant lifeform: microbes. They are collecting samples from the tundra, the ocean, the hindlegs of a lizard and even a reporter's shoe. more

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Environment

Clever Apes: A world of bugs

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February, 22, 2012

Microbes are by far the most abundant life form on the planet. The numbers are so big, they’re almost comical: maybe five million trillion trillion bacteria on earth, and that’s conservative. And yet we know shockingly little about who’s living where, and what they do.So, big deal, right? We’ve... more

Environment

Common air pollutant linked to mental decline

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February, 13, 2012

A common type of air pollution might speed up the mental decline that comes with aging, according to new research led by a Chicago scientist.Particulate pollution, made of tiny particles and droplets from smokestacks and tailpipes, has been known to contribute to lung disease and other health... more

Environment

The politics behind the world’s hard rock mining industry

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February, 10, 2012

With “fracking” and coal mining disasters dominating the news cycles, it seems hard rock mining gets less attention from the media. For communities across the globe, however, hard rock mining is a loaded issue. From Northern Michigan to Mongolia, mining the earth for scarce minerals often leaves... more

Environment

Global Activism: High quality coffee sold in America helps Haitian farmers

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February, 09, 2012

Based in the city of Baraderes, Haiti, the organization Just Haiti works with Haitian farmers who produce high quality, organic, Arabica coffee. Just Haiti then markets and sells this coffee to consumers in the United States. The profits from the coffee then go back to the Haitian growers and the... more

Environment

Illinois winter so far is 6th warmest on record

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February, 07, 2012

Weather trackers say Illinois' winter has been the sixth warmest on record.State climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois Water Survey says the average temperature in January for the state was 31.4 degrees. That's about 7 degrees above normal, making January the 13th warmest on record.Belleville,... more

Environment

Making sense out of a strange winter

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February, 07, 2012

Chicago is having its warmest winter in 80 years, according to The Sun-Times. Meanwhile, Mexico is mired in drought. Europe is experiencing bone-chilling cold in places where snow doesn't usually even fall. In Ukraine alone, an estimated 122 people are reported dead from hypthermia and frostbite.... more