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Categories: Environmental: Water, Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published Soy expansion in Brazil linked to increase in childhood leukemia deaths



Brazil's rapid expansion of soy production has meant an associated rise in pesticide use. Researchers found a statistically significant correlation between soy expansion and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) deaths in children between 2008 and 2019, representing the first population-wide analysis of the association between indirect exposure to agricultural pesticides and cancer.
Published Gaming strategy helps plan for and prevent attacks on infrastructure



As technology continues to advance, the likelihood of malevolent attacks and subsequent failures on society's critical infrastructures increases. Blackouts, water shortages, transport collapses -- these potential threats to cities not only come with a hefty price tag but are likely to cause chaos and affect the health and safety of communities. UBC Okanagan Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Amin Ahmadi Digehsara, along with Assistant Professor Dr. Amir Ardestani-Jaafari, both with the Faculty of Management, recently published a study that will enhance the resilience of vital infrastructures against malevolent attacks.
Published Tracking down environmental toxins



PFAS, a family of highly fluorinated substances, represent a danger for humans and the environment. Particularly problematic members of this family, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) appear to cause organ damage and cancer, as well as disrupting the endocrine system. Researchers have now introduced a new method for an economical, easy-to-use fluorescence sensor for sensitive on-site testing for PFAS in water samples.
Published The race of water droplets



How fast does a droplet flow along a fiber? It depends on the diameter of the fiber... and also on its substructure! These are the findings of a study conducted by researchers who are interested in microfluidics, especially water harvesting in arid/semi-arid regions of our planet.
Published Protein root discovery seals future of climate-proof plants



Researchers have discovered a protein that seals plant roots to regulate the uptake of nutrients and water from the soil, the discovery could help develop climate proof crops that require less water and chemical fertilizers.
Published Mystery of volcanic tsunami solved after 373 years



The explosion of the underwater volcano Kolumbo in the Aegean Sea in 1650 triggered a destructive tsunami that was described by historical eye witnesses. A group of researchers has now surveyed Kolumbo's underwater crater with modern imaging technology and reconstructed the historical events. They found that the eyewitness accounts of the natural disaster can only be described by a combination of a landslide followed by an explosive eruption.
Published Do or dye: Synthetic colors in wastewater pose a threat to food chains worldwide



Dyes widely used in the textile, food and pharmaceutical industries pose a pressing threat to plant, animal and human health, as well as natural environments around the world, a new study has found. Billions of tons of dye-containing wastewater enter water systems every year, and a group of researchers say that new sustainable technologies including new membrane-based nano-scale filtration are needed to solve the issue, adding that legislation is needed to compel industrial producers to eliminate colorants before they reach public sewage systems or waterways.
Published To navigate the world, we all shimmy like these electric fish



An electric knifefish shimmies in the water for the same reason a dog sniffs or a human glances around a new place -- to make sense of their surroundings. For the first time, scientists demonstrate that a wide range of organisms, even microbes, perform the same pattern of movements in order to sense the world.
Published Algae's surprising potential to help ease climate change worries



The key to bringing global net-zero goals into reach may be algae, say researchers. Studies show impressive success of certain microalgae varieties to remove CO2 from the atmosphere then break it down into useful materials.
Published Pottery becomes water treatment device for Navajo Nation



Large chunks of the Navajo Nation in the Southwest lack access to clean drinkable water, a trend that has been rising in many parts of the U.S. in recent years. A research team aims to change that.
Published On the trail of the silver king: Researchers reveal unprecedented look at tarpon migration



New research unveils a dataset, gathered over five years, that gives the finest-grained detail into the timing and spatial extent of tarpon migration. The work leveraged networks of thousands of acoustic receivers that tracked 200 tarpon over more than five years. One of the key findings is that there are two distinct subgroups of tarpon, which has immediate implications for efforts to conserve the fish, known to anglers as the 'Silver King.'
Published New method to analyze implications of large-scale flood adaptation



In a test of their new analysis tool, researchers show where 'moving up' or 'moving over' may make the most sense for those affected by the 2022 Pakistan flood, and what costs it would entail.
Published Report warns about risk tipping points with irreversible impacts on people and planet



A new report finds that drastic changes are approaching if risks to our fundamental socioecological systems are not addressed. The Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023 warns of six risk tipping points ahead of us: Accelerating extinctions; Groundwater depletion; Mountain glaciers melting; Space debris; Unbearable heat; and an Uninsurable future.
Published Diapers can be recycled 200 times faster with light



More than 100,000 tons of diapers are disposed of annually in Germany. Vast amounts of valuable resources, such as diaper liners, end up in the trash. The liners consist of special polymers, so-called superabsorbers. Researchers have now succeeded in considerably improving their complex recycling process. They use UV radiation to degrade the chemical chains that keep the polymers together. No chemicals are needed. Recycling at room temperature is 200 times faster than conventional recycling. The recycled polymers can then be processed to new adhesives and dyes.
Published Bitcoin mining has 'very worrying' impacts on land and water, not only carbon



As bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have grown in market share, they've been criticized for their heavy carbon footprint: Cryptocurrency mining is an energy-intensive endeavor. Mining has massive water and land footprints as well, according to a new study that is the first to detail country-by-country environmental impacts of bitcoin mining.
Published Adding crushed rock to farmland pulls carbon out of the air



Adding crushed volcanic rock to farmland can pull carbon dioxide out of the air. In a field test, scientists found that the process works even in dry climates.
Published Light, freshwater sticks to Greenland's east coast



Meltwater that runs along the east coast of Greenland, hardly enters the open ocean before reaching the western side of the island. In the changing climate, fresh water from Greenland and the Arctic could disrupt the circulation in the Atlantic Ocean.
Published Certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl 'forever chemicals' identified as potential risk factor for thyroid cancer



Researchers have discovered a link between certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and an increased risk for thyroid cancer.
Published Researchers create the most water-repellent surface ever



A revised method to create hydrophobic surfaces has implications for any technology where water meets a solid surface, from optics and microfluidics to cooking.
Published Climate is increasing risk of high toxin concentrations in Northern US lakes



As climate change warms the Earth, higher-latitude regions will be at greater risk for toxins produced by algal blooms, according to new research. The findings identify water temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius (68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit) as being at the greatest risk for developing dangerous levels of a common algae-produced toxin called microcystin.