Wes Dripps, PhD, director of the Shi Center for Sustainability at Furman University, is not only very green, he’s a great interview. He can speak about sustainability from workforce practices to food sustainability to lowering energy usage. The Shi Center…
Tag: Environment
Keep it green: Pick, then plant this year’s Christmas tree
Media note: A video of Daniel Weitoish offering tips for picking the perfect Christmas tree can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/1Eh73FLX3hg and downloaded here. As people gear up for the holiday season, picking the perfect Christmas tree is high on many families’ to-do lists. But…
Researchers begin major study aimed at improving health equity in New Jersey
The New Jersey Population Health Cohort Study, now in the design phase, will collect biometrics, survey responses and other granular data over time on major outcomes such as stress, resilience, trauma and cognitive function from a broad cross-section of the population across multiple generations, with additional targeting of low-income residents and diverse immigrant groups.
From the farm to the feast
Spark conversation with fun facts about Thanksgiving foods!
New danger for corals in warming oceans: metal pollution
Metal copper from agricultural runoff and marine paint leaching from boat hulls poses an emerging threat to soft coral sea fans in the waters around Puerto Rico.
You spot a land-crawling “Frankenfish,” now what?
While orders to “kill it immediately” have been making headlines recently in Georgia and South Carolina, the Northern Snakehead fish has been in the United States for more than a decade. Virginia Tech fish and wildlife experts who have been…
University of Redlands and Esri celebrate a decade of Redlands Forum learning and discourse
What do anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, Atlantic reporter and author James Fallows, and activist Ralph Nadar all have in common? Each has made a mark on the world, and each has presented at the Redlands Forum, the education and cultural series sponsored by Esri and the University of Redlands Town & Gown.
Google worker climate demands signal growing activism in tech
In a letter drafted to Google’s chief financial officer this week, employees at the tech giant are demanding that their senior leadership sever contracts with fossil fuel companies and end funding for politicians, lobbyists or organizations that stand in the…
Aquatic invasive species are short-circuiting benefits from mercury reduction in the Great Lakes
According to a new study published today [Nov. 4, 2019] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 40 years of reduced mercury use, emissions, and loading in the Great Lakes region have largely not produced equivalent declines in the amount of mercury accumulating in large game fish.
Preserved pollen tells the history of floodplains
Fossil pollen can help reconstruct the past and predict the future
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss ‘New Jersey’s Rising Coastal Risk’ Report
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 29, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Robert E. Kopp is available to discuss “New Jersey’s Rising Coastal Risk,” a report released today on the seventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy’s devastating arrival in the Garden State. The research…
Red Algae Thrive Despite Ancestor’s Massive Loss of Genes
You’d think that losing 25 percent of your genes would be a big problem for survival. But not for red algae, including the seaweed used to wrap sushi. An ancestor of red algae lost about a quarter of its genes roughly one billion years ago, but the algae still became dominant in near-shore coastal areas around the world, according to Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Debashish Bhattacharya, who co-authored a study in the journal Nature Communications.
Making high-value products from agricultural waste
Sunscreen from mushroom waste, healthy skincare products from apples and berries, and high-tech materials from Brussels sprout stalks – these are some high value products that could be first to market from a new $11 million research consortium led by the University of Adelaide.
Plant physiology will be major contributor to future river flooding, UCI study finds
Irvine, Calif., Oct. 21, 2019 – The next time a river overflows its banks, don’t just blame the rain clouds. Earth system scientists from the University of California, Irvine have identified another culprit: leafy plants. In a study published today in Nature Climate Change, the UCI researchers describe the emerging role of ecophysiology in riparian flooding.
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Fall Foliage in New Jersey
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 17, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick tree expert Jason Grabosky is available for interviews on this year’s fall foliage season in the Garden State. “Generally speaking, the recent hot dry weather has muted some of the…
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Proposed High Seas Biodiversity Treaty
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 16, 2019) – Rutgers University environmental law expert Cymie R. Payne is available to comment on a proposed international treaty aimed at conserving high seas biodiversity. The treaty, which is under negotiations at the United Nations,…
Rutgers Shellfish Expert Available to Discuss East Coast Oyster Breeding Project
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 15, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick shellfish geneticist Ximing Guo is available to comment on a five-year Rutgers-led consortium project to breed better, more disease-resistant East Coast oysters. Improved oyster broodstock will then be made available…
Harvard University to Launch Center for Autism Research
New center for autism research will explore the basic biology of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders
Scientists to study how genetic and environmental factors intersect to give rise to a family of dauntingly complex conditions affecting one in 59 children in the United States
Scientists will tackle current gaps in knowledge in the neurobiology of the condition
Center enabled by $20 million gift from philanthropists whose contributions to autism-related research total nearly $70 million to date
Linking soil and environmental health
Changes in soil microbes, soil salinity to be covered in symposium
University of Redlands Environmental Economist Dr. Nicholas Reksten can speak on the economic and environmental impacts of the current wildfire threat and planned power outages.
University of Redlands Professor Dr. Nicholas Reksten is a nationally recognized environmental economist who can speak with authority on economic and environmental impacts of the current wildfire threat and planned power outages. Dr. Reksten joined the economic department at the…
Datasets can lead to risk-reducing solutions in agriculture
Predictive agriculture models can inform farming decisions
Scientists Discover New Antibiotic in Tropical Forest
Scientists from Rutgers University and around the world have discovered an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium from a Mexican tropical forest that may help lead to a “plant probiotic,” more robust plants and other antibiotics. Probiotics, which provide friendlier bacteria and health benefits for humans, can also be beneficial to plants, keeping them healthy and more robust. The new antibiotic, known as phazolicin, prevents harmful bacteria from getting into the root systems of bean plants, according to a Rutgers co-authored study in the journal Nature Communications.
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Exceedingly Dry, Warm September in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 3, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor David A. Robinson, the New Jersey State Climatologist, can provide insight on one of the driest and warmest Septembers in New Jersey since record-keeping began in 1895. Last month was the sixth driest September…
Fungi as predictors of climate change effects
Researcher to explain findings from an Alaskan boreal forest and a Costa Rican cloud forest
Updates on balancing food production with environmental quality
Symposium to cover cross-cutting issues that apply to growers
Composting and Urban Agriculture of San Antonio Tour
Scientists to explore unique agriculture facilities in San Antonio area
Upcoming: Embracing the Digital Environment Meeting
Agronomists, crop and soil scientists from around the world to meet in San Antonio
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Indonesian Fires Threatening Orangutans
New Brunswick, N.J. (Sept. 23, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Erin R. Vogel, an expert on endangered orangutans, is available to comment on tropical forest fires threatening the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in the Mawas Conservation Area on the…
University of California, Irvine scientists available to speak about the impact of climate change on human health and wildfires
James Randerson, Chancellor’s Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, is a senior researcher on the impact of climate change on the ecology, particularly with regard to wildfires in important forest ecosystems. He was a senior…
Mechanism Modeling for Better Forecasts, Climate Predictions
Modeling currents together with wind and waves provides more accurate predictions for weather forecasts and climate scientists.
Time to retire the ‘pristine myth’ of climate change
A new, global synthesis of regional archaeological knowledge on land-use changes over the past 10,000 years reveals that humans have reshaped landscapes, ecosystems and potentially climate over millennia in a manner that challenges conventional ideas that man’s impact has been “mostly recent.”
EPA to ease methane regs for industry, ‘single largest culprit’ of emissions spike
The Trump administration is expected to announce today that it plans to roll back regulations on methane emissions, making it easier for energy companies to release methane — a potent greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere. Robert Howarth is professor…
Former EPA administrator available to comment on expected rollbacks of methane regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce today rollbacks to the federal regulation of methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas linked to climate change, strongly limiting standards created during the Obama administration. Janet McCabe, a professor of practice at…
Disaster researchers can comment on evacuation, sea level rise, health issues, pet safety as Hurricane Dorian approaches
The University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center offers several experts who can talk about various aspects of a storm such as Hurricane Dorian. Tricia Wachtendorf: Evacuation decision-making, disaster response and coordination, disaster relief (donations) and logistics, volunteer and emergent efforts, social…
Rutgers Coastal Expert Can Discuss ‘King Tide’ in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (Aug. 28, 2019) – Rutgers coastal expert Lisa Auermuller is available for interviews on the “king tide” in New Jersey, which will lead to abnormally high water levels through Labor Day, causing localized tidal flooding and illustrating…
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Fires in Amazon Rainforests
New Brunswick, N.J. (Aug. 27, 2019) – With numerous fires raging in ecologically priceless Amazon rainforests, Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Laura C. Schneider can comment on current fire patterns (the number of fires and their location), linkages to tropical rain…
Fracking prompts global spike in atmospheric methane
As methane concentrations increase in the Earth’s atmosphere, chemical fingerprints point to a probable source: shale oil and gas, according to new Cornell University research published in Biogeosciences, a journal of the European Geosciences Union.
Scientists Discover Key Factors in How Some Algae Absorb Solar Energy
Scientists have discovered how diatoms – a type of algae that produces 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen – absorb solar energy for photosynthesis. The Rutgers University-led discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help lead to more efficient and affordable algae-based biofuels and combat climate change from fossil fuel burning.
Pollutant linked to climate change can accelerate lung disease as much as a pack a day of cigarettes
Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollutants, especially the pollutant ozone, accelerates the development of emphysema and age-related decline in lung function, even among people who have never smoked, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Upcoming IPCC report to call for urgent food system reforms
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is expected to release a report on Thursday, demonstrating how the agricultural sector contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and emphasizing a need to change the way countries produce food and manage land. Ariel…
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Reduction of Food Waste in N.J. Schools
New Brunswick, N.J. (Aug. 7, 2019) – Rutgers experts Sara Elnakib and Jennifer Shukaitis are available to comment on the new “School Food Waste Reduction Toolkit” they co-authored on reducing food waste in New Jersey K-12 schools. They participated in…
Physicists Make Graphene Discovery that Could Help Develop Superconductors
When two mesh screens are overlaid, beautiful patterns appear when one screen is offset. These “moiré patterns” have long intrigued artists, scientists and mathematicians and have found applications in printing, fashion and banknotes. Now, a Rutgers-led team has paved the way to solving one of the most enduring mysteries in materials physics by discovering a moiré pattern in graphene, where electrons organize themselves into stripes, like soldiers in formation.
New Unprinting Method Can Help Recycle Paper and Curb Environmental Costs
Rutgers-led study shows the benefits of removing toner with pulses of intense xenon light Imagine if your printer had an “unprint” button that used pulses of light to remove toner, curbing environmental impacts compared with conventional paper recycling. A Rutgers-led…