Study Finds Air Pollution Particles Can Get Inside the Placenta

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Particles of black carbon have been found inside the placenta, raising questions of health risks to fetuses. (Credit: Africa Studio/Shutterstock) Many of us don’t give much thought to the air we breathe. But if you live in a city, near a major road, next to an industrial plant or even just have a wood burning stove, that air is often laced with miniscule pollutants. After we inhale, those particles can lodge in our lungs and travel throughout the body. For pregnant women, this may put t ...read more

New Interstellar Comet is ‘Very Red’, Initial Results Show

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The Gemini Observatory in Hawaii caught this first-ever color image of the interstellar comet and its faint tail. (Credit: Composite image by Travis Rector. Gemini Observatory/NSF/AURA) Astronomers are in a frenzy to learn more about the newest visitor to our solar system, comet C/2019 Q4. While it hasn’t yet been officially confirmed, they’re largely convinced the object originated outside our solar system. “I will say there is no debate at this point,” said Quanz ...read more

Cows Burp Out Tons of Methane. Feeding Them Seaweed Could Help

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Adding seaweed to cows' diet would help tamp down their methane emissions. (Credit: Jan K/ Shutterstock) Every morning, Breanna Roque goes out to the barn to feed the cows. But this isn’t your typical farm – in fact, it’s a laboratory. The University of California, Davis graduate researcher spends her time among bovines, tweaking their diets so that they burp less. Why? Less burps means less methane. And less methane, on a global scale, could mean slowing down climate change ...read more

At 100, James Lovelock Has New Ideas About Gaia and Earth’s Future

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Our blue-marble planet, imaged by the DSCOVR spacecraft. Life maintains a stubborn balance here--but for how long? (Credit: NOAA/EPIC) James Lovelock has a lot to celebrate. The renowned British futurist and environmentalist just enjoyed a 100th birthday party with his wife and friends. Over his long career he has seen his once-controversial Gaia hypothesis steadily gain significant acceptance among his colleagues. And capping all that, he has just published Novacene, a book that predicts th ...read more

9 Ways to Instantly Cut Your Environmental Impact

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Buying clothes and other items second hand is a great way to cut your environmental impact. (Credit: Cabeca de Marmore/Shutterstock) Helping the environment might seem like an impossible task, especially when there are a couple billion other people out there, still doing their thing. But even just cutting your current environmental impact a little is better than doing nothing at all. So, here are a few ideas to get you started. Buy Stuff Second Hand What has less of an impact than buy ...read more