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Local pollution sources have tremendous impact on air quality in Delhi

The University of Surrey has revealed results from a new, comprehensive study that suggests that activities such as construction and vehicle traffic contribute significantly to the Delhi National Capital Region's high concentrations of harmful air pollutants and gases.

10 Jan 2020

Shutdown of coal-fired power plants reduces negative impacts on human health and crop yields

The decommissioning of coal-fired power plants in the continental United States has reduced nearby pollution and its negative impacts on human health and crop yields, according to a new University of California San Diego study.

6 Jan 2020

Diarrhea in young children linked to La Niña climate conditions

A study in Botswana by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health scientists finds that spikes in cases of life-threatening diarrhea in young children are associated with La Niña climate conditions.

30 Dec 2019

New study says obesity increases greenhouse gases

A new study published in the journal Obesity may indicate that increasing body weight trends among humans, as well as the increasing number of people living on earth, could push back efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions of human origin.

22 Dec 2019

Obesity may challenge attempts to reduce man-made carbon dioxide emissions

A new analysis suggests that the increasing average body size of people on Earth, in addition to the growing world population may further challenge attempts to reduce man-made carbon dioxide emissions, according to a paper published online in Obesity, the flagship journal of The Obesity Society.

20 Dec 2019

Researchers study how environmental factors affect pathogenic bacteria spread by ticks

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, the University of Zurich and the University of Exeter have carried out modelling on how environmental factors affect the occurrence of human-pathogenic bacteria found in the sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus), a tick species common in Europe.

19 Dec 2019

A future approach to diabetes care

In Belize, where diabetes is rampant, patients need insulin every day to maintain proper blood sugar levels. But if people lack electricity or a refrigerator, they cannot store insulin at home.

18 Dec 2019

Valley fever cases climb in California’s Central Valley — and beyond

Valley fever cases are on the rise in California and across the arid Southwest, and scientists point to climate change and population shifts as possible reasons.

17 Dec 2019

Research shows how one energy conservation strategy may affect vulnerable populations

Any economic and conservation benefits associated with time-of-use electricity billing could be achieved at the expense of some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society: people with disabilities and the elderly, new research suggests.

16 Dec 2019

Higher temperatures and increased rainfall could make RSV epidemics less severe, more common

One of the first studies to examine the effect of climate change on diseases such as influenza that are transmitted directly from person to person has found that higher temperatures and increased rainfall could make outbreaks less severe but more common, particularly in North America.

16 Dec 2019

Study reports case-specific monetary estimates for childhood illness linked to air pollution

A new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health is the first to compile the estimated per-case costs of six childhood health conditions linked to air pollution--estimates that can be incorporated into benefits assessments of air pollution regulations and climate change mitigation policies.

12 Dec 2019

Toxicologists find toxic chemicals from LCDs in nearly half of household dust samples

Chemicals commonly used in smartphone, television, and computer displays were found to be potentially toxic and present in nearly half of dozens of samples of household dust collected by a team of toxicologists led by the University of Saskatchewan.

10 Dec 2019

Dead birds forecast unexpected impact of climate change

A new study published Wednesday in the journal Ecology Letters reports that its look at the physical data of thousands of dead American migratory birds collected off the busy streets of high-rise Chicago shows a surprising fact. Namely, the average size of birds of all sorts has been shrinking over the forty years since the collection began, while their wingspan has increased. The scientists say these changes are adaptations to climate change. Is this a taste of things to come – for humans as well as for birds?

5 Dec 2019

Warmer temperatures can lead to higher concentrations of arsenic in rice grains

People around the world consume rice in their daily diets. But in addition to its nutrient and caloric content, rice can contain small amounts of arsenic, which in large doses is a toxin linked to multiple health conditions and dietary-related cancers.

4 Dec 2019

Justinianic plague did not wipe out the Romans as history books tell us

A new study has revealed that it was not plague that killed half of the world’s population and thus proved to be the downfall of the Roman Empire as we know from history. The study was published this week in the latest issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study involved scholars from different fields including history, archaeology and science. The study is titled, “The Justinianic Plague: An inconsequential pandemic?”

3 Dec 2019

Candidates are betting big on health. Is that what voters really want?

The one thing we know about health care in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race is that it's a top issue for voters.

3 Dec 2019

Climate change and children’s health

UNICEF says that climate change is posing an immense challenge to the health of children worldwide. Though children commonly have the least to do with the actions and attitudes that lead to climate change, they are the ones who will have to bear the brunt of it.

2 Dec 2019

The success of clownfish families linked to high-quality habitats, not shared genes

In a study published today, scientists report that the long-term success of clownfish depends more on living in a good neighborhood than it does on good genes.

26 Nov 2019

Can women adapt to climate change?

A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on November 25, 2019, says that women may be unable to change their mode of survival to adapt to climate change and resulting alterations in socioeconomic and cultural conditions. The factors responsible for this difficulty may include migration of male family members and unfavourable working conditions, abetted by governmental failure to support them, or poverty.

25 Nov 2019

Environmental stress weakens women's ability to adapt to climate change

New research led by the University of East Anglia suggests that male migration and poor working conditions for women combine with institutional failure or poverty to hamper women's ability to adapt to climate variability and change in Asia and Africa.

25 Nov 2019