All Stories by Laura Allen
- Health & Medicine
Nearsighted? Teens’ benefits from special contacts can be lasting
Multifocal contact lenses stop the progression of myopia — and the benefits can last even after use of these special lenses ends.
- Chemistry
Micro-sparks between water droplets may have started life on Earth
This micro-lightning can drive chemical reactions that produce compounds needed for the natural formation of life on Earth, experiments show.
- Chemistry
Some bacteria in wastewater can break down a common plastic
These microbes can break the carbon bonds that make PET plastics so hard to degrade. This type of plastic makes up almost one-third of plastic waste.
- Climate
Trees may be even bigger climate heroes than we thought
These plants absorb methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in addition to carbon dioxide. Methane’s uptake is likely thanks to microbes living in tree bark.
- Animals
How to make ‘worms’ more nutritious — and easier to swallow
Extracting protein from insect larvae could lead to a healthful food ingredient — and you never have to bite into crunchy legs or squishy bodies.
- Tech
New system uses evaporation to greatly cool artificial turf
It relies on rainwater that gets stored below a field of plastic "grass." The design also limits how much rain — and pollution — will run off artificial turf.
- Humans
Common high-school textbooks promote unscientific views on gender
Inaccurate descriptions of sex and gender may lead to sexism or prejudice toward people who don’t seem to represent gender norms.
- Health & Medicine
How to help transgender and nonbinary teens bloom during puberty
Gender-affirming medical care during puberty can help transgender and nonbinary teens end up with an adult body that matches their gender.
- Environment
Bottled water hosts many thousands of nano-sized plastic bits
The finding emerges from tests of a new tool that identified smaller-than-ever tiny plastic bits in three brands of bottled water.
- Climate
Chemists make device to destroy planet-warming methane pollution
It can slash diffuse sources of this extremely potent greenhouse gas, such as from livestock barns and other sites.
- Chemistry
Pollution power? A new device turns carbon dioxide into fuel
Scientists made a device that converts the greenhouse gas into formate. This salt can then run a fuel cell to make electricity.
- Materials Science
A new hydrogel could help pull drinking water from the air
The salty gel absorbs more water from the air than similar gels, even in desert climates. This could provide clean water for drinking or farming.
