News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Indoor air quality can be significantly improved by houseplants, new research has shown – specifically in terms of removing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from the air, a pollutant created from fuel burning that’s been linked to respiratory disease. Potted plants are simple to install, affordable to buy, and potentially a genuinely effective option when it … Read more
Having never evolved wings, many species of spider instead evolved an uncanny ability to take to the skies using nothing more than a few short threads of gossamer dangling from their dainty butts. Just how this invertebrate answer to paragliding works has never been entirely clear, though historically biologists have assumed it probably has … Read more
The system uses day-night temperature differences to extract water from the air while slightly increasing electricity generation by cooling solar panels Environment 1 March 2022 By Michael Le Page A prototype of the water-harvesting device Renyuan Li A three-month trial in Saudi Arabia has shown that a solar panel add-on system can harvest water without … Read more
The superbug MRSA is potentially even more harmful if it is exposed to air pollution, some studies using mice and human cells suggest Health 28 February 2022 By Michael Le Page Air pollution from smoke stacks at an oil refinery Susan Santa Maria/Shutterstock Air pollution from fossil fuels and wood burning can directly affect the … Read more
Fragrant chemicals in scented surface cleaners react with ozone to produce pollutant particles that may be harmful to the respiratory system Health 25 February 2022 By Carissa Wong A man mopping the floor SolStock/Getty Images Scented surface cleaning products can expose you to a similar amount of pollutant particles as a busy urban road used … Read more
Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but a new study suggests it could have an unexpected downside: A few minutes of mopping indoors with a fresh-scented cleaning product can generate as many airborne particles as vehicles on a busy city street. The finding suggests custodians and professional cleaners may be at risk of health effects … Read more
By Adam Vaughan Energy firm Drax has a biomass power plant in Yorkshire, UK Clare Jackson/Alamy A CATTLE shed near Edinburgh sucking up methane emissions and a team altering the acidity of seawater in the English Channel might seem unlikely prospects for avoiding increasingly dangerous climate change. But they are just two of 24 projects taking part … Read more
Higher temperatures with climate change will push up demand for air conditioning significantly in some states, potentially taxing electric grids, a new analysis said. Demand in some parts of the United States could rise more than 13 percent, according to the studypublished in Earth’s Future, the American Geophysical Union’s journal. “We know that when it … Read more
Carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide pollution have fallen sharply in Hong Kong since it introduced a world-first scheme to detect and repair vehicles with the highest emissions Technology 2 February 2022 By Alice Klein A busy road in Hong Kong picturelibrary / Alamy Stock Photo Hong Kong has improved its air quality by using roadside … Read more
It’s easy to see air pollution when it settles as smog over a city. Yet even in rural areas, where the air looks clearer, researchers have found unhealthy particles floating in the atmosphere. That sweet country air may not be as invigorating as we once thought. Fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in … Read more