Oceans
From tackling marine plastic pollution to coral reef restoration, learn about humanity’s latest efforts to protect ocean habitats and marine wildlife.
Meet BB: The beach cleaning robot
Cigarettes aren’t just bad for the smoker’s health. They also lower the air quality for everyone around them and they are the world’s most littered item, with a grand total of 4.5 trillion cigarette butts making their way into our environment every year. While the number is jarring Read More...
Mussels could help us remove harmful microplastics from the ocean
Microplastics are one of the most pernicious forms of plastic pollution threatening our oceans, so scientists are hard at work to find solutions that could help filter this ecological burden out of the marine environment. Recently, we wrote about how sea squirts can help us monitor the steadily Read More...
Cape Cod scientists are mapping out safer waters for sharks and swimmers
For summer beachgoers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, great white shark sightings are all too common. Shark populations have been rebounding since the 1970s protections prevented sharks and seals from being hunted, so now, lifeguards regularly clear the waters due to a shark or two. But the question Read More...
Venice bans cruise ships to protect delicate canals and local ecosystems
Venice is an incredibly popular tourism destination, but in recent years, criticism from locals and environmentalists has prompted calls for the end of cruise lines in the city. Yesterday, the city officially banned large ships in its waters. According to Italian Culture Minister Dario Read More...
Scientists observe coral and algae phenomenon for the first time
Coral and algae have a very special relationship. Coral provides algae with shelter while algae give coral energy and its signature colors. Despite the critical nature of this relationship, scientists had never witnessed the moment in which coral cells envelop single-cell algae. That is until Read More...
IMO moves to make shipping companies pay a price for emissions
As the volume of goods traded across the world continues to increase, emissions from container ships are becoming a more prevalent source of pollution. In an effort to transition to industry towards a greener future, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has proposed a regulation that would Read More...
Can this robotic fish save the seas?
From food to fashion, consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z-ers, are leaning towards companies that practice green methods of manufacturing their products and transparency, which is a great thing—but it also leads to lots of greenwashing. How can we confirm that companies follow through Read More...
World’s first underwater farm is growing fruits and veggies once again
While floating farms are already an indication of how agriculture might look like in the future, underwater farms are just getting started. With that said, their prospects to increase food security across the world look promising. Just recently, the world’s first underwater farm started producing Read More...
This is how lobsters are helping make 3D-printed concrete stronger
In recent years, 3D concrete printing has emerged as an attractive candidate to reimagine the construction industry — one of the biggest sources of environmental pollution in the world. But making concrete durable enough for building complex structures is still an obstacle. Seeking to overcome Read More...
These solar-powered barges can scoop up 50 tons of plastic from rivers each day
While removing the plastic waste that currently contaminates the ocean today will be crucial for protecting marine ecosystems, it is arguably more important that we stop any more plastic trash from entering the ocean. Fortunately for humanity, The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit taking on plastic waste Read More...