Recent statements by James Lovelock, the distinguished physicist, are not easy to reconcile with his statements, writings and books over the years, including The Vanishing Face of Gaia; The Revenge of Gaia and others. As recently as March 30th, 2011, it was reported: “Professor James Lovelock, the scientist who developed Gaia theory, has said it […] … learn more→

Americans reportedly drop $1.4 billion annually on nonprescription teeth whitening products to bleach away the effects of cigarettes, coffee, red wine, or just plain age. Certain medications, notably tetracycline, also discolor teeth, says Gennaro Cataldo, a Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine professor of general dentistry. But is the bite to your wallet worth […] … learn more→

The debate over how to green industry remains locked into national and regional settings. However, it is really at the level of cities that progress is likely to be achieved. Increasingly, the focus of efforts to green the current fossil-fuelled industrial system, as it spreads relentlessly worldwide, will have to focus at the city level […] … learn more→

A small change in how teachers and parents read aloud to preschoolers may provide a big boost to their reading skills later on, a new study found. That small change involves making specific references to print in books while reading to children – such as pointing out letters and words on the pages, showing capital […] … learn more→

Golfers looking to improve their putting may find an advantage in visualizing the hole as bigger, according to a new study from Purdue University. \”People in our study made more successful putts in a smaller hole when a visual illusion helped them perceive it as larger,\” said Jessica K. Witt, an assistant professor of psychological […] … learn more→

More than a quarter of all the meat produced worldwide is now eaten in China, and the country’s 1.35 billion people are hungry for more. In 1978, China’s meat consumption of 8 million tons was one third the U.S. consumption of 24 million tons. But by 1992, China had overtaken the United States as the […] … learn more→

In a study appearing this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, MIT researchers report that emissions from cars, trucks, planes and powerplants cause 13,000 premature deaths in the United Kingdom each year. The researchers analyzed data from 2005, the most recent year for which information is available. They found that among the various […] … learn more→

In parts of the world without reliable electricity, a pedal-powered nebulizer could provide life-saving asthma treatments. Small wax-filled sleeping bags could keep premature infants warm. A salad spinner centrifuge for blood samples could help clinicians diagnose anemia. University of Michigan researchers have cataloged more than 100 such technologies in a new wiki of medical devices […] … learn more→

Huge reserves of underground water in some of the driest parts of Africa could provide a buffer against the effects of climate change for years to come, according to UCL scientists. Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London have for the first time mapped the aquifers, or groundwater, across the continent and […] … learn more→

For many businesses, adopting sustainable environmental practices can seem like a luxury rather than a necessity. Even among Chicago restaurant owners who strive to conserve energy and use more locally grown food, relatively few have made the thorough changes required for green certification. That problem led to the launch this winter of an unusual UChicago […] … learn more→