Tag: Environment
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Why don’t whales get cancer? Cracking one of medicine’s greatest mysteries
Why don’t whales get cancer? Cracking one of medicine’s greatest mysteries Understanding why some animals are more susceptible to the disease could lead to improved screening for humans Scientists are homing in on one of medicine’s most baffling mysteries: why some species avoid getting cancers while others are plagued by tumours that shorten their lives.…
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Global craze for collagen linked to Brazilian deforestation
Global craze for collagen linked to Brazilian deforestation Investigation finds cases of the wellness product, hailed for its anti-ageing benefits, being derived from cattle raised on farms damaging tropical forest What is collagen and why is it so popular in the beauty industry? Tens of thousands of cattle raised on farms that are damaging tropical…
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Taken for a ride: Forestry England urged to scrap paid-for horse permits
Taken for a ride: Forestry England urged to scrap paid-for horse permits Consultation has raised hopes of an end to ‘discrimination’ in access to off-road routes George Orwell’s “four legs good, two legs better” has long been the case when it comes to access to England’s forests, the British Horse Society contends. But “equality” may…
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Open up swimming to all – in lakes and rivers as well as public pools | Letters
Letters Open up swimming to all – in lakes and rivers as well as public pools Margaret Dickinson, Donald Rigg, Paul Tinnion and David Perry respond to an article by John Harris about public pools and leisure centres under threat of closure John Harris rightly draws attention to the public health value of swimming pools…
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Rising temperatures causing distress to foetuses, study reveals
Rising temperatures causing distress to foetuses, study reveals Climate crisis increases risks for subsistence farmers in Africa who usually work throughout pregnancy Rising temperatures driven by climate breakdown are causing distress to the foetuses of pregnant farmers, who are among the worst affected by global heating. A study revealed that the foetuses of women working…
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Air pollution linked to almost a million stillbirths a year
Air pollution linked to almost a million stillbirths a year First global analysis follows discovery of toxic pollution particles in lungs and brains of foetuses Almost a million stillbirths a year can be attributed to air pollution, according to the first global study. The research estimated that almost half of stillbirths could be linked to…
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Eight glasses of water a day excessive for most people, study suggests
Eight glasses of water a day excessive for most people, study suggests ‘One size fits all’ guidance could lead to 20m litres of drinking water being wasted each day in UK, scientists say A recommendation to drink eight glasses of water a day is likely to be excessive for most people, according to scientists. The…
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Indoor wood fires ‘dangerous’ for some pregnant women
Indoor wood fires ‘dangerous’ for some pregnant women Study finds link between smoke-related deaths and eclampsia, helping explain worse maternal health Air pollution from cooking indoors over a fire of wood or charcoal could have life-threatening consequences for some pregnant women, according to a new study. Researchers at King’s College London found “a significantly positive…
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Italian ultra-cyclist aims to complete first coast-to-coast crossing of Antartica by bike
Climate activist Omar di Felice hopes to complete the 2,000km trek – made possible by advent of ‘fatbikes’ – in 60 days after departing next week by Kieran Pender Next week, Omar di Felice will begin a journey no human has previously attempted. The Italian ultra-endurance cyclist will arrive at Hercules Inlet, in western Antarctica,…
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Giant steps: why walking in nature is good for mind, body and soul
Giant steps: why walking in nature is good for mind, body and soul Rather than just moving from A to B, think about your surroundings and the wider ramifications of your walk Six weeks after my daughter was born, I found myself on the packed dirt path that runs along the River Cam in Grantchester…
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Eat mushrooms, cut down on meat and use the microwave: the best diet for you and the planet
Eat mushrooms, cut down on meat and use the microwave: the best diet for you and the planet Prioritising food choices is one of the most powerful tools we have to help save the planet, says scientist Tim Spector 18 foods to boost your health Less meat, more plants The simplest way to reduce your…
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Weatherwatch: how cycling can measure local air pollution
Weatherwatch: how cycling can measure local air pollution Inexpensive weather monitors attached to handlebars reveal dips in air quality and temperature Get on your bike: cycling can be a useful way to measure local variations in weather and also pollution, using portable and inexpensive weather monitors attached to handlebars. The researcher John Cassano made rides…
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Ovo Energy owes me more than £2,000 for my solar power
Ovo Energy owes me more than £2,000 for my solar power Since the supplier took over managing payments for my panels’ excess energy, there have been a string of delays I have had solar panels on my roof since 2011 and used to receive quarterly feed-in tariff (FIT) payments from SSE Energy. However, since Ovo…
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Toxic air pollution particles found in lungs and brains of unborn babies
Toxic air pollution particles found in lungs and brains of unborn babies Particles breathed by mothers pass to their vulnerable foetuses, with potentially lifelong consequences Toxic air pollution particles have been found in the lungs, livers and brains of unborn babies, long before they have taken their first breath. Researchers said their “groundbreaking” discovery was…
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Electric car subscription service Onto is slow sorting my insurance claim
Electric car subscription service Onto is slow sorting my insurance claim It took a £1,000 excess upfront, although it has the numberplate information it asked for The electric car subscription service Onto is billed as the future of car ownership but is taking advantage of its customers. My wife was in a car accident in…
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Allergic to the world: can medicine help people with severe intolerance to chemicals?
Whether it’s organic or psychosomatic or something in between, multiple chemical sensitivity can cause chronic illness, and its sufferers often feel abandoned by Xi Chen Sharon calls herself a universal reactor. In the 1990s, she became allergic to the world, to the mould colonising her home and the paint coating her kitchen walls, but also…
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Increase in LED lighting ‘risks harming human and animal health’
Increase in LED lighting ‘risks harming human and animal health’ Transition to blue light radiation across Europe increases suppression of sleep hormone melatonin, say scientists Blue light from artificial sources is on the rise, which may have negative consequences for human health and the wider environment, according to a study. Academics at the University of…
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Why we drew 600-mile long picture of a bicycle across Europe
Why we drew 600-mile long picture of a bicycle across Europe Couple rode thousands of miles to plot GPS image to raise awareness about climate crisis and encourage bike use Daniel Rayneau-Kirkhope and Arianna Casiraghi, accompanied by their dog, Zola, have just finished 4,500-mile (7,250km) bike ride across Europe to draw a giant GPS-plotted bicycle…
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Charging my electric car is a pain as I can’t use BP Pulse credit
Charging my electric car is a pain as I can’t use BP Pulse credit At the public charging point my balance is always shown as zero and when it should be £175 I have a Polestar 2 electric car. Shortly after its launch, because of a number of software glitches, the company gave owners a…
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The big idea: should cars be banned from cities?
The big idea: should cars be banned from cities? Streets have been optimised for one thing: traffic. A kind of ‘urban rewilding’ could return them to the complex social ecosystems they once were There has been justified excitement around the idea of rewilding over the past few years, with projects popping up all over the…