Environment
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Destroying PFAS with plasma
When this chemical contaminant is removed from water, it often is placed in landfills only to re-enter the water supply over time. U-M engineers have a plan: Use cold plasma to destroy PFAS rather than just removing it.
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‘I feel so safe underwater’
A battle is blowing on the trade winds as marine biologist Cathy Church, BS ’67, takes on the luxury cruise industry in Grand Cayman.
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Asian carp threat intensifies
The ongoing warming of Lake Michigan increases its susceptibility to these voracious algae-eating carp, in part by reducing the capacity of quagga mussels, which act as an ecological barrier.
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Feeling stressed? Take a ‘nature pill’
Spending just 20 minutes in nature — even if it’s simply gardening, doing yardwork or sitting quietly in the backyard — can significantly lower stress hormone levels.
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Original Earth Day organizers reunite 50 years later
Former student activists who established the 1970 Teach-In on the Environment examine how history can inform the present — and the future.
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What on Earth are you doing?
The relentless barrage of dire news about climate change can take a toll on one’s psyche. Just imagine if climate change is your area of study. Plus: U-M & Earth Day at 50
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Producing ‘green methane’ with artificial photosynthesis
A solar-powered catalyst uses artificial photosynthesis to turn carbon dioxide into methane. We could be recycling smokestack CO2 within 5-10 years, researchers say.
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Migratory birds shrinking as climate warms
A four-decade record shows North American birds are getting smaller and their wings are getting longer. Both changes appear to be responses to the climate.
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‘We’re missing something fundamental about the sun’
First data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission has implications for space weather prediction and Earth’s power grid.