Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 5, 2014

Prenatal Air Pollution Levels Linked to ADHD in Kids

Kids who are exposed to the highest levels of air pollution before birth have a greater risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms than their less exposed peers, according to new research. In the study, researchers looked at levels of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which are a...

Nov 18, 2014

Watch Carbon Pollution Spread Across the Planet

A striking new video from NASA reveals how the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide spreads across Earth in a single year. The mesmerizing video was produced by a supercomputer model that took more than two months to run. Called GEOS-5, the model recreates the atmosphere's chaotic interplay among wind, weather and...

Jan 25, 2015

Urgently Examining Environmental Impacts of Fertilizer Run-off

This ScienceLives article was provided to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights in partnership with the National Science Foundation. A mathematician at heart, Angela Peace applies her powers of quantitative reasoning to biological problems. As a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Peace uses...

Feb 9, 2015

Hints of Colonial Pollution Hidden in Andean Ice Cap

Traces of air pollution from 16th-century Spanish silver mines were discovered deep inside an ice cap in the Peruvian Andes, scientists announced today (Feb. 9). The researchers said it's the first clear evidence of man-made air pollution in South America from the time before the Industrial Revolution. Though the imprint...

Feb 18, 2015

Utah Suicides Linked to Air Pollution

Suicide may be linked to air pollution, according to new research that finds spikes in completed suicides in the days following peak pollution levels. The research took place in Utah, part of the United States' western suicide belt. Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the United States; in...

Mar 4, 2015

Cleaner Air Really Does Improve Kids' Lung Health

Tougher air pollution control strategies in California may have resulted in better lung health in children, a new study suggests. Researchers found that children in California experienced improved lung function as levels of air pollution in the state declined between 1994 and 2011. We saw about a 10-percent improvement in...

Mar 9, 2015

Toxic Lead Pollution Left Its Mark in Andes Mountains

Toxic lead buried in icy layers of an Andes glacier reveals that leaded gasoline was the region's worst polluter in the past 2,000 years, a new study reports. Traces of lead pollution from precolonial mines and metallurgy (such as the extraction of silver and other metals) are present in the...

Apr 23, 2015

Air Pollution May Shrink the Brain, Study Suggests

Breathing polluted air every day may change a person's brain in ways that end up leading to cognitive impairment, according to a new study. In the study, researchers examined 943 healthy adults who were at least 60 years old and lived the New England region. The investigators used magnetic resonance...

Jul 1, 2015

Fourth of July Downer: Fireworks Cause Spike in Air Pollution

Fireworks are a beloved tradition of the Fourth of July, but the colorful displays also bring a spike in air pollution, a new study shows. The researchers analyzed information from more than 300 air-quality monitoring sites throughout the United States, from 1999 to 2013. The researchers looked at levels of...

Jul 10, 2015

Dust Clouds the Future of the South Asian Monsoon (Op-Ed)

Raghu Murtugudde is a professor at the University of Maryland's Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. Murtugudde contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned for more than a decade that rising...

Sep 16, 2015

Air Pollution Kills More than 3 Million People Globally Every Year

Outdoor air pollution may lead to more than 3 million premature deaths globally per year, according to a new study. About 75 percent of those deaths occur in Asia, the study found. Air pollutants such as ozone and tiny particles of toxins are linked with heart disease, lung disease and...

Nov 11, 2015

China's Smog Levels Reach 50 Times the Limit: 'Everybody is at Risk'

Thick smog over Shenyang, a large city in northeastern China, sent air pollution in the city last weekend to levels about 50 times higher than what's considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). That level of pollution puts the health of everyone in the city at risk, experts say....

Dec 8, 2015

China's Latest 'Airpocalypse' Seen from Space

Severe air pollution is choking China with thick veils of smog, and yesterday (Dec. 7), Beijing issued a red alert — the highest possible — due to poor air quality in the Chinese capital city. Recent satellite images of the country show large hazy clouds covering portions of northeastern China...

Jan 20, 2016

Racing Pigeons Fly Home Faster in Polluted Air, Scientists Find

China currently has an air pollution problem so severe that smog is occasionally dense enough to be visible from space. But the frequently choking haze is providing an unexpected benefit to racing pigeons in one of China's most polluted regions, helping the birds to navigate home faster, researchers have found....

Feb 18, 2016

'See' What You Breathe with New Air-Quality Monitor

People typically think about clean or dirty air only when they're outside, but air quality can be a significant problem even indoors. And now, using a new gadget, people can identify pollutants — some smaller than the width of a hair — in their homes, and this could help ward...