#Environment204

31 May 2026

Soil life survived the Mojave Dome Fire

A 2020 fire in the Mojave Desert killed many Eastern Joshua trees, but researchers found that fungi and other soil microbes did not decline. The result affects how restoration might proceed.

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Photo by Shinichiro Ichimura, Unsplash

31 May 2026

Drought Shrinks Habitat for Large Western Mammals

A study finds historic drought in the American Southwest has reduced prime habitat for mule deer, black bears and cougars. Researchers used long-term GPS tracking to measure how drought changed those areas.

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30 May 2026

Lake Erie algal blooms produce many toxic compounds

A study of western Lake Erie finds harmful algal blooms make a wider range of bioactive cyanopeptides beyond microcystin. Scientists sampled lake water across seasons, linked compounds to bacteria, and found mixtures can increase cellular toxicity.

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30 May 2026

People Change Wild Animal Behaviour

A large global study shows that the simple presence of people changes how wild animals move. Researchers tracked many species with GPS and mobile phone data and say conservation should consider when and where people go.

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28 May 2026

Study finds no major health harms from wind turbines

Researchers studied households near wind turbines using location and purchase data. They found no moderate-to-large health effects at typical distances, but said very small, hard-to-detect effects cannot be ruled out.

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18 May 2026

Data centers and mining could raise US power costs by 2030

A new study warns that growing electricity use by data centers and cryptocurrency mining could raise power prices and CO2 emissions in the United States by 2030. Researchers modelled hourly power needs across 26 regions to find likely impacts.

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14 May 2026

Air pollution linked to higher post-surgery risks in Utah

A study of 49,615 non-emergency surgeries on Utah’s Wasatch Front found that higher PM2.5 in the week before surgery was associated with more post-surgical complications. The research appears in Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica.

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13 May 2026

Volcanic plume removed methane after Hunga Tonga eruption

After the January 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai, satellites showed the volcanic plume helped destroy some methane. Researchers say sunlight on salt and ash likely created reactive chlorine that broke down methane, with implications for climate action.

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11 May 2026

Wildfire smoke increases ground‑level ozone and adds deaths in the US

A study finds that wildfire smoke raises ground‑level ozone across the continental United States and estimates this smoke‑driven ozone causes more than 2,000 excess US deaths per year, with data from 2006–2023.

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8 May 2026

Trees and unequal health benefits in cities

A new study finds that nearby trees are linked to lower chronic stress but the benefit is not equal for all groups. Researchers matched health records with satellite maps of tree cover to study the effect across U.S. neighborhoods.

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30 Apr 2026

Demand for clean-energy minerals harms poor regions

A UN report warns that rising global demand for minerals for clean energy is causing environmental damage, water loss and health harms in poorer mining regions, while richer countries gain most benefits. The report urges reforms to protect water and people.

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29 Apr 2026

New bacteria in coral reefs could yield useful molecules

A two-year Tara Pacific study (2016–2018) examined Pacific coral reefs and their microbes. Researchers found thousands of largely new bacteria that make bioactive molecules with possible uses in medicine and industry.

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29 Apr 2026

Data centers and AI bring investment to Latin America

Global demand for data centers is rising and tech companies are courting Latin American governments. Large projects in Brazil and other countries raise questions about energy use, environmental approvals and local protests.

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