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How climate-friendly waterwheels are coming around again
by Chris Baraniuk 17/1/25 The Guardian
In the foothills of the Himalayas, a group of villagers hauled a sturdy metal waterwheel into place. Its horizontal blades soon caught the rushing water of the stream directly below it. The machine began to spin, and electricity began to flow.
Welcome to the American petrostate
by Michael E. Mann 7/11/24 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The United States is now a failed Democratic state. With the reelection of Donald Trump, a candidate who has flaunted his desire for autocracy—aided and abetted by a Republican-controlled Congress that will not constrain him with guardrails—the United States is now poised to become an authoritarian state ruled by plutocrats and fossil fuel interests. It is now, in short, a petrostate.
Antibiotics, antivirals and vaccines could help tackle dementia, study suggests
by Andrew Gregory 21/1/25 The Guardian
Antibiotics, antivirals and vaccines could be used to tackle dementia, according to experts, who say repurposing drugs approved for other conditions could dramatically speed up the hunt for a cure.
Salad chain Sweetgreen is caving to conspiracy theories about seed oils. Why?
by Aimee Levitt 21/1/25 The Guardian
It’s January, season of resolutions and virtue, when Americans collectively decide to throw out the butter and sugar and booze and embrace grain bowls and bone broth. Most of these resolutions – 80%, according to some studies – will fade by February, Super Bowl Sunday at the latest, so advertisers pushing dietary health trends have to strike fast.
Explained: how Trump’s day one orders reveal a White House for big oil
by Oliver Milman 22/1/25 The Guardian
Trump has promised to cut Americans’ energy costs in half within a year and he claimed removing all restraints on drilling for “liquid gold” will achieve this, even though the US is already producing more oil and gas than any other country in history.
Meanwhile, Thwaites is not waiting around ...
Yesterday’s Thwaites Crack Opened Up Today, and More Cracks Appear: Update
A view from north of the border
by ROBERT REICH 24/1/25 Robert Reich
From time to time I bring you views about what’s happening in the United States from writers and journalists in other countries. The following is by Andrew Coyne, a highly respected Canadian columnist with The Globe and Mail, Canada’s most widely read newspaper.
The year the rainforest dried up: how the climate crisis beached Brazil’s floating communities
by OPEN Society foundations 22/1/25 The Guardian
Some areas of the Amazon experienced their worst drought in 120 years in 2024. Brazilian rivers such as the Negro fell to their lowest levels on record, affecting more than 140,000 families for months.
Surprising Link Between Menthol And Alzheimer's Discovered in Mice
by DAVID NIELD 30/1/25 Science alert
It seems the chemical compound can stop some of the damage done to the brain that's usually associated with the disease.
Meet the woman who lives without money: ‘I feel more secure than when I was earning’
by Louise Southerden 31/1/25 The Guardian
Sharon Brodie clearly remembers her first Christmas with her good friend Jo Nemeth. It was 2016 and also her first Christmas without her husband, Monty, who had died suddenly a month earlier
The GOP’s 60-Year Conspiracy to Kill Our Democracy: None Dare Call It Treason—But I Will
by thomhartmann 31/1/25 DAILY KOS
In Wednesday’s Daily Take here on Hartmann Report, I mentioned Russell Kirk and the origins of today’s hard right GOP. A few people replied with, “Who’s that?” and similar questions; others were incredulous that Republicans actually believed the middle class created by FDR’s New Deal was a bad thing. So, here’s the backstory to what I mentioned.
Climate change target of 2C is ‘dead’, says renowned climate scientist
by Damian Carrington 4/2/25 The Guardian
The pace of global heating has been significantly underestimated, according to renowned climate scientist Prof James Hansen, who said the international 2C target is “dead”.
Radiocarbon dating of artifacts and bones shows North American Indigenous population changes over 2,000 years
A small team of archaeologists and anthropologists from the University of Wyoming, Michigan State University, and the Desert Research Institute, all in the U.S., has used radiocarbon dating of bone and other artifacts found at various sites across North America to learn more about Indigenous population fluctuations before the arrival of Europeans.
Here is how we know that vaccines do not cause autism
Vaccines do not cause autism. You’ve almost certainly read that before — probably hundreds of times. But many people do not believe it, perhaps because too often it is repeated without a real explanation of how we know that.
How The Trump/Musk Administration's Killing USAID Is Harming MAGA America
It turns out the Musk/Trump suspension of USAID aid is hurting a lot of Americans, and a lot of MAGA Americans at that. You may wonder how cutting foreign aid is hurting Americans. It's really quite simple.
‘Backsliding’: most countries to miss vital climate deadline as Cop30 nears
by Fiona Harvey 8/2/25 The Guardian
Developing countries urge biggest polluters to act as Trump’s return to the White House heightens geopolitical turmoil
Antioxidants in fruits and flowers seem to counteract harmful effects of microplastics, study shows
by Tom Perkins 24/2/25 The Guardian
Anthocyanins in nuts, fruits and vegetables seem to lessen harmful effects of microplastics on reproductive systems
Neo-Nazi group plots rebuild as Trump’s FBI chief takes helm, audio reveals
by Ben Makuch 24/2/25 The Guardian
An international neo-Nazi terrorist group with origins in the US appears to be quickly rebuilding its global and stateside ranks, according to information obtained by the Guardian from its digital accounts.
Britain’s net zero economy is booming, CBI says
by Damian Carrington 24/2/25 The Guardian
Green sector growing at triple the rate of the UK economy, providing high-wage jobs and increasing energy security
They wanted to save us from a dark AI future. Then six people were killed
by J Oliver Conroy 5/3/25 The Guardian
Years before she became the peculiar central thread linking a double homicide in Pennsylvania, the fatal shooting of a federal agent in Vermont and the murder of an elderly landlord in California, a computer programmer bought a sailboat.
Trump’s EPA aims to cut pollution rules projected to save nearly 200,000 lives: ‘People will be hurt’
by Oliver Milman 19/3/25 The Guardian
A push by Donald Trump’s administration to repeal a barrage of clean air and water regulations may deal a severe blow to US public health, with a Guardian analysis finding that the targeted rules were set to save the lives of nearly 200,000 people in the years ahead.
The Black Panthers shook America awake before the party was eviscerated by the US government. Their children paid a steep price, but also emerged with unassailable pride and burning lessons for today
by Ed Pilkington 25/3/25 The Guardian
Fred Hampton Jr was days away from taking his first breath when his father was assassinated. Still in his mother’s womb, he would have sensed the shots fired by police into his parents’ bedroom at the back of 2337 Monroe Street, Chicago.
Trump’s ‘climate’ purge deleted a new extreme weather risk tool. We recreated it
by Oliver Milman 26/3/25 The Guardian
When Donald Trump won November’s election, a small team working on a key new US government tool charting impacts of the climate crisis scrambled into action. They hastily renamed the resource to remove the word “climate” and quietly released it without fanfare in December, before Trump’s return to the White House.
I was an independent observer in the Greenpeace trial. What I saw was shocking
by Steven Donziger 28/3/25 The Guardian
The North Dakota case is so deeply flawed – at its core, the trial was really about crushing dissent – that I believe there is a good chance it will be reversed on appeal and ultimately backfire against the Energy Transfer pipeline company.
Trump funding cuts ripple through rural America
by P.J. Huffstutter 29/3/25 Reuters
RAINELLE, W.V., March 29 (Reuters) - The phone rang over the whine of Trey Yates' butter churn. The person calling was polite, but the message was devastating: Mountaineer Food Bank was ending Yates' butter contract, due to the federal government's funding cuts.
Neuroscientists link low self-awareness to stronger brain reactions to moralized issues
by Eric W. Dolan 1/4/25 PsyPost
A new study published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience reveals that people who hold strong moral convictions about political issues make decisions more quickly—but that these choices are shaped by both emotional brain responses and metacognitive ability. The research shows that moral conviction activates specific brain regions involved in emotion and cognitive control, and that people with lower self-awareness about their own decision accuracy show stronger brain responses to morally charged political issues.
The Reason For The Lack Of A Pushback Against Trump
by Bring the Lions 2/4/25 DAILY KOS
Here’s what Scott Galloway, when appearing on The Bulwark podcast with Tim Miller and Jessica Tarlov, had to say about our current situation. He gave an articulate explanation of why he thinks there isn’t enough pushback against Trump.
‘Even a freeway is redeemable’: world’s largest wildlife crossing takes shape in Los Angeles
by Katharine Gammon 6/4/25 The Guardian
Above the whirring of 300,000 cars each day on Los Angeles’s 101 freeway, an ambitious project is taking shape. The Wallis Annenberg wildlife crossing is the largest wildlife bridge in the world at 210ft long and 174ft wide, and this week it’s had help taking shape: soil.
It happens to white people too, so not racism...
by MurielVieux 9/4/25 DAILY KOS
It is not that things only happen to Black folks, it is that when it happens to you, it is a once in a blue moon thing, and it is usually addressed fairly. The very lack of protest on your part is indicative of privileged status, you do not protest for you are not being targeted.
Donald Trump, beware – this is what a global liberal fightback looks like
by Timothy Garton Ash 28/4/25 The Guardian
Liberals of all countries, unite! Just as anti-liberal powers outside the west are becoming stronger than ever, the assault on everything we stand for has been joined by the United States. Against this massed onslaught of anti-liberal nationalists we need a determined fightback of liberal internationalists. Canada’s election this week can contribute a strong mounted brigade.
Scientists issue urgent warning after alarming collapse of bird populations across the US: 'We have a full-on emergency'
A report from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology shows that bird populations across every U.S. habitat are plummeting, with 229 species in urgent need of help. And the impacts go far beyond bird-watching, pointing to deeper risks for ecosystems, economies, and human health.
Are We Scenting Ourselves to Disease, Dysphoria and Even to Death?
Our current self-poisoning may be just as consequential, and far more widespread, than ancient Rome’s poisoning of its own elite (but not its ordinary people) with lead leached from lead water pipes. (Our English word for “plumbing” comes from the Latin word “plumbum” for lead, with its Periodic Table symbol “Pb.” Only Roman Emperors, senators and other elite drew their drinking water though lead pipes; ordinary Romans got their drinking water from safer concrete or stone acquaducts and fountains.)
Fires drove record loss of world’s forests last year, ‘frightening’ data shows
by Patrick Greenfield 21/5/25 The Guardian
The destruction of the world’s forests reached the highest level ever recorded in 2024, driven by a surge in fires caused by global heating, according to “frightening” new data.
Honda commits to going out of business by pulling back on EVs as sales rise
by Jameson Dow 20/5/25 electrek
Honda’s announcement came earlier today in Japan, stating that it will scrap its plan for EVs to be 30% of its global vehicle sales by 2030, citing a “slowdown in the expansion of the EV market due to several factors, including changes in environmental regulations.” It will reduce planned investment from 10 trillion yen ($69 billion) to 7 trillion ($48 billion).
The Biggest Political Con of the Last Century Unmasked: But Why??????
by thomhartmann 21/5/25 DAILY KOS
Trump’s administration just said you can’t get the Covid vaccine unless you’re over 65 or sick, setting up America for more death and disease.
California gardeners plant native species in parks to prevent wildfire spread – in pictures
by Philip Cheung 26/5/25 The Guardian
Test Plot, a project launched in 2019 by the landscape architecture firm Terremoto, has built eight plots in Elysian Park alone.On a recent Friday morning, volunteers were pulling out invasive grass and black mustard to make room for wildflowers and other drought-resistant, native species.
Canadian wildfires are record-breaking – and will threaten North American air quality for days
by Eric Holthaus 30/5/25 The Guardian
Enormous early-season wildfires have erupted across the prairie provinces of Canada this week, taxing local emergency response and threatening a long stretch of dangerous air quality across eastern North America.
Three ways to make dental care kinder for anxious patients
by Isabel Olegario 4/6/25 THE CONVERSATION
For many, a visit to the dentist brings fear, anxiety, or memories of uncomfortable experiences. But dentistry is changing – and it’s becoming much kinder.
#272 Find the Others! Beyond the Death of Democracy lies Citizen Power – with Jon Alexander of the Citizen Collective
Democracy is breaking around us in real time and a small percentage of those in power would like us to become – at best – obedient subjects in a world dedicated to the destruction of ecosystems and the annihilation of compassion, empathy and all that makes us thrive.
Russia has been working on creating drones that ‘call home’, go undercover and start fires. Here’s how they work
by Marcel Plichta 4/6/25 THE CONVERSATION
Russia launched its largest single drone attack of the war against Ukraine’s cities on June 1. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they faced 472 unmanned one-way attack (OWA) drones overnight.
Dry mouth, bad breath and tooth damage: the effects Ozempic and Wegovy can have on your mouth
by Adam Taylor 4/6/25 THE CONVERSATION
Ozempic and Wegovy have been hailed as wonder drugs when it comes to weight loss. But as the drug has become more widely used, a number of unintended side-effects have become apparent – with the weight loss drug affecting the appearance of everything from your butt to your feet.
Trump Wants to Cut Tribal College Funding by Nearly 90%, Putting Them at Risk of Closing
by Matt Krupnick 3/6/25 PROPUBLICA
The Trump administration has proposed cutting funding for tribal colleges and universities by nearly 90%, a move that would likely shut down most or all of the institutions created to serve students disadvantaged by the nation’s historic mistreatment of Indigenous communities.
Scenic forest trails near Santa Cruz to open to the public for the first time
The one-time dairy-turned-national monument sits nine miles north of Santa Cruz at the edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking the ocean. Its opening this summer will cap years of fundraising and labor to convert the scenic landscape into a public recreational destination.
We Saw Medicaid Work Requirements Up Close. You Don’t Want This Chaos.
by Kevin De Liban 8/6/25 The New York Times
Many of the Republicans pushing for Medicaid work requirements — permanent program cuts that will strip up to 14 million people of their health care coverage — likely have no idea what it takes to comply with them. We do. As legal aid lawyers, we were on the front lines helping low-income people in Arkansas keep their health care coverage when the state rolled out work requirements in 2018.
‘Tremendous uncertainty’ for cancer research as US officials target mRNA vaccines
by Melody Schreiber 12/7/25 The Guardian
Amid Trump cuts and state-level backlash, experts worry that progress in messenger RNA vaccines could stall
The Texas way: why the most disaster-prone US state is so allergic to preparing for disasters
by Ed PilKington 13/7/25 The Guardian
It faces hurricanes, heat, drought, rising seas and – as last week showed – deadly floods. But despite the clear need for preventive action, that is not the political mood
Colville Tribes confirms first salmon sighting in Kettle River eight years after reintroducing salmon near Coulee Dam
by ONE News Staff 11/7/25 SOURCEONE
NESPELEM — A juvenile Chinook salmon was recently photographed in the Kettle River near Cascade Falls in British Columbia, marking the first confirmed sighting of a Chinook in the river since the Colville Tribes began reintroduction efforts upstream of Grand Coulee Dam in 2017.
Why the Southwest megadrought is here to stay
by Jordan Joseph 13/7/25 earth.com
Snowpack once reliably fed water into the Colorado River, yet winter precipitation across the Four Corners has dropped by roughly 23 percent since 1980. Reservoirs and ranchers feel the strain each spring.
The deepening water shortage row between the US and Mexico
After the thirtieth consecutive month without rain, the townsfolk of San Francisco de Conchos in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua gather to plead for divine intervention.
There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, according to new research
by Madeline Holcombe 2/7/25 CNN
There is strong evidence that there is “no safe amount” of processed meat to eat, nutrition experts say in response to a new study on the connection between diet and the risk of major diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The researchers also found elevated risks from the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and trans fatty acids.
Six-hour ‘undo’ button: GAI-17 rewinds stroke damage and may beat Alzheimer’s
by Osaka Metropolitan University 15/7/25 Science Daily
Protein aggregation inhibitor shows lower levels of cell death and paralysis in mice with acute strokes.
Agroecological farming promotes yield and biodiversity but may require subsidy to be profitable
by B.A Woodcock 1/7/25 BTITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The intensification of global agriculture has devolved reliance on natural ecosystem services to agrochemicals and crop breeding, while simultaneously losing semi-natural habitats (Priyadarshana et al., 2024; Pywell et al., 2015; Stoate et al., 2009). In the short term this has increased yields at a level inconceivable in previous centuries but has come with negative externalities like biodiversity loss, nutrient losses and pollution burdens (Defra, 2023; Stoate et al., 2009;
#290 ReWilding our Water: From Rain to River to Sewer and back with Tim Smedley, author of The Last Drop
If you listen to this podcast for any length of time, you’ll know that I believe the way forward is predicated on our finding shared values—I’d go for integrity, compassion, courage and generosity of spirit as the baselines—and then a suite of clear asks in the outer world and needs in the inner world.
Ever since Donald Trump began his second presidency, he has used an “invented” national energy emergency to help justify expanding oil, gas and coal while slashing green energy – despite years of scientific evidence that burning fossil fuels has contributed significantly to climate change, say scholars and watchdogs.
Wildfire Crossing Structure Project includes construction of a single-span, approximately 100-foot long by 140-foot wide wildlife overcrossing bridge at Post Mile 19.77. Caltrans crew will also install approximately two miles of 8-foot-high wildlife exclusion fencing on both sides of the highway, jump-outs every half mile to allow wildlife to escape the roadway corridor, cattle guards at private road access points and a reinforced concrete box culvert to enhance wildlife undercrossing opportunities.
=====Named after a historic dairy ranch that still stands today, Wilder Ranch covers a staggering 7,000 acres, from the treelined ridges of Ben Lomond Mountain to rugged cliffs overlooking a particularly untamed expanse of the Pacific Ocean. A testament to the area's rich agricultural history, farmers still grow artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and other fog-loving crops on the land between the ocean and Highway 1.
Read More: https://www.islands.com/1911800/california-coastal-wilder-ranch-state-park-near-downtown-santa-cruz-uncrowded-beach-trails/===== by Peter Stone 20/7/25 The Guardian
Ever since Donald Trump began his second presidency, he has used an “invented” national energy emergency to help justify expanding oil, gas and coal while slashing green energy – despite years of scientific evidence that burning fossil fuels has contributed significantly to climate change, say scholars and watchdogs.
=====California's Hidden Coastal State Park Near Downtown Santa Cruz Offers Uncrowded Beach Access And Ethereal Trails
Read More: https://www.islands.com/1911800/california-coastal-wilder-ranch-state-park-near-downtown-santa-cruz-uncrowded-beach-trails/===== by Eva Johnstone 19/6/25 Islands
Named after a historic dairy ranch that still stands today, Wilder Ranch covers a staggering 7,000 acres, from the treelined ridges of Ben Lomond Mountain to rugged cliffs overlooking a particularly untamed expanse of the Pacific Ocean. A testament to the area's rich agricultural history, farmers still grow artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and other fog-loving crops on the land between the ocean and Highway 1.
Only 3 years left – new study warns the world is running out of time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change
by Piers Forster 20/7/25 THE CONVERSATION
Bad climate news is everywhere. Africa is being hit particularly hard by climate change and extreme weather, impacting lives and livelihoods.
We are living in a world that is warming at the fastest rate since records began. Yet, governments have been slow to act.
“Remarkable” Results – Scientists Say This Supplement Reversed Heart Damage
by THE UNIVERSITY OF OSAKA 19/7/25 SciTechDaily
Japanese researchers have uncovered that tricaprin, a dietary supplement, triggered a dramatic reversal of heart disease symptoms in two patients with a rare, treatment-resistant condition. After years of chest pain and failed therapies, the patients experienced relief and even regression of artery-clogging fat deposits. The key wasn’t lowering cholesterol, but breaking down triglycerides inside heart cells—a novel and potentially groundbreaking approach to cardiac care.
Can cannabis impact aging? Study shows marijuana could alter 'genetic code'
The study highlighted the importance of understanding marijuana's effects on the body, as it remains one of the most widely used drugs globally. While some effects are well-known, the research indicated a broader impact than previously anticipated.
Stop telling us it’s not about that
by MurielVieux 23/7/25 DAILY KOS
Deny the truth to yourselves all you want people, but stop telling us Black folks that what’s going on today, what won the 2024 election is not white supremacy.
The 5 Best Drinks for Kidney Stones (Plus 3 to Avoid)
by Tracy Norfleet 13/3/24 GoodRx
If you’ve ever had a kidney stone, you know that they can be incredibly painful. And about half of people with kidney stones end up having more in the future. But there are things you can do to lower your risk of kidney stones, like drinking the right things.
What to do about gallstones
by Harvard Health Publishing 20/7/23
Gallstones begin with bile, a substance that helps with the digestion of fats and the absorption of certain vitamins. Bile is made in the liver and carried to the gallbladder, a small, pear-shaped organ that concentrates and stores it. The fat in food triggers the release of a hormone that causes the gallbladder to contract and release bile into the intestine.
Where the next deadly flood wave could strike
by Andrew Freedman 24/7/25 CNN
The ingredients that led to the Hill Country disaster — steep terrain, swollen rivers and unsuspecting people in harm’s way — are not unique to Texas. Across the United States, there are pockets of vulnerability where geography, weather and human nature converge in ways that heighten the risk of flash flooding.
Why the U.S. is leading the world in extreme weather catastrophes
by Seth Borenstein 2/4/23 PBS NEWS
The United States is Earth’s punching bag for nasty weather.
Blame geography for the U.S. getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather than anywhere on the planet, several experts said. Two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, jutting peninsulas like Florida, clashing storm fronts and the jet stream combine to naturally brew the nastiest of weather.
It is one of the deadliest chemicals on Earth – but even Mexico’s cartels can’t resist the lure of mercury
by Luke Taylor 24/7/25 The Guardian
An undercover investigation reveals 200 tonnes of the deadly substance is being smuggled across South America, where it is poisoning rivers, soil and air
