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Pollution

Here’s What We Know (and Don’t Know) About Flushing Contact Lenses Down the Drain

Though they are tiny, the lenses add up—and might be infiltrating the environment

Young birds that grew up with added urban background noise showed signs of faster aging than birds without.

Noise Pollution Might Cut Birds’ Lives Short

Stressed out teen birds have enough to deal with—noise seems to be one factor that could seal their fate

Haze in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

New Research

Air Pollution Is Stealing a Year of Life From People Around the Globe

Tiny particles that contribute to lung disease, strokes and heart attacks are robbing Americans of 4 months and over 1.8 years of life elsewhere

Rickets, a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency that results in skeletal deformities, has been traced back to the Roman Empire.

Many Roman Children Suffered From Vitamin D Deficiency

New research suggests rickets was common long before the Industrial Revolution, when pollution blocked out sunlight

The corn variety Sierra Mixe grows aerial roots that produce a sweet mucus that feeds bacteria. The bacteria, in turn, pull nitrogen out of the air and fertilize the corn. If scientists can breed this trait into conventional corn, it could lead to a revolution in agriculture.

The Corn of the Future Is Hundreds of Years Old and Makes Its Own Mucus

This rare variety of corn has evolved a way to make its own nitrogen, which could revolutionize farming

The Santa Monica State Beach is an allegory of North American consumerism. Every morning, cleaners collect chip bags, takeout containers, plastic straws, and more, hiding tonnes of trash from beachgoers who may never know the magnitude of the problem.

Are We Grooming Beaches to Death?

Urban beaches worldwide have less garbage than remote beaches, but less life too. The City of Santa Monica hopes to change the image of a clean beach.

The "dense garbage carpet" that is washing onto Montesinos Beach in Santo Domingo

Waves of Garbage Are Washing onto a Beach in the Dominican Republic

The trash was pushed onto Montesinos Beach by a recent storm, but environmentalists say the scene is becoming all the more common

A clear day at Acadia National Park in Maine.

National Parks Can Be Just as Smoggy as Major Cities

And it’s scaring away visitors

Recyclable lids will be used on all Starbucks cold drinks except the Frappuccino.

Starbucks Vows to Ditch Plastic Straws by 2020. How Will the Oceans Change?

Straws make up a small portion of ocean waste, but banning straws can be an important first step to cutting down on other plastics

Whale Dies in Thailand With 80 Plastic Bags in Its Stomach

A five-day rescue effort could not save the animal, which started vomiting up pieces of plastic before it died

A denarius of Commodus

New Research

Greenland’s Ice Provides a Year-By-Year Account of the Roman Empire’s Economy

A new study finds that lead levels from Roman silver production rise and fall in relation to the Empire’s political and economic changes

Plastic ice bag found by a NOAA expedition to the Marianas in 2016

New Research

Even the Deepest Parts of the Ocean Are Polluted With Startling Amounts of Plastic

A review of data from 5,010 ROV dives reveals and abundance of single-use plastics littering the seas

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Future of Art

Experience Some of the World’s Most Polluted Cities in This Exhibit

The art installation was recently on display in London

Salt Lake City, Utah, pictured here, ranks number eight for short-term particle pollution.

These Are the Cities With the Worst Air Pollution

More than 4 in 10 Americans live with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to a new report

The body of a juvenile sperm whale was found on a beach in Spain's Murcia region.

Dead Sperm Whale Had 64 Pounds of Trash in Its Digestive System

The juvenile sperm whale was found in the Murcia region of Spain, and its death has spurred a local campaign to combat plastic pollution

Rafters on the South Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho

Trending Today

These Are America’s Ten Most Endangered Rivers

Mining and flood control projects are the main threats to waterways, according to the new report

Debris recovered from the Garbage Patch

New Research

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Much Larger and Chunkier Than We Thought

A new study shows the patch is not just microplastics. Fishing gear and large pieces make up 92 percent of the trash

Books!

Cool Finds

Turkish Garbage Collectors Curate Their Own Library

The sanitation workers have already amassed a collection of more than 6,000 books

Is SpaceX Being Environmentally Responsible?

Falcon Heavy’s flashy space car may not have been the best idea—for Mars

Billions of Pieces of Plastic Spread Disease in Coral Reefs

A new study has highlighted the scope of plastic pollution

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