The geological importance of caves to time climate change
By Dilpreet Raju Medill Reports Some of the interweaving drivers of Earth’s climate change remain a mystery, but many of the world’s leading paleoclimatologists work every day to fill in the gaps. Paul Töchterle, a geological Ph.D. candidate at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, is working to revise the methods scientists use to date […]
Stalagmites reveal clues to changing ocean currents, changing climate
By Ilana Wolchinsky Medill Reports Climatologist Laura Endres began her Ph.D. a year ago at ETH Zürich in the paleoclimate field, drawing on her background in earth and climate sciences. Endres uses climate records encased in cave stalagmites to reveal past climate patterns — paleoclimate — that give clues to how fast climate change is […]
Will evaporation dry up water sources as climate change worsens?
By Gabrielle Rancifer Medill Reports “If we didn’t have evaporation, we wouldn’t have water in the atmosphere,” said Thomas Lowell, a geology professor at the University of Cincinnati. Researchers closely follow and evaluate both evaporation and precipitation because they are key components of the water cycle. Evaporation delivers water to the atmosphere, and precipitation delivers […]
How to ensure your electric vehicle is powered by renewable energy
By Brady Jones Medill Reports Driving an electric vehicle plays a critical role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but the impact of this reduction gets diminished if the electricity comes from fossil fuels. The sources of electricity used to power your car must be green too and several choices are available to make that happen. […]
Illinois soybean farmers wary of Trump’s proposed farm bailout
By Brady Jones Medill Reports President Donald Trump’s announcement July 24 pledging up to $12 billion in aid for American farmers, intended to offset potential losses from recent tariffs imposed by China, is receiving a lukewarm response as harvest nears in Illinois. Among a multitude of American exports targeted by China, the 25 percent tariff […]
New funding pushes lab-grown meat closer to reality
By Brady Jones Medill Reports Netherlands-based Mosa Meat announced Tuesday that it had secured €7.5 million in new funding to support its efforts to produce the world’s first lab-produced commercial meat product, prompting them to predict the culinary revolution could appear on the market by 2021. The funding, which equates to roughly $8.7 million, came […]
Shell stuff: Monitoring the health of California’s shellfish amid climate change
This is the second is a series about Medill News Service reporter Rebecca Fanning’s embedded reporting experience at UC Davis’ Bodega Marine Lab in Bodega Bay, California. Read the original post here. By Rebecca Fanning Endangered black abalone receive an aromatic spa treatment while hundreds of baby oysters float in tiny cages next to winding […]
The era of big seaweed is upon us
Marine researcher Loretta Roberson believes rethinking how we grow seaweed has the potential to clean up oceans, replace fossil fuels and protect coastlines from violent weather. She’s headed to Puerto Rico early this year to put her theories to the test. By Rebecca Fanning Medill Reports On the southern coast of Puerto Rico, there’s a […]
Fighting the war against phosphorous
Almost a year after the settlement between environmental groups and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, progress is inching forward in reducing dangerous levels of phosphorous in the Chicago River. By Morgan Levey Medill Reports It’s common knowledge amongst environmentalists that phosphorus is a harmful nutrient in bodies of water, making them uninhabitable […]
Cleantech accelerators bridge gap left by traditional venture capital
By Hannah Levitt Chicago-based clean energy technology accelerators are playing an increasingly large role in bringing cleantech startups to market by providing them with funding as well as structural and scale-up support. According to Clean Energy Trust Director of Technology Development Ben Gaddy, the number of cleantech accelerators is growing in response to the specific […]
