The World from PRX

SS

Stephen Schmidt

Sci-fi motherhood.
Books
How I learned to stop worrying and love the mom
Soldiers of the Puerto Rico National Guard and volunteers of the Puerto Rico State Guard clear a road at Punta Santiago in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Scenes of utter devastation were found throughout the island after Hurricane Maria hit last September.
Report: FEMA wasn’t ready for Hurricane Maria, destruction in Puerto Rico
Elkhorn coral is one of the main varieties of coral that workers on the northern coast of Puerto Rico have been able to restore following damage done by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Science
Local NGOs repair Puerto Rico’s coral reefs in Maria’s aftermath
Kenton Ganster, left, stands with his mother, Kathleen, with a drilling rig used for fracking visible in the background off of the Rachel Carson Trail north of Pittsburgh.
Environment
Drilling rigs used in fracking found along nature trail irk some hikers
Book tells story ‘most famous man most of us have never heard of’
Under a new carbon offset program that is gaining popularity in Congress, oil and gas companies — and other manufacturers of products involving — fossil fuel would have to pay $40 for every ton of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
Politics
New carbon offset program may have the bipartisan support it needs on Capitol Hill
Since 2002, scientific data pointed to a slower decline of CFC-11, one of several chemical substances banned by the Montreal Protocol in 1987. The amount of CFC-11 found in the atmosphere has actually gone up during that time, prompting the United Nations
Environment
Scientists detected a spike in ozone-depleting chemicals. They’ll use the Montreal Protocol to stop the pollution.
Growing high tides have turned this photo — taken from Pompano Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 — into a regular occurrence along the U.S. coastlines.
Climate Change
New report forecasts a troubling picture of rising tides, frequent flooding on coasts
french soccer players at the world cup
Sports
French national soccer players of immigrant ancestry face harsher critics at the World Cup
The overall catch from lobstering in Maine was down 16.4 percent in 2017 from the year before. Those who catch lobsters for a living in the state are hoping that downfall does not continue in 2018.
Jobs
The feast-or-famine life of lobstering in Maine
Snow is blown off of the calving front off of Thurston Island in western Antarctica in this photo, taken in November 2014. New findings show the western side of Antarctica to be more vulnerable to warming oceans — and increased ice loss — than first thoug
A scientist’s response to Antarctic ice loss: ‘We can act.’
Mastodons (this one on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles) are just a small part of the story of how humans first migrated to the Americas 15,000 years ago — or longer.
Books
Retracing paths that people first traversed while migrating to the Americas
Protestors hold up signs at a rally against a proposed Kinder Morgan oil pipeline expansion on Burnaby Mountain in 2014 in British Columbia. In late May, the Canadian government announced it would fund an expansion project for the Kinder Morgan Trans Moun
With pipeline decision, Canada’s Trudeau draws ire of environmental supporters
an aerial view of a tent camp for detained migrant children in the US
Immigration
Family separation under ‘zero-tolerance’ policy could leave lasting trauma in children, pediatric doctor says
Certain hair products — many of which are used on black girls from birth to help straighten their hair — have been linked to such health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.
Health
Study shows hair care products targeted to black community contain harmful chemicals
The Marshall Islands are made up of an archipelago of islands that sit not that far from the current sea level, as evidenced by this photo of the Jaluit Atoll Lagoon.
Climate Change
Documentary chronicles climate change through three children growing up in the Marshall Islands
A child stands in front of a herd of cows in Samburu County in Kenya, one of the many tropical countries that would have a larger hit to its overall gross domestic product if the overall global temperature continues to steadily rise. Climate change has le
Limiting temperature increase to 1.5 Celsius could result in $30 trillion of savings for global economy, study shows
Members of environmental groups hold up banners calling for renewable energy at the United Nations climate talks that took place in Bonn, Germany in 2015. Bonn was the site of the last United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2017, in which co
Climate Change
As latest UN climate change summit looms, delegates have plenty of work to do
An elderly Rohingya man in the Kutapalong camp in Bangladesh.
July’s monsoon will exacerbate a public health crisis in Rohingya refugee camps
Cue-card guy, Wally Feresten during a "Late Night" sketch on May 11, 2016.
Unsung Heroes
Live, from New York, it’s Cue Card Wally
President Trump caused headlines after referring to group of Latino immigrants as "animals" on Wednesday. He said he was only referring to members of the gang MS-13.
Conflict & Justice
President Trump’s ‘animals’ comment points to a dark history of using dehumanizing language
Bits of icebergs can be seen that have broken off the Sawyer Glacier in Alaska, where the effects of climate change are being felt at a higher rate than the Lower 48.
Environment
Alaskan youth sue state government for lack of action against climate change
Sci-fi motherhood.
Arts, Culture & Media
How I learned to stop worrying and love the mom
The Rumney Marsh, a haven to both birds and fish, sits in a highly industrial area north of Boston. For decades, the marsh's welfare has been in jeopardy due to its close proximity to an incinerator.
Residents worry Massachusetts waste incinerator is contaminating waterways
The 25 youth plaintiffs represent 17 cities in Colombia, including four within the Amazon rainforest.
Colombian high court grants personhood to Amazon rainforest in case against country’s government
The West Virginia State Capitol building in Charleston sits on the Kanawha River, which is fed in part by the Elk River — the main water supply for nearly 300,000 of the state's residents.
Science
Documentary uncovers contaminated truths behind water crisis in West Virginia, other locations
A close-up view of a male blue orchard bee, also known as Osmia lignaria. This type of bee, which is native to North America, is known to be one of the world's best pollinators.
Science
Book creates buzz about native bees of North America
Bats have a specialized thin skin that allows their wings to change when a muscle is activated with every beat cycle of the wings.
Science
Researchers explore the fascinating biomechanics and neuroscience of bats
Before the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, five states had "red flag" statutes called gun violence restraining orders. Recently, Florida became the six state to add the statute.
Culture
Researchers still struggle to get funding to study gun violence
Since the inception of commercial air travel, the insides of airplane cabins have been associated with a higher likelihood of catching a cold or other spreadable disease. New research has sought out to see if scientific facts back up those sentiments.
Health
Study examines how diseases really spread during air travel
Recent released information about Russians hacking into American power systems has raised several concerns about the overall security of the U.S. energy grid as a whole.
Conflict
Can the US protect its power grid from hackers?
A group of panelists address an audience at the State of the Net Conference in January. The panel consists of (from left to right) Jason Kaplan, Hilary Swab Gawrilow, James Cross, Mercina Tillmann-Dick and Justin Herman.
Culture
Women look to make their voices heard in new space created by male-dominated blockchain boom
Contrary to classic depictions of a tyrannosaurus rex, paleoartist Gabriel Ugueto says that the massive carnivores likely were covered in small feathers on the top of their bodies.
Arts
Turns out, dinosaurs probably had feathers. This artist is using science to draw more accurate pictures.
Books
New book sheds light on overlooked women pioneers who paved the way for today’s internet
Those who have the neurological condition synesthesia often automatically see colors when they hear music or see numbers or letters.
Music
Study begins to reveal genetic ties behind a neurological phenomenon
The Tiangong-1 space station passes over the moon in this photo taken in September 2013. The station is scheduled to make a crash landing in Europe within the next few weeks.
Technology
Chinese space station likely to land in Europe in a few weeks
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, ISS Expedition 22 crew members take a moment for photographs following a fit check of their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft at the launch site’s integration facility in December 2009.
Technology
As the private space industry emerges, what’s next for the International Space Station?
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, ISS Expedition 22 crew members take a moment for photographs following a fit check of their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft at the launch site’s integration facility in December 2009.
Technology
With private space competition on full boil, the ISS looks to find its place in next chapter of space habitation
In 1908, New Zealand Parliament passed the Prevention of Quackery Act to defend against claims such as the one featured in this leaflet: "bile beans" that claimed to cure a vareity of ailments, including indigestion, headaches, pimples and sleeplessness.
Books
New book looks at medical cures now considered ‘quackery’
The Shard stands 95 stories tall in the heart of London on the banks of the River Thames.
Culture
New book explains the secrets behind famous skyscrapers, other structures
Flamingos have enjoyed a resurgence in Florida over the last 50 years. Notice that the young flamingo in the middle is gray and not the iconic pink. Flamingos gain their pinkish color over time through their diet — mainly shrimp.
Science
New study sheds light on the debate over the origins of flamingos in Florida
New artificial-intelligence-enabled algorithms have allowed video editors a whole new array of tools to make fake videos even more believable.
Culture
AI-based fake videos pose the latest threat to what we perceive as reality — and possibly our democracy
Bitcoins, represented here with with actual coins, are a type of digital currency that have spearhead a new nefarious activity known as "cryptojacking."
Technology
Hackers find the processing power they need for mining for cryptocurrencies through ‘cryptojacking’
A particular type of UV light, shown here with a scintillator composed of plastics, could revolutionize the practices of flu prevention.
Health
A cure for the flu? It could be as simple as sitting under a lamp.
A biting midge pollinates a cacao flower on the Goodman Cacao Estate in Killaloe, Australia.
Food
Giant chocolate industry depends on tiny insects for survival
This image is from a video made in 2011 that compiled visualizations of the Antarctic ozone hole. Recent findings have shown that the hole is filling up — while other parts of ozone remain on the decline.
Science
The ozone hole over the Antarctic is beginning to fill up. Here’s the bad news.
For years, Shanghai has featured some of China's worst air pollution. Recent initiatives by the Chinese government, though, have begun to clean up some of the problem.
Economics
With the US pursuing fossil fuels, alternative, renewable forms of energy could be an even bigger boon to China
Activity using Strava's tracking technologies such as the one above has helped the company produce a heat map of the world using one billion total activities.
Technology
Recent discovery on Strava heat map points out the ease of leaking data through social media platforms
In a recent study, researchers found that naked mole rats appear to defy the traditional laws of aging.
Health
Looking for the fountain of youth? Try looking in the tunnels inhabited by naked mole rats
A drummer performs during a celebration of Sahrul, a festival of flowers, in Ranchi, India. Recently, the findings were released from a study that played snippets of songs from 86 small remote societies to online listeners in 60 countries to see if shares
Arts
New findings explore the universality of music, features that are recognizable across cultures
There may be thousands of kinds of jellyfish that have yet to be discovered, even though thousands have already been identified.
Books
New book sheds light on the amazing capabilities of jellyfish, addresses myths and misperceptions
The percentage of parents who refuse to give any vaccines to their children remain at one to two percent of the general public. There is a much larger group of people who have doubts and concerns over certain vaccinations, experts say.
Health
Despite dozens of recent flu deaths among US children, vaccination skeptics remain — and their numbers have grown
Doctor Frankenstein and his monster, depicted here at the Movieland Wax Museum in Niagara Falls, Canada, have become a fixture of Halloween lore.
Books
On the 200-year anniversary of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein,’ we look at some possible modern-day monsters in the tech world
Since the inception of predictive algorithm software in U.S courtrooms, more than a million Americans have been analyzed using the technology.
Justice
Growing trend of using predictive algorithms in courtrooms and human services offices raises concerns over their current lack of transparency
According to a report from the CDC in 2014, one third of Americans do not get the recommended seven hours of sleep.
Lifestyle
Devices to aid sleep flood the market in spite of lack of scientific evidence of improved health, better sleeping habits
A soft robotic system that gently tugged on the esophagus of a pig proved to elongate the organ by 10 millimeters.
Health
New mechanical cell-manipulation technique could provide pathways into fixing disorders — even cancer
A view of tundra landscape in the Rocky Mountains — 11,000 feet from sea level.
Science
In the dead of winter, plants are already starting to prepare for spring — underground
Technology
Blue salt crystals on meteorites stoke conversation about extraterrestrial life
When it comes to protecting your cyber identity, two tips that cybersecurity experts offer are to use a password manager and two-factor authentication (when possible).
Technology
In the midst of complex hacking operations, here are simple tips to improve your cybersecurity
Microsoft recently announced a commitment of $50 million and five years to its "AI for Earth" program.
Technology
Artificial intelligence could play a pivotal role in managing and protecting planet’s natural resources