The World from PRX

chemistry

A red car and a large salt truck drive on a snowy road next to a mountain.
Science
Can bacteria help us prevent salt damage to concrete roads and bridges?
A man test-sprays glyphosate in a field with tall grass while wearing a blue pack on his back containing the chemical.
Justice
Inside Monsanto’s day in court: Scientists weigh in on glyphosate’s cancer risks
Arts, Culture & Media
Better Chemistry Through Beauty
Andrea Carolina and Desikan Sundararajan with Statoil, along with Dirk Richter, founder of Quanta3 (left to right), install a pilot methane detector at a Statoil well pad at the Eagle Ford Shale natural gas site in Texas.
Environment
Engineers compete to detect methane leaks, a powerful climate pollutant
A pharmacist holds prescription painkiller OxyContin, 40mg pills, made by Purdue Pharma L.D. at a local pharmacy.
Health
Why the opioid crisis is an American problem
Tropical forest Indonesia
Environment
Tropical forests are becoming net carbon producers, instead of carbon sinks
Smokestack and trees
Environment
As global carbon dioxide levels climb, plants are becoming better at photosynthesis
Beijing power plant
Health
Globe-trotting pollutants pose a larger threat to public health than previously thought
Environment
Celebrity scientist to be sealed in airtight box for experiment
The 180,000-carat Bahia Emerald weighs 840 pounds and has been the subject of a contentious court battle between a colorful crowd of gem traders, miners and a real estate tycoon all vying for the prized jewel - once valued at $372 million.
Business
A massive emerald from Brazil: Worth $900 million? Or nothing?
Blue green algae
Environment
Toxic algae is on the rise. Now scientists want to know if it’s connected to Alzheimer’s.
Doctor Katarzyna Koziol injects sperm directly into an egg during in-vitro fertilization procedure at Novum clinic in Warsaw October 26, 2010.
Science
When sperm and egg unite — sparks (of zinc) really do fly
A sign at the Doping Control Station at the Sanki Sliding Center in Rosa Khutor, taken during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Sports
Some endurance athletes may be huffing xenon gas to gain an edge
Toxic Cars
In an archive photo, student Mary Duke Webber uses a microscope at Duke University at some time in the late 1930s.
Science
How small is small? Try looking at the nano-dimension
MSG crystals
Food
Science suggests MSG really isn’t bad for your health after all
Hands up, don't shoot protesters
Global Scan
The ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ gesture from Ferguson moves to Hong Kong
Galaxy formation
Science
The water on Earth is even older than the sun
bacterial nanowires
Science
‘Bacterial nanowires’ may lead to breakthroughs in semiconductors, fuel cells and more
This NASA graphic shows relative average levels of atmospheric ozone over the northern hemisphere in 1984 and 1997. The lower concentrations, shown in darker colors, are due to the effects of ozone-destroying chemicals in the atmosphere.
Environment
The latest news on the ozone layer shows we can solve big environmental problems
How new technologies are bringing water to the developing world
US and Russia collaborate on drug raids in Afghanistan
Business, Economics and Jobs
Cities, Municipal Bonds and a Potential for Disaster
Environment
Iran pursues nuclear ambitions, produces yellowcake uranium
Conflict & Justice
India’s AG wants to double payout from US chemical company
Environment
It’s puny, it’s purple, it’s Putnisite. So where was the new mineral discovered?
Global Politics
EPA orders less toxic chemical dispersants in oil spill cleanup
Pat Colin, a marine scientist at the Coral Reef Research Foundation, explores the waters off of the Pacific island nation of Palau for organisms to send to the National Cancer Institute in the U.S.
Environment
Scientists search Palau’s coral reefs for new anti-cancer drugs
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Conflict & Justice
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s tragic death is an ominous sign of heroin’s expanding reach
Workers dressed in protective clothes hold a mock chemical World War Two grenade during a demonstration
Conflict & Justice
Wanted: Peaceful place to destroy toxic WMDs, no experience required
Environment
Vines use climate change to catch a ride on the trees
Environment
Investigation uncovers little regulation of fertilizer plants
Environment
Researcher looks to better understand climate risks of leaky natural gas wells
Cooling with CO2
Why Do Chemical Weapons Still Exist?
Lifestyle & Belief
In Remote Spanish Town, a Glimmer of Hope in Tantalum
Symbiotic Relationships & The Circle of Life
Mercury Hot Spots Around the World
Environment
Scientist makes breakthrough on effort to create non-explosive fertilizer
Environment
Brazil trying to reinvigorate sugar ethanol for cars
Environment
Environmentalists call for greater attention to methane leaks, to fight climate change
Environment
China, U.S. to seek way to end production, use of climate change causing HFCs
Environment
Researcher pioneers low-cost means of storing energy
Environment
Some worry Australia’s Great Artesian Basin, Outback water supply, being drawn too fast
Global Politics
In West, Texas, a town grieves as it tries to pick up the pieces
Global Politics
Bloomberg’s New York sugary drink ban blocked in court
Global Politics
In Uruguay, raft of political changes defy political labels
Global Politics
Researcher urges U.S. officials to rethink drug policy
Environment
Official kilogram has put on a little weight
Environment
Colombian miners looking to more environmentally friendly gold mining process
Environment
Animals adopt varying techniques to get through long days of winter
Environment
New report finds people of color disproportionately harmed by coal-fired power
Environment
Scientist takes inspiration from natural world to create self-filling water bottle
Business, Economics and Jobs
Successful energy development program in Haiti shut down because of funding
Environment
Locals concerned by local, global impact of increased coal exports
Health & Medicine
Color of you skin makes a difference in how much Vitamin D you get
Researcher says rising corn prices could spark global food riots
Environment
Drought could force Americans to rethink water use
Environment
New research discovers high levels of caffeine in surprising areas of ocean, rivers
Environment
States struggle with highway shoulders as resistance to herbicides mounts