SF Passes Most Expansive Styrofoam Ban in US

San Francisco on Tuesday adopted the nation’s most extensive ban on Styrofoam, according to the supervisors who sponsored the legislation. The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to outlaw polystyrene foam, better known by its brand name, as it relates from everything from egg cartons to buoys as of Jan. 1, 2017. The old legislation, enacted in 2007, banned the product as it related to food packaging. Now most every product made of Styrofoam — down to the beach coolers sold at the grocery store — are now forbidden in San Francisco.

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The two biggest threats to mankind, according to Stephen Hawking

Professor Stephen Hawking says he believes pollution and human “stupidity” remain the biggest threats to mankind, while also expressing his concerns over the use of artificial intelligence in warfare.

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Your Favorite Childhood Video Games Are Now Transit Maps

Metroid, Final Fantasy, and Zelda, all mapped out like your neighborhood metro.

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Google Maps And Earth Just Got A Huge Boost: New, More Detailed And Higher Contrast Images

When exploring the planet on the satellite maps, users will be able to examine cities, fields, forests and seas with more clarity, as the new map has lesser clouds compared to the earlier versions. It's also the only second instance of Google revealing a map that is "cloudless." So now, Google Earth tool users will get more detailed and sharper images of the planet thanks to Landsat 8, the new satellite that has better cameras compared to its predecessor Landsat 7.

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Girls are going through puberty earlier than ever before, with long-term health risks

For many girls in the developed world, puberty is coming earlier than ever before, with studies showing that, on average, puberty is now starting for girls at around 10 years old - at least five years earlier than a century ago. There are several...

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‘Unprecedented’: Scientists declare ‘global climate emergency’ after jet stream crosses equator

Climate scientists this week expressed alarm after “unprecedented” data showed the Northern Hemisphere Jet Stream crossing the Equator.

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Cecil the lion's legacy: death brings new hope for his grandcubs

The tiny lion cubs bounce down the dusty track alive with curiosity about their new world from their inquisitive faces to the tips of their tails. This new life is a symbol of the surprising good that has stemmed from the tragic death of their grandfather, Cecil. Cecil, killed by US dentist Walter Palmer one year ago, has 13 surviving sons and daughters and 15 known grandcubs so far. They, like Cecil before he died, have survived brushes with death. But the researchers who...

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5,300 U.S. water systems are in violation of lead rules

Eighteen million Americans live in communities where the water systems are in violation of the law. Moreover, the federal agency in charge of making sure those systems are safe not only knows the issues exist, but it's done very little to stop them, according to a new report and information provided to CNN by multiple sources and water experts. "Imagine a cop sitting, watching people run stop signs, and speed at 90 miles per hour in small communities and still doing absolutely nothing about it...

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Ohio's deadliest tornado hit Lorain, Sandusky 92 years ago on June 28

Ninety-two years ago a tornado ripped through downtown Lorain and Sandusky, killing 85 people and causing tens of millions dollars damage, more than a billion dollars in today's dollars. It is the deadliest tornado in Ohio history,

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State Supreme Court Finds Dogs Are "Sentient Beings," Not Mere Property, In Landmark Ruling

This is a MAJOR victory for animals.

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This rainbow corn actually exists. Here's how

Glass Gem corn, a unique variety of rainbow-coloured corn, became an Internet sensation in 2012 when a photo of the sparkling cob was posted to Facebook. Shortly after, the company that sells the rare seeds, Native Seeds/SEARCH, began ramping up...

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Ancient Birds' Wings Preserved in Amber

Two wings from birds that lived alongside the dinosaurs have been found preserved in amber. The "spectacular" finds from Myanmar are from baby birds that got trapped in the sticky sap of a tropical forest 99 million years ago.

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37,000-year-old skull from Borneo reveals surprise for scientists

A new study of the 37,000-year old remains of the "Deep Skull" - the oldest modern human discovered in island South-East Asia - has revealed this ancient person was not related to Indigenous Australians, as had been originally thought. The Deep Skull was also likely to have been an older woman, rather than a teenage boy. The research, led by UNSW Australia Associate Professor Darren Curnoe, represents the most detailed investigation of the ancient cranium specimen since it was found in Niah Cave in Sarawak in 1958.

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These Carnivorous Worms Catch Bugs by Mimicking the Night Sky | Deep Look

The glow worm colonies of New Zealand's Waitomo Caves imitate stars to confuse flying insects, then trap them in sticky snares and eat them alive.

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Helium Discovery a 'Game-Changer'

Scientists say they have found a large helium gas field in Tanzania, amid concerns global supplies are running out.

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Ghost Boxes: Reusing Abandoned Big-Box Superstores Across America

Big-box stores promise convenience and jobs for suburbs and small towns, but have a mixed reputation with designers and citizens. Many see big boxes as icons of unsustainable sprawl, reinforcing car culture with highway-oriented access and expansive parking lots. These boxy buildings not only take up vast amounts of land but often also require infrastructure around them to be overhauled. Later, when their super-sized occupants leave: a giant empty structure is left in their wake, which can be difficult to reuse unless a similar retailer takes its place.

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Scientist claims he's discovered a magnetic 'sixth sense' in humans

A researcher in US thinks he might have finally found evidence of humanity's sixth sense - the ability to detect, in some subconscious way, Earth's magnetic field. The ability to sense Earth's magnetic field has been confirmed in birds, insects,...

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Meet the Moringa Tree, an Overqualified, Underachieving Superfood

The plant is highly nutritious and thrives in hot, dry conditions. Could it be a solution to the food crisis brought on by climate change?

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Why the World Is Better Than You Think in 10 Powerful Charts

When I published Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think in February 2012, I included about 80 charts in the back of the book showing very strong evidence that the world is getting better. Over the last five years, this trend has continued and accelerated. This blog includes additional "Evidence for Abundance" that you can share with friends and family to change their mindset. We truly are living in the most exciting time to be alive.

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That’s no moth, it’s a wisp of delight on the wing

In recent years, some of the most beautiful moths have either died out here or are now only rare summer visitors. By John Burnside. (May 4, 2016)

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Whose water is it anyway? The Squabble Over Access to Great Lakes Basin

The recent decision by eight U.S. governors to grant a small Wisconsin town access to the Great Lakes water basin has sparked concerns about the precedent this may set for other thirsty towns and cities.

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The Bears Who Came to Town and Would Not Go Away

The first bear appeared in town one morning in late August. It was a little after eight, and Nikolai, an elderly pensioner, had just come out to walk his cat. He joined a neighbor on a wooden bench outside their building, which the residents of Luchegorsk, a town in far eastern Russia, call the Great Wall of China because of its expansive length. The Great Wall stands on the shore of a large man-made lake where water from the town’s thermal power plant flows. In the summer, it’s hard to see much of the lake for the tall green reeds that line the banks. It was from this verdant thicket that the Asian black bear ambled out, loping slowly...

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Meet the Man Who Raised $350,000 to Make the Best Dino Toys Ever

“It's more than just a creature that you made up, it's something that was actually sharing the same planet, at one point, as you are now.”

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How Whales Are Deliberately Hunted by 'Accident'

Days before the Whale Festival in Ulsan, South Korea, last month, authorities raided a cold storage unit and found more than 27 tons—about 40 whales’ worth—of whale meat worth $3.4 million. The meat belonged to minke whales, which can grow to 35 feet long and swim as fast as 20 miles an hour. While Japan, Norway, and Iceland get most of the heat for whaling, conservationists say South Korea engages in controversial whaling practices too. South Korean fishermen are known to take advantage of a loophole that allows them to legally sell whale meat from animals that are accidentally caught in fishing nets.

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Beijing has fallen: China's capital sinking by 11cm a year, satellite study warns

Pumping of groundwater blamed for causing soil to collapse as development roars ahead above, with railways among infrastructure at risk, say scientists

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Can we harness bacteria to help clean up future oil spills?

By Nina Dombrowski, University of Texas at Austin and Brett J. Baker, University of Texas at Austin In 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released an estimated 4.2 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico – the largest offshore spill in U.S. history. The spill caused widespread damage to marine species, fisheries and ecosystems stretching from tidal marshes to the deep ocean floor. Emergency responders used multiple strategies to remove oil from the Gulf: They skimmed it from the water’s surface, burned it and used chemical dispersants to break it into small droplets. However, experts struggled to account for what had happened to...

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As a Major Zoo Closes, 10 Reasons to Rethink the Concept

Are zoos really effective at education and conservation? Anthropologist Barbara J. King offers her top reasons why it's time to rethink the role of zoos.

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New evidence that sperm whales form clans with diverse cultures, languages

Sperm whales have unique cultural identities.

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Deadly California wildfire destroys 150 homes, more threatened

A massive wildfire burning out of control in the foothills of central California has left at least 150 homes in ruins and damaged another 75, officials said on Saturday, warning that more residents may be forced to flee the advancing flames. The so-called Erskine fire, which broke out on Thursday some 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Bakersfield in Kern County, has already claimed at least two lives, sent three firefighters to the hospital and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

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West Virginia Floods Cause 23 Deaths and Vast Wreckage

Record flooding in West Virginia killed at least 23 people, stranded thousands, left thousands more without utilities, and washed away houses, roads and vehicles after a band of thunderstorms battered the region on Thursday. With boats, helicopters and ropes, firefighters, law enforcement officers and National Guard troops rescued people from roofs of flooded houses, cars and trucks, and from mounds that had become temporary islands. Freight barges on the Kanawha River broke loose and slammed into bridges just west of Charleston, forcing them to close until inspectors determined that they were undamaged.

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Scottish Birds Continue Stealing Large Amounts of Underwear

For two years now, a pair of red kites have routinely stolen undergarments from a popular Angus skinny-dipping spot.

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Taking care of a grand old lady, the Angel Oak

Located on Johns Island and owned by the city of Charleston, the Angel Oak is one of the most celebrated trees in the Lowcountry. Foresters estimate its age to be about 400 to 500 years old. That means it germinated before the United States was united.

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While Brazil Was Eradicating Zika Mosquitoes, America Made Them Into Weapons

The exact moment when one of the world’s most dangerous mosquitoes arrived in the Americas is unknown. It's clear that they came from Africa, and they may have crossed the Atlantic as early as 1495, on some of the first European ships to reach Hispanola. By 1648, when yellow fever broke out on the Yucatan peninsula, Aedes aegypti had definitely arrived. Their behavior upon arrival, though, was unusual. Most of the world's 3,500-plus mosquito species are innocent of lust for human blood but on these long journeys across the sea, the mosquitoes that survived were the ones willing to bite humans.

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World Without Birds: Insectland

Perched nearly 20 feet in the air and looking down at the forest floor below, I was waiting for a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers to return to their nest cavity to feed their babies.

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Cartography Comparison: Google Maps & Apple Maps

This is an in-depth exploration, inspired by the styles of Anandtech and John Siracusa. TL;DR: Though they look similar, Google Maps and Apple Maps are different in surprising ways.

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Scientists are finally figuring out why you only get mitochondrial DNA from your mum

Your relatives probably can’t stop talking about how much you look like your mum or your dad, but the truth is, while you might have gotten your dad’s eyes, you carry more of your mother’s genes than your father’s. This is the case for every single...

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Archaeologists Are Spotting Ancient Ruins in Cold War Spy Photos

Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film Blow-Up features a wayward London fashion photographer called Thomas who unwittingly documents a murder. Hidden in the blurred background of one of his most recent photographs is a detail so obscured by shadows and foliage that, at first, Thomas does not even see it. Only after he repeatedly blows up the image, zooming in over and over again on this otherwise minor feature, is the disturbing truth revealed: a terrible crime has been committed and this photograph has made Thomas an unexpected witness.

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80 Homes Burned, 1,500 Threatened in 'Extremely Dangerous, Extremely Volatile' Fire in Kern County,California

A fast-moving fire that has already destroyed 80 homes and scorched 8,000 acres is now bearing down on several other communities in eastern Kern County, according to authorities.

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Find lead pipes in your home

Do lead pipes bring water into your home? Find out in 10 minutes. All you’ll need is a key and a magnet.

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Four Dead, Young Boy Swept Away in West Virginia Floods

Four people were killed and a toddler remained missing after powerful flash floods swamped West Virginia on Thursday night.

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Which Bear Is Best?

Why do some species flourish and others falter? Sometimes it just comes down to luck.

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Is Middle America Due For a Huge Earthquake?

In the early 19th century, a series of massive quakes rocked Missouri. Some experts predict that the state could be in for another round of violent shaking, while others warn that a big quake could strike elsewhere in the center of the continent.

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Condemning Yulin’s horrific dog meat festival is easy. Facing our own animal cruelty is harder

Festival-goers are marking the start of summer solstice by gathering as communities to celebrate over barbecued meat. This could be a scene from anywhere in the world, but the one making headlines is from Yulin, China – because the animals on the barbecue will be dogs. The annual summer festival in Yulin has been widely criticized, mostly by Westerners who aren’t used to thinking of dogs as food. Images and footage of filthy dogs crowded into cages and being brutally slaughtered...

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Tornado, Hail Storms Kill at least 78 People in Eastern China

A tornado, hail storms and driving rain killed at least 78 people and injured some 500 in eastern China on Thursday, flattening power lines, overturning cars and ripping roofs off houses in Jiangsu province.

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Multiple Tornadoes Leave Damage, Trap Residents in Illinois

At least 4 tornadoes touched down in Illinois Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service says, and thousands were left without power across the Midwest as a severe weather outbreak swept through the region.

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305 million-year-old ‘early spider’ fossil discovered

A team of researchers have discovered the fossil of a 305 million-year-old arachnid, which will help scientists to understand more about the early origins of modern-day spiders. The new species, named Idmonarachne brasieri in honour of Professor Martin Brasier, University of Oxford, who passed away in December 2014, was found in Montceau-les-Mines, France, and researchers from The University of Manchester, Berlin’s Museum für Naturkunde, the University of Kansas...

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German government agrees to ban fracking indefinitely

Germany's coalition government agreed to ban fracking for shale gas indefinitely on Tuesday, after years of fractious talks over the issue, but environmental groups said the ban did not go far enough and vowed to fight the deal. Test drilling will be allowed but only with the permission of the respective state government, officials said. German industry is keen to keep the door open to fracking - which involves blasting chemicals and water into rocks to release trapped gas...

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Here’s Why National Parks Maps Are Some of the Best

Cartographers at the National Park Service make beautiful, easy-to-read maps for the parks’ 300 million annual visitors.

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The Delicate Art of Growing Orchids Professionally

Rosalinda Luna talks about being a woman in agriculture and the challenges of nurturing a fickle plant.

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Tesla Makes Offer to Acquire SolarCity

Tesla’s mission has always been tied to sustainability. We seek to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transportation by offering increasingly affordable electric vehicles. And in March 2015, we launched Tesla Energy, which through the Powerwall and Powerpack allow homeowners, business owners and utilities to benefit from renewable energy storage. It’s now time to complete the picture. Tesla customers can drive clean cars and they can use our battery packs to help consume energy more efficiently, but they still need access to the most sustainable energy source that’s available: the sun.

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