Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Disposable face masks used during Covid have left chemical timebomb, research suggests

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:32:59 +0000

An estimated 129bn were being used every month around the world at height of pandemic, with no recycling stream

The surge in the use of disposable face masks during the Covid pandemic has left a chemical timebomb that could harm humans, animals and the environment, research suggests.

Billions of tonnes of plastic face masks created to protect people from the spread of the virus are now breaking down, releasing microplastics and chemical additives including endocrine disruptors, the research found.

Science is under siege from weaponised disinformation – posing a threat to human civilisation | Michael Mann and Peter Hotez

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:00:49 +0000

From Covid misinformation to climate denialism, understanding the divergent paths of Australia and the US can help us fight the powerful forces that threaten our world

As two scientists who lived through Australia’s black summer bushfires and the Covid-19 crisis in the United States, we have seen firsthand how science in modern societies is under siege from an even more insidious “antiscience virus” of weaponised disinformation that undermines our ability to confront these crises.

Floods could hit England while country is still in drought, forecasters say

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:35:31 +0000

Downpours threatening lives and property this autumn will not provide respite from months of dry weather

Floods could hit England while the country is still in drought, forecasters have said.

Heavy downpours threatening lives and property could hit this autumn, with the rain devastating some areas but still not providing respite from months of dry weather that have left rivers, groundwater and reservoirs drained.

Hopes rise for green economy boom at Africa Climate Summit

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 10:38:22 +0000

Renewables are thriving, with Africa breaking solar energy records – but action is needed to plug financing gap

The first signs of a takeoff of Africa’s green economy are raising hopes that a transformation of the continent’s fortunes may be under way, driven by solar power and an increase in low-carbon investment.

Giant cuttlefish! They are in danger and scientists are going to save them with … bubbles! | First Dog on the Moon

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 06:24:34 +0000

The only other option was to go back in time and do something about climate change but time travel hasn’t been invented yet

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Millions of Britons face higher risk of heart failure due to dirty air, study suggests

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 05:00:42 +0000

Exclusive: stroke risk is 7% higher and heart failure risk increases by 27% in areas with worst level of pollution, research shows

Millions of Britons face a higher risk of stroke or heart failure because of dirty air where they live.

People living in areas of the UK with the worst levels of air pollution are 27% more likely to develop heart failure, compared with people in areas with the cleanest air, a study suggests.

‘Tip of the methane iceberg’: 130,000 coal boreholes must be audited after toxic leaks in Queensland, experts say

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:29:23 +0000

Concerns abandoned coal boreholes in Queensland and NSW could be emitting ‘equivalent of 65m cars’ worth of methane

Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

Dinosaur teeth reveal secrets of Jurassic life 150 million years ago

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 21:26:38 +0000

Sauropod tooth scratches reveal that some dinosaurs migrated seasonally, others ate a wide variety of plants, and climate strongly shaped their diets. Tanzania’s sand-blasted vegetation left especially heavy wear, offering rare insights into ancient ecosystems.

Minns’s $140m great koala national park will ‘obliterate’ regional towns, Coalition claims

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 15:00:24 +0000

Labor’s koala strategy doesn’t go far enough, Coalition says, but environmentalists hail park a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ decision

Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

The man and the mushroom kayak: can a boat made from mycellim change the future/

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 14:00:22 +0000

Sam Shoemaker’s record-setting voyage shows the promise – and limits – of fungi as a plastic alternative

On a clear, still morning in early August, Sam Shoemaker launched his kayak into the waters off Catalina Island and began paddling. His goal: to traverse the open ocean to San Pedro, just south of Los Angeles, some 26.4 miles away.