Science! (2 Viewers)

[Taurus]

For years, scientists and health advocates have tried to bring attention to a secret source of air pollution sitting in 40 million homes around the United States — which jump-starts childhood asthma, increases the risk of respiratory problems, and emits planet warming-gasses.

It’s the gas stove.


And now, those efforts seem to be gaining traction. On Monday, Richard Trumka Jr., one of the four commissioners of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in an interview that the agency was considering a ban on gas stoves — or, at least, standards around the amount of toxic fumes such stoves can spew into Americans’ kitchens.

Some cities — including Los Angeles, Seattle and New York — have already moved to ban gas stoves in certain new homes and apartments.

Kathy Hochul (D), the governor of New York, has also proposed banning gas hookups, including for gas stoves, in new buildings in the entire state.


All cooking creates some form of air pollution. But gas stoves are burning natural gas, a mix of methane and other chemicals. That means that when a gas stove is on, it releases not only fine pieces of particulate matter that can invade the lungs, but also nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde — all of

which have been linked to various health risks.
Scientists have identified nitrogen dioxide, for example, as contributing to childhood onset of asthma and worsening asthma symptoms.

According to one study, children living in a household with gas stoves have a 42 percent increased likelihood of already having asthma and a 24 percent increased risk of developing asthma at some point in their lifetime.

Last week, scientists from the clean energy think tank RMI estimated in a peer-reviewed study that 12.7 percent of childhood asthmas could be attributed to living in a household with a gas stove.

Some scientists have compared the risks of gas stove use to having a smoker in the home…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/01/10/gas-stoves-ban-consumer-safety/

Maybe this will spur a design renaissance in induction cooktops. I love how mine performs but the touch controls are an utter failure.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Extreme 'Rogue Wave' in The North Pacific Confirmed as Most Extreme on Record

In November of 2020, a freak wave came out of the blue, lifting a lonesome buoy off the coast of British Columbia 17.6 meters high (58 feet).

www.sciencealert.com

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

Extreme 'Rogue Wave' in The North Pacific Confirmed as Most Extreme on Record

In November of 2020, a freak wave came out of the blue, lifting a lonesome buoy off the coast of British Columbia 17.6 meters high (58 feet).

www.sciencealert.com

Godzilla

 

[boutte]

Godzilla

If the severity and frequency of these things increases enough (and it probably will) it could affect global trade. We need to set up a system to monitor shipping routes and warn ships to change course.

 

[Optimus Prime]

We have all experienced the frustration of trying to hold a conversation in a loud pub or restaurant. Now researchers have shown that dolphins may face a similar scenario, showing that they “shout” to each other when faced with background noise.

The findings revealed that a noisy environment makes it harder for dolphins to communicate and cooperate on tasks, adding to concern about the impact of human noise pollution on marine life.

“In a very noisy pub we find ourselves increasing the volume of our voice,” said Pernille Sørensen, a graduate student at the University of Bristol and first author of the research, published in the journal Current Biology. “Dolphins respond in a similar way – they’re trying to compensate but there are some miscommunications.”

Dolphins are social, intelligent animals, relying on clicks and whistles to communicate and using echolocation to hunt and navigate. So noise generated from human activity such as drilling and shipping has a potentially harmful impact on the health of marine populations.

The latest study involved a pair of dolphins, Delta and Reese, and looked at how their ability to cooperate was affected by background noise. The dolphins were required to work together to both press their own underwater button placed at either end of a lagoon within one second of each other – a task that some humans would struggle to coordinate. They were released from a starting point during each trial, and in some trials, one of the dolphins was held back for five to 10 seconds. This meant that the dolphins had to rely solely on vocal communication to coordinate the button press.

When increasing levels of noise were played from an underwater speaker, both dolphins compensated by changing the volume and length of their calls to coordinate the button press. Nevertheless, they could not entirely compensate. From the lowest to highest levels of noise, the dolphins’ success rate dropped from 85% to 62.5%, according to the research.

The dolphins also changed their body language, reorienting themselves to face each other more frequently at higher noise levels and swimming across the lagoon to be closer to each other……..

Dolphins ‘shout’ to compensate for human-made background noise

Research adds to concerns about the impact of human noise pollution on marine life

www.theguardian.com

 

[Sailorsaint]

For years, scientists and health advocates have tried to bring attention to a secret source of air pollution sitting in 40 million homes around the United States — which jump-starts childhood asthma, increases the risk of respiratory problems, and emits planet warming-gasses.

It’s the gas stove.


And now, those efforts seem to be gaining traction. On Monday, Richard Trumka Jr., one of the four commissioners of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in an interview that the agency was considering a ban on gas stoves — or, at least, standards around the amount of toxic fumes such stoves can spew into Americans’ kitchens.

Some cities — including Los Angeles, Seattle and New York — have already moved to ban gas stoves in certain new homes and apartments.

Kathy Hochul (D), the governor of New York, has also proposed banning gas hookups, including for gas stoves, in new buildings in the entire state.


All cooking creates some form of air pollution. But gas stoves are burning natural gas, a mix of methane and other chemicals. That means that when a gas stove is on, it releases not only fine pieces of particulate matter that can invade the lungs, but also nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde — all of

which have been linked to various health risks.
Scientists have identified nitrogen dioxide, for example, as contributing to childhood onset of asthma and worsening asthma symptoms.

According to one study, children living in a household with gas stoves have a 42 percent increased likelihood of already having asthma and a 24 percent increased risk of developing asthma at some point in their lifetime.

Last week, scientists from the clean energy think tank RMI estimated in a peer-reviewed study that 12.7 percent of childhood asthmas could be attributed to living in a household with a gas stove.

Some scientists have compared the risks of gas stove use to having a smoker in the home…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/01/10/gas-stoves-ban-consumer-safety/

What makes the stove more dangerous than a gas heater? Does the stove do something special with the same gas that the heater uses?

 

[fred8615]

What makes the stove more dangerous than a gas heater? Does the stove do something special with the same gas that the heater uses?

That's the next thing they're going to get rid of.

 

[boutte]

Does anybody remember when those houses in Kenner blew up because of subsidence caused gas leaks?

 

[Sailorsaint]

That's the next thing they're going to get rid of.

I only have two things that run on gas in the house, one wall heater and my hot water tank. I can live without the wall heater but not the hot water.

 

[Optimus Prime]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Lizards that once dwelled in forests but now slink around urban areas have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers have found.

The Puerto Rican crested anole, a brown lizard with a bright orange throat fan, has sprouted special scales to better cling to smooth surfaces like walls and windows and grown larger limbs to sprint across open areas, scientists say.

“We are watching evolution as it’s unfolding,” said Kristin Winchell, a biology professor at NYU and main author of the study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

As urbanization intensifies around the world, it’s important to understand how organisms adapt and humans can design cities in ways that support all species, Winchell said.

The study analyzed 96 Anolis cristatellus lizards, comparing the genetic makeup of forest-dwellers to those living in Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, as well as the northern city of Arecibo and western city of Mayaguez. Scientists found that 33 genes within the lizard genome were repeatedly associated with urbanization……

Forest lizards genetically morph to survive life in the city

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Lizards that once dwelled in forests but now slink around urban areas have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers have found. The Puerto Rican crested anole, a brown lizard with a bright orange throat fan, has sprouted special scales to better...

apnews.com

 

[bonnjer]

Almost put this in the JWST thread because it sounds like a job for it. Assuming it's in a location not toward the Sun, that is.

MSU professor, NASA team, discover new planet that could sustain life

Michigan State's Joey Rodriguez helped confirm the existance of the planet in the habitable zone around its star, nearly 100 light years away

www.yahoo.com

 

[porculator]

What makes the stove more dangerous than a gas heater? Does the stove do something special with the same gas that the heater uses?

Anything "ventless" will have the same issue, but at least everything else is pretty self contained and built to be efficient with the fuel it uses. With gas stoves the amount of gas used towards creating the heat you need has to be incredibly inefficient compared to everything else that uses gas.

I want to keep my gas furnace for now (electric isn't efficient enough for my radiator heating at this point) but as the stove and water heater crap out I'll plan to electrify them.

 

[SaintRob]

Scientists redirect lightning strikes using a weather-controlling super laser

Researchers with the Polytechnic Institute of Paris guided the strikes from thunderclouds to places where they don't cause damage.

studyfinds.org

If there was some way we could harness a bolt of lightning, we could use that 1.21 Gigawatts of electricity for something useful.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Scientists redirect lightning strikes using a weather-controlling super laser

Researchers with the Polytechnic Institute of Paris guided the strikes from thunderclouds to places where they don't cause damage.

studyfinds.org

If there was some way we could harness a bolt of lightning, we could use that 1.21 Gigawatts of electricity for something useful.

I've already got a sports almanac ready.

 

[bonnjer]

Scientists redirect lightning strikes using a weather-controlling super laser

Researchers with the Polytechnic Institute of Paris guided the strikes from thunderclouds to places where they don't cause damage.

studyfinds.org

If there was some way we could harness a bolt of lightning, we could use that 1.21 Gigawatts of electricity for something useful.