Date Time
Air pollution poses risk to thinking skills
Exposure to air pollution in childhood is linked to a decline in thinking skills in later life, a study suggests.
A greater exposure to air pollution at the very start of life was associated with a detrimental effect on people’s cognitive skills up to 60 years later, the research found.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh tested the general intelligence of more than 500 people aged approximately 70 years using a test they had all completed at the age of 11 years.
The participants then repeated the same test at the ages of 76 and 79 years.
Natural History Museum project highlights the impact of COVID-19
22 September 2020
A Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) COVID-19 public engagement funded project has produced infographics to show changes in the movement of people, air and noise pollution, and wildlife sightings in the UK during lockdown.
The Natural History Museum has collaborated with data visualisation company Beyond Words to illustrate some of the environmental changes wrought by lockdown.
The graphics, drawing on a variety of open source data and scientific databases, including data from NERC-supported centres – UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the British Geological Survey, document the dramatic drop in driving and public transport use, the resulting reduction in air pollution and noise levels and the changes to sightings of both animals and birds.
New hub to inspire farmers to help protect soils
8 January 2021 |
The online hub will issue guidance for farmers on how to support healthy soils
A new online community hub has been launched to inspire farmers and land managers to take action to better understand soil and care for it.
Experts hope the hub will inspire policymakers, researchers, farmers and the public to protect the precious but degrading resource .
The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) warns that a third of the world’s soils are degraded due to intensive agriculture, pollution and climate change.
This has resulted in large amounts of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, threatening long-term sustainable food production.
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One of the world’s most invasive species has been found in the UAE for the first time.
The Giant African Land Snail, which grows up to 20cm long, was discovered in Al Wathba on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi city.
The creature may have arrived on imported plant material, and although there is no record yet of it elsewhere in the country, experts said eliminating invasive species can be difficult.
In a new study, scientists analysed nine snails collected last year.
They lay a lot of eggs and produce a lot of offspring, so their populations will increase in size quite rapidly