May 28 After battling COVID, can mRNA vaccines fight cancer? By Tim Vernimmen, Knowable Magazine The pandemic put the technology, long in development, to the test. Here’s a look at the status of its application to cancer and when it might reach patients. Continue reading
May 27 Watch 7:27 The UN wants to drastically reduce plastic pollution by 2040. Here’s how By William Brangham, Lorna Baldwin, Harry Zahn As plastic waste piles up in the world’s landfills, sewer systems and oceans, the United Nations has set a goal to reduce plastic pollution by 80 percent by the year 2040. Inger Andersen, head of the United Nations Environment Programme,… Continue watching
May 27 The Supreme Court just narrowed protection for wetlands, leaving many valuable ecosystems at risk By Albert C. Lin, The Conversation For the last 45 years, the EPA has required discharge permits in wetlands “adjacent” to water bodies, even if a dune, levee or other barrier separated the two. The Sackett decision upends that approach, leaving tens of millions of acres at… Continue reading
May 26 Brazilian president says UN will hold 2025 climate conference in Brazil By Associated Press Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Brazil would hold the conference, known as COP 30, in the Para state city of Belem in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest. Continue reading
May 26 Regulators take aim at rapidly developing AI technology to protect consumers and workers By Cora Lewis, Associated Press The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau says it will hold companies responsible for using the technology in ways that comply with existing regulation. Continue reading
May 26 Judge says fire retardant drops are polluting streams but allows use to continue By Matthew Brown, Associated Press The ruling Friday from U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Montana came after environmentalists sued the government for dropping the red slurry material into waterways hundreds of times over the past decade. Continue reading
May 25 COVID pill Paxlovid gets full FDA approval after over a year of pandemic emergency use By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press Thursday's action means the drug has now been fully vetted by the U.S. government and can remain on the market indefinitely. Millions of Americans have received Paxlovid since it was granted emergency authorization in late 2021. Continue reading
May 25 Watch 5:22 Supreme Court decision weakens EPA authority, scales back scope of Clean Water Act By William Brangham, Dorothy Hastings The Supreme Court has again weakened the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency. The case involved the EPA blocking an Idaho couple from building a house near a lake on their property, saying the construction would pollute water protected by… Continue watching
May 25 Rhode Island attorney general sues manufacturers of ‘forever chemicals’ By Associated Press Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha faulted the companies for engaging in what he described as "a massive and widespread campaign to knowingly deceive the public."… Continue reading
May 25 WATCH: Hurricane season likely to be average, NOAA forecasts By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press Two clashing climatic behemoths, one natural and one with human fingerprints, will square off this summer to determine how quiet or chaotic the Atlantic hurricane season will be. Continue reading