Today, December 15, the Obama administration will be hosting the first White House Forum on Environmental Justice. Major members of the cabinet will be featured during the summit as well as environmental leaders from throughout the country. The forum can be watched live online and will be accepting questions from the public (see links below).

When you tell a loud-mouth friend that they “really like the sound of their own voice,” there may be more truth in that than you realize. According to a neuroscience study from the University of California (UC) Berkeley, the brain selectively hears one’s own voice while dimming all surrounding sounds. In their own heads, people…

Butterflies are one of the few insects on Earth that people actually like and admire. Unfortunately, mankind’s beloved butterfly has fallen on hard times on the continent of Europe. According to a new study from Butterfly Conservation Europe, grassland butterfly populations have declined by 70 percent in the last 20 years.

Contrary to public opinion, multi-tasking is not a modern phenomenon. This uniquely human skill was around long before the era of electronic distractions. According to a study from Monica L. Smith, anthropologist at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), it is multi-tasking itself that makes us human.

Every year, people line up to get flu vaccines at pharmacies and doctor’s offices because the flu develops new strains, requiring the vaccines to be updated. What if there was a single flu vaccine you could take to last for decades against any flu virus strain? Such a thing would make yearly trips to get…

A new study from the University of Bristol published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology shows that a dietary supplement of B1 vitamins can potentially prevent heart disease for people with diabetes. Half of all people with diabetes succumb to cardiovascular disease and it is the leading cause of death for diabetes patients.

At 300 million years ago, global warming brought about an abrupt collapse of tropical rainforests. According to a new study, it is now believed that this event spawned the evolutionary burst of reptiles. It gave rise to the dinosaurs, which dominated the globe for over 150 million years.

The likelihood of developing cancer is largely attributed to an individual’s genetic inheritance, but can also be affected by lifestyle choices and what we eat. In a 2009 article, the American Cancer Society recommended eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to prevent cancer. Now, a new study from the University…

In a never-ending quest to eliminate human contact with germs, science has given society a number of hygienic chemicals. Among these chemicals are Triclosan, found commonly in anti-bacterial soaps, toothpaste, and many other products, and Bisphenol A (BPA), found in the protective lining of food cans. A new study from researchers at the University of…

Carbon emissions at sea have received more attention over the last decade. Ports, especially, can have a negative impact on air quality in the populated areas that surround them. The many emissions sources at ports include ships, trucks, trains, and cargo-handling equipment. Harbor-crafts also contribute a significant portion of total port emissions. These include tugboats,…