Month: September 2023

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Free public transportation accelerates in some US cities

Block, D. (2023, February 20). Free public transportation accelerates in some US cities. VOA.

Retrieved August 23 2023, from https://www.voanews.com/a/free-public-transportation-accelerates-in-some-us-cities/6966994.html

 

This source talks about how in the US there should be more free public transport. It also talks about how recently, Washington was the first city to make public transport free. Following, there are other big cities focusing on making public transport free. The article talks about how there are benefits such as it is better for the environment, more people get to use it, and it is more productive than cars. It also talks about how mass transportation is, “a public good,” and therefore, there should be no bus tolls. Overall, the transportation system should be free and the perspective of it should be changed so more people use it. 

 

This article is related to environmental science, because of how big of an impact public transportation has on the environment. I think that if the perception on how public transit is viewed changes that would be a lot better. It seems like a lot of people don’t use it because it has been looked at as not as nice and people have to pay for it. In reality, the bus is a public amenity so people should not have to pay for it. I think that knowing how much the environment is impacted by cars this would be a good alternative and I think making the bus free helps encourage people to use it.

 

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Better bus systems could slow climate change

Pierre-Louis, K. (2023, May 1). Better bus systems could slow climate change. Scientific

American. Retrieved August 23 2023, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/better-bus-systems-could-slow-climate-change/

 

As cities are growing, so is the amount of traffic, which only adds an increase in greenhouse emissions. But one of the most overlooked solutions for this is the bus to decarbonize the US. Biden has pledged “to reduce emissions by 50 to 52 percent by 2030,” but as of right now they won’t be able to reach that goal solely by electrifying cars, but it would help to decrease the amount of drivers overall. But people don’t use buses because they are more unreliable because of traffic, sometimes they are full, and some people just don’t have access to mass transit at all. The transit system in the US is also poor because it is looked at as a government relief for disadvantaged people. Overall, it would be buses to become a more used masstransit. 

 

The bus system is heavily overlooked, and, not only is it better for people overall, it is a great solution for the environment. This article explained to me a lot of different aspects of buses: the environmental impact, people’s view of a transport system, and how it would help people socially. It makes me wonder how they can be more heavily implemented in our society, and what would be the best, and most effective way to make more people ride them.

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Americans and their cars

Sengupta, S. (2023, June 13). Americans and their cars. The New York Times. Retrieved August

23 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/13/climate/car-emissions.html

 

The United States is highly ranked as the 6th highest producer for greenhouse gasses. The use of transportation, “accounts for the United States’ largest single share of emissions (38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and 29 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions). ” One cause of that is specifically cars. Cars have become one of the main forms of transportation and became a big part of geography, with highways and cities. Cars have become a central part of our lives. Many United States citizens don’t have the option to take public transportation and walk. There are progressively more people trying to drive less, trying to insert more bike lanes, and fewer parking spots to discourage driving. But it shifts to the main focus where we spend our public money.

 

This article is related to environmental science because it focuses on greenhouse emissions, and talks about the problem with cars, a main source of our transportation. I thought this article was good, but it covered a lot of basic information that I knew about already. I did learn a lot about the history and how much cars actually shaped cities and suburbs geographically.

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Revealed: How us transition to electric cars threatens environmental havoc

Lakhani, N. (2023, January 24). Revealed: How us transition to electric cars threatens

environmental havoc. The Guardian. Retrieved August 23 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/24/us-electric-vehicles-lithium-consequences-research

 

While the United States is transferring to electric cars away from gas cars to help the environment, it is actually backfiring. The estimated number of electric cars in 2050 would need triple the amount of lithium that is currently being produced for the global market all together. The bigger problems that could be created come from the need to mine lithium, which could create even more “environmental and social inequalities.” Either way by 2050, the US will achieve zero emissions but is an easier option instead of electrifying everything, changing the dynamic of cities and transportation to make it better socially and environmentally.

 

The contents in this article are very important to environmental science, because transportation is a method that has a huge effect on the environment. Specifically in this article, they talk about one of the commonly known solutions to coming to zero emissions, electric cars. But to my surprise, they actually revealed the harms when it comes down to lithium, and offered the solution of public transportation. I thought this was very interesting because I did not know about the problem of mining. I also really like how the idea of more public transportation would help people socially as well as the environment.

 

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Adopt-a-Topic: Bio-engineering / Genetic engineering (Phase: World) pt.5

Jackson, C. (4 August 2023). Dopamine neurons are more diverse than previously thought. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/dopamine-neurons-more-diverse-than-previously-thought/
Study finds alternative behavior in dopamine pathways in the brain. Certain people, especially those with a history of Alzheimers in their families, show increased risk of dopamine-pathway degradation as they age. This is previously unknown information, as neuroscientists did not know there could be mutational links to this phenomenon.
Identifying a cause of Alzheimers, particularly one related to certain genetic mutations, could pave the way for the eradication of the disease, given that tools like CRISPR could replace the guilty mutations causing the disease to occur in the first place. More research should also be done with drugs, as certain drugs have been noted to help patients with a varied range of mysterious conditions, such as MDMA as a PTSD treatment or ketamine for people suffering from depression. Since we know some of these drugs link parts of the brain that aren’t usually connected, perhaps some of them could re-pave the destroyed pathways brought on by Alzheimers.

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Adopt-a-Topic: Bio-engineering / Genetic engineering (Phase: World) pt.4

Thomas, U. (4 August 2023). U.K. population study links obesity risk to sex and age genes.

U.K. Population Study Links Obesity Risk to Sex and Age Genes


A growing problem in the modern world is obesity, with over $173 million being in medical care in the US being attributed to obesity-related costs. A UK study ran by UK Biobank examined nearly 420,000 adults to try and discover if there was a genetic link to a higher chance of becoming obese. Their discoveries were that the presence of 3 specific genes affected the chance of an adult becoming obese, with 2 of the genes being specifically related to women’s rates of becoming obese.
Certainly a pressing issue in a world where alternative foods, more sustainable and healthy alternatives, that is, becoming more important in the food industry, obesity is the enemy of many aging adults as it inhibits many normal human functions, and can be harmful to one’s mental health. Tying back to the previous article, the use of CRISPR or other genetic engineering technology to remove these genomes associated with higher obesity rates could be monumental in fighting this rapidly growing epidemic of obesity in modern society.

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Adopt-a-Topic: Bio-engineering / Genetic engineering (Phase: World) pt. 3

Bello, C. (22 May 2023) “Scientists discover the key to extending human lifespans and supercharging cancer-fighting cells”
https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/05/19/scientists-discover-the-key-to-extending-human-lifespans-and-supercharging-cancer-fighting
Article about a Taipei Medical University research breakthrough about a genetic modification in mice that powered a cancer-killing cell to function at 2-7 times it’s original killing rate, as well as possibly increasing the mices’ lifespans by ~20%. This breakthrough sparks hopes that the same treatment could be used to combat cancer in humans and extend our lifespans.
The positives of this breakthrough are plain to see, as cancer has claimed millions over decades of its reign, and finding a cure could save many people spanning all ages from a premature death. However, the treatment could be gatekept by high costs and be reserved for only members of a higher class who can afford treatments.

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Adopt-a-Topic: Bio-engineering / Genetic Engineering (Phase: World) pt.2

Vuksanaj, K. (5 June 2023). Three ways CRISPR is making animal research models more predictive.

Three Ways CRISPR Is Making Animal Research Models More Predictive


CRISPR is a gene-editing technology that is often considered the face and future of genetic engineering. Charles River Laboratories explains in the article what CRISPR is being used for with mice to be later emulated in humans, such as studying disease genes that were implanted into the mice to investigate their behavior.
CRISPR is the future of fighting diseases. The ability to input genomes that fight invasive diseases could prevent many cases of slow commandeering of a body by a disease. CRISPR also comes with some significant risks of power abuse, as the ability to edit genes opens doors to the possibility of many cruel experiments. However, for now, it is worth investing time and research into proper use and the full extent of it’s possible uses.

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Mangoes and agave in the Central Valley: California farmers try new crops to cope with climate change

Cal Matters. (2023, May 9). Mangoes and agave in the Central Valley: California farmers try new crops to cope with climate change. Retrieved from https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2023/05/california-farmers-climate-change/

The article discusses how climate change is impacting California farmers. The state is already experiencing more extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. These events are making it difficult for farmers to grow crops and raise livestock. In turn, farmers are diversifying their crops to better withstand the changing conditions and to ensure a consistent yield. This shift highlights the necessity for agricultural resilience strategies while extreme weather conditions are so prevalent in California.

Climate change is causing the state’s climate to become increasingly variable. This means that farmers are not sure what to expect from year to year, which makes it difficult to plan their crops. As a result of climate change California farmers are facing increasing financial challenges. I was impressed by farmers’ innovative and adaptive approach to protecting their crops during this uncertain time. It’s encouraging to witness their proactive response to the challenges posed by shifting climate patterns however seems like a passive approach. I believe instead, farmers and the rest of the general public should focus on preventative efforts such as lowering their carbon emissions. I find it interesting and, at the same time, sad that farmers are forced to spend more money on water, irrigation, and crop insurance for climate change issues that humans have vast influence over. Obviously climate change in this part of California can impact food supplies for everyone since a high percentage of food is grown and processed in the central valley.  

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Human caused climate change to balance for increase in California wildfires

UC Irvine. (2023, June 12). Human caused climate change to balance for increase in California wildfires. Retrieved from https://news.uci.edu/2023/06/12/human-caused-climate-change-to-blame-for-increase-in-californias-wildfires/

 

Scientists from UC Irvine conducted a study, finding that nearly all the recent summer wildfires were caused by human caused climate change. They modeled past natural wildfire activity and then factored in human climate change effects to predict future forest burn areas. Scientific evidence points to the role of anthropogenic factors, such as fossil fuel emissions, in exacerbating these fire-prone conditions, emphasizing the urgent need for climate action to halt the escalating risks for deadly wildfires in California. The article goes on to discuss that the average summer burn area in forests in northern and central California has increased fivefold between 1996 and 2021 compared to between 1971 and 1995, pointing straight to human’s to mitigate these seemingly yearly disasters.

 

Wildfires are obviously bad for the communities directly affected however in addition the threat of wildfires causes insurance rates to rise which impacts everyone in the state. As dejecting as these wildfires every year canceling sports or work throughout California are, this study does point to some hope for the future. As outlined, if wildfires are caused by humans then humans can drastically limit the spread by limiting their overall footprint. The scientists in this study suggest reducing carbon emissions, pursuing sustainable transportation and sustainable energy production can lead to a less deadly impact of wildfires in California.