Category Archives: The Environment

The fairly depressing picture of pesticide pollution in British rivers

Posted on 7 September 2013 by mmmbitesizescience

Lots of pesticides – such as the organochlorine insecticide, DDT – that were widely used in the fairly recent past are now banned after having serious effects on the health of humans and other species. Yet old and new pollution … Continue reading →

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Posted in Ecology, The Environment | Tagged aquatic, bird, DDE, DDT, dieldrin, egg, eurasian dipper, HCB, lindane, PBDE, PCB, pesticide, pollution, rivers | Leave a comment

British Sheep vs. Chernobyl Radiation

Posted on 20 December 2012 by mmmbitesizescience

The explosion of reactor number four of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 is widely regarded as the worst radiation disaster in human history. The radioactive fallout spread from Northern Ukraine throughout Northern Europe, dispersing large quantities of radioactive … Continue reading →

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Posted in Science, The Environment | Tagged 1986, caesium, chernobyl, Cumbria, disaster, food standards agency, FSA, ICRP, livestock, nuclear, radiation, radioactivity, radiocaesium, sheep | Leave a comment

Sea creatures dissolve as oceans acidify

Posted on 11 December 2012 by mmmbitesizescience

There’s little doubt that increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through human industry contribute to the changing of the Earth’s climate. Excess CO2 is absorbed by our ocean’s, changing their chemical composition and driving more blustery ocean winds that force deeper … Continue reading →

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Posted in Evolution, Marine, The Environment, Uncategorized | Tagged acid, antarctic ocean, aragonite, british antarctic survey, calcification, carbon dioxide, climate change, dissolve, Limacina helicina antarctica, ocean acidification, scotia sea, sea butterfly | Leave a comment

Bat vs. Marburg virus: A Seasonal Struggle

Posted on 5 November 2012 by mmmbitesizescience

Marburg is a highly infectious virus from the family Filoviridae (which includes Ebola virus), and is associated with a high fatality rate (~90%) and severe haemorrhagic symptoms. Originally described in simultaneous outbreaks in Germany and Serbia in 1967, it is … Continue reading →

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Posted in Disease, Ecology, Microorganisms, Science, The Environment | Tagged bat, cave, Egyptian fruit bat, filoviridae, marburg, mine worker, public health, Python Cave, seasonal, tourist, Uganda, virus | Leave a comment

Fresh air is good for your brain

Posted on 24 October 2012 by mmmbitesizescience

Breathe in. Then breathe out. This wonderful process of ventilation keeps us alive: an inhalation of oxygen helps our cells generate energy, while an exhalation of carbon dioxide removes their waste products. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, has something of a … Continue reading →