Author: Ranveer Kumar

Using deep convolutional neural networks, researchers devise a system that quickly analyzes wide-field images of patients’ skin in order to more efficiently detect cancer. Megan Lewis | Institute for Medical Engineering and Science Melanoma is a type of malignant tumor responsible for more than 70 percent of all skin cancer-related deaths worldwide. For years, physicians have relied on visual inspection to identify suspicious pigmented lesions (SPLs), which can be an indication of skin cancer. Such early-stage identification of SPLs in primary care settings can improve melanoma prognosis and significantly reduce treatment cost. The challenge is that quickly finding and prioritizing…

“It’s time that the U.S. government take the reins back from Wall Street” Just days after he suggested the private sector, not government, will lead the fight against the climate crisis, 145 organizations sent a letter Tuesday urging U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry to use his position to help end “the flow of private finance from Wall Street to the industries driving climate change around the world—fossil fuels and forest-risk commodities.” President Joe Biden’s selection of the former secretary of state as the first-ever White House climate envoy was met with mixed reactions from advocates, with critics such as Food &…

The fifth round of negotiations between the EU Council and members of parliament achieved little progress on agreeing a climate law Little progress was made in the fifth round of negotiations on the European Climate Law, despite growing time pressure to have the bill agreed by mid-April, according to people involved in the talks, which are being held behind closed doors. Everything around the climate law was discussed, including the EU’s 2030 and 2050 climate targets, said Harriet Mackhaill-Hill from Climate Action Network Europe. The biggest hurdle standing in the way of a deal is the 2030 target. The European…

Weed production in the United States puffs out heat-trapping emissions. Using weed recreationally might change the climate inside your head. But cannabis production is generating large amounts of gases that heat up Earth’s physical climate. Indoor cannabis farming is booming in the United States thanks to the legalization of the drug in Colorado and elsewhere. Jason Quinn and his colleagues at Colorado State University in Fort Collins looked at how much electricity and natural gas are needed in various states to grow marijuana in an artificial indoor climate, which allows for a consistent product in any weather. The researchers then…

The companies have been slow to make emissions reductions pledges, and have worked to undercut climate and environmental legislation. Top U.S. meat and dairy companies, along with livestock and agricultural lobbying groups, have spent millions campaigning against climate action and sowing doubt about the links between animal agriculture and climate change, according to new research from New York University. The study, published this week in the journal Climatic Change, also said the world’s biggest meat and dairy companies aren’t doing enough to curb their greenhouse gas emissions, with only a handful making pledges to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. “These…

Placing solar arrays over canals would prevent water loss and improve panels’ energy harvest. Covering canals with solar panels helps the panels to operate more efficiently — and the shade helps to keep the canals’ water from being lost to evaporation. Most solar-panel arrays are located on the ground or on rooftops. But some researchers have explored options, such as putting floating panels on reservoirs, that aim to reduce water loss. Brandi McKuin at the University of California, Merced, Elliott Campbell at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and their colleagues analysed the economic and financial effects of placing solar…

We ask allergy expert Dr. Juanita Mora if seasonal allergies are getting worse. Plus, some quick tips for managing those pesky allergy symptoms. Literature mentioned in this episode: Anthropogenic climate change is worsening North American pollen seasons (William R. L. Anderegg, John T. Abatzoglou, Leander D. L. Anderegg, Leonard Bielory, Patrick L. Kinney, Lewis Ziska/Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Feb 2021) Effects of climate change and seed dispersal on airborne ragweed pollen loads in Europe ( Hamaoui-Laguel, L., Vautard, R., Liu, L. et al./Nature Climate Change, May 2015) Email the show at shortwave@npr.org. This episode was fact-checked by Rasha Aridi, and edited by Viet Le. Joshua Newell was the audio engineer.

Heart attacks in young adults are twice as likely to be fatal among those with inflammatory conditions, such as psoriasis, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis. This is the finding of a new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). At least 2% of people worldwide have systemic inflammatory diseases, which often affect multiple organ systems. Many of these systemic inflammatory diseases are driven by autoimmunity, meaning the body’s immune system attacks itself. Psoriasis is the most common of these, and causes red, itchy, scaly patches on the skin, and can…

Highlights The most common way adolescents get marijuana is from friends (bought or shared). Male students and students who use frequently are more likely to get marijuana in risky ways. Adolescents infrequently get marijuana from medical marijuana prescriptions. Demographic differences in getting marijuana can inform best prevention practices. Introduction Efforts to understand how adolescents acquire marijuana will help to contextualize its use among youth. Little is known about ways of getting marijuana and how they differ between subgroups of adolescents. The present study sought to determine how adolescents get marijuana and if modes of access vary by sociodemographic characteristics. Method…

The global demand for clean and safe water will continue to grow well into the 21st century. Moving forward, the lack of access to clean water, which threatens human health and strains precious energy resources, will worsen as the climate changes. Therefore, future innovations that produce potable water from contaminated sources must be sustainable. Inspired by nature, a solar absorber gel (SAG) is developed to purify water from contaminated sources using only natural sunlight. The SAG is composed of an elastic thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogel, a photothermal polydopamine (PDA) layer, and a sodium alginate (SA) network. Production of the SAG…