Tag Archives: pollution

Stargazing is a wonderful pursuit that appeals to both the casual and dedicated observer, but views outside of cities are often much clearer and brighter thanks to different levels of light pollution. Excessive and misdirected use of artificial light is more common in cities and can have a huge effect on the visibility of the night sky, particularly for those …

Summary: A new study reveals a molecular link between fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and Lewy body dementia, a devastating neurodegenerative condition. By combining human epidemiological data and animal experiments, researchers showed that PM2.5 exposure triggers toxic clumps of alpha-synuclein in the brain, similar to those seen in patients. Mice exposed to pollution developed brain atrophy, cognitive decline, and widespread …

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Fine-particulate air pollution can drive devastating forms of dementia by triggering the formation of toxic clumps of protein that destroy nerve cells as they spread through the brain, research suggests. Exposure to the airborne particles causes proteins in the brain to misfold into the clumps, which are hallmarks of Lewy body …

A study has found that exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of developing Lewy body dementia.Credit: Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times/Shutterstock An analysis of 56 million people has shown that exposure to air pollution increases the risk of developing a particular form of dementia, the third most common type after Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. The study, published in Science …

Fine-particulate air pollution can drive devastating forms of dementia by triggering the formation of toxic clumps of protein that destroy nerve cells as they spread through the brain, research suggests. Exposure to the airborne particles causes proteins in the brain to misfold into the clumps, which are hallmarks of Lewy body dementia, the second most common form of dementia after …

Scientists are calling for a new global regime to address air pollution caused by the space industry. Prof Eloise Marais’s team at University College London (UCL) began tracking space activities in 2020. Their latest figures reveal 259 rocket launches in 2024, and 223 launches in 2023. These burned more than 153,000 tonnes of fuel. Marais said: “More pollutants are being …

Facebook Tweet Email Link Satellites, including those used for GPS and communications, will face greater risks in coming decades during solar-triggered geomagnetic storms because of the effect climate pollution has on Earth’s atmosphere, a new study found. The increasing volume of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere is likely to make the air less dense, while geomagnetic storms have …

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Outdoor lighting for buildings, roads and advertising can help people see in the dark of night, but many astronomers are growing increasingly concerned that these lights could be blinding us to the rest of the universe. An estimate from 2023 …

Chemical pollution is “a threat to the thriving of humans and nature of a similar order as climate change” but decades behind global heating in terms of public awareness and action, a report has warned. The industrial economy has created more than 100 million “novel entities”, or chemicals not found in nature, with somewhere between 40,000 and 350,000 in commercial …

A small, retrospective study in a part of Utah known for poor air quality retraced pollution exposure levels in patients hospitalized for brain bleeds, finding a potential link. “We found that these patients were experiencing higher rates of aneurysmal rupture three to six months after peaks in air pollution levels,” University of Utah neurosurgeon Robert Rennert explains. Airborne pollutants, including …