Laura Allen

All Stories by Laura Allen

  1. Climate

    Eight ways you can cut your carbon footprint

    Learn how you can limit the climate-warming gases associated with what you eat, the products you buy and the energy you use.

  2. Environment

    Gas stoves can spew lots of pollution, even when they’re turned off

    A new study finds they can leak benzene and other harmful chemicals into homes, sometimes at very high levels.

  3. Environment

    For a better brick, just add poop

    Sewage sludge. Cow dung. They’re not just waste — scientists are finding uses for processed poop in construction materials.

  4. Climate

    Green energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, a new study finds

    Switching over to clean, renewable power — and away from fossil fuels — could save trillions of dollars by 2050, a new study finds.

  5. Climate

    Explainer: What is decarbonization?

    Lowering carbon levels in our atmosphere to stabilize the climate may start with switching from fossil fuels to greener energy sources.

  6. Tech

    Smartphones can now bring Ice Age animals back to ‘life’

    Scientists bring Ice Age creatures to life with augmented reality. You can view these creatures in your own world on a smartphone.

  7. Tech

    This sun-powered system delivers energy as it pulls water from the air

    The device not only produces electricity but also harvests water for drinking or crops. It could be especially useful in remote and dry parts of the world.

  8. Animals

    Mosquitoes see red, which may be why they find us so appealing

    Mosquitoes not only see colors, but also prefer certain ones, such as the hues of human skin.

  9. Environment

    Bees and butterflies struggle to find flowers in polluted air

    Emissions from cars and trucks make it harder for insects to find flowers. That in turn reduces flower visits and pollination, a new study finds.

  10. Genetics

    DNA in air can help ID unseen animals nearby

    Analyzing these genetic residues in air offers a new way to study animals. It could give scientists a chance to monitor rare or hard to find animals.

  11. Environment

    Leaky sewer pipes pollute urban streams and bays with drugs

    Scientists find that leaking sewer pipes around Baltimore, Md., spew thousands of doses of medicines into the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways.

  12. Microbes

    Several plant-like algae can morph into animal-like predators

    Single-celled green algae swim through water as free cells. Most use only photosynthesis for their energy. But not all of them, a new study shows.