Environment Memo

BBC reports that folks in the US are about to declare bedbugs a pandemic, noting one pest control expert says that people should look out for an “almond smell” and red spots on bedclothes as signs of infestation. That’s ironic: cyanide also is  said to smell like almonds. Further, bedbugs are

NPR has a good rundown on what one interviewee calls the “Fog of Research,” with respect to studying the effects of the BP oil leak. Basically, there are a lot of studies going on, but they are not well-coordinated. This state of affairs could lead to duplication of effort and important issues being missed, among […]

So, they’ve found some measurable effects on the brain of using a cell phone next to the head, but there’s no evidence of harm, apparently: Exposure to the electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones excites the brain in a small but measurable way, reveals a new study published in the Annals of Neurology. …

This sounds like the beginnings of a rap song: Geologists say it ain’t the hydrofracking That’s got earth rumbling Down in Arkansas. It’s more likely the deep well injection of the Waste fracking fluid. Let me hear it now.

Lack of jobs is an important factor driving regime change in the Middle East. One important question is: what if the jobs never come? (We face this question in the US, as well, obviously.) We’re talking sociology here, I suppose. Egypt has about 80 million people, and it’s population is still growing by as many […]

Maybe. PlanetEarth online has an article discussing lab research addressing this possibility. The idea is interesting. Certain types of epidemics might result in a lot of people excreting unmetabolized tamiflu (as well as dumping left-over pills) into the sewerage system. Sewage plants depend upon bacteria to treat wastewater, so if tamiflu kills or inhibits these […]

This is progress of sort, I suppose.  China banned cigarette advertising back in 1995. Now,the AP reports that

I’ve never heard of the  Journal of Sexual Medicine. Now, LiveScience reports on a study published in that journal showing that male [pot] smokers could be courting sexual dysfunction

The Buffalo, NY Common Council has banned drilling in the Marcellus shale, in a symbolic, but important grass-roots vote. While Buffalo is where hot wings were invented, they are not winging this one. For example, a SUNY-Buffalo geologist has done some interesting research recently with fracking fluids, showing that when they reacted samples in the […]