Trouble in the Wells

by
Scope Correspondent

When we wash our drugs and cosmetic products down the drain, they don’t always go very far.

In an analysis of groundwater from 20 drinking water wells on Cape Cod, researchers found trace amounts of 18 household chemicals, including prescription drugs, flame retardants and non-stick and stain-resistant compounds. At least one of these chemicals showed up in 15 of the wells. Most of the water tested came from septic systems, which treat about 85 percent of groundwater on Cape Cod and about 20 percent of groundwater nationwide. Full Article »

MIT can have Unique Impact on Future of Fossil Fuels, Students Say

by
Scope Correspondent

“Our chance to lead against climate change” is the motto of a new student group at MIT, which has joined the growing national movement calling for universities and other organizations to divest from fossil fuels.

The group argues that MIT, as a leading university in energy and technology research, is in a unique position to send a powerful message to other universities, the government, and the world about the future of energy and the environment.

“We’re at MIT; we know the science and we know what needs to be done,” said Patrick Brown, a 5th-year graduate student in Physics and one of the group’s founding members. Full Article »

Hello Dali

by
Scope Correspondent

A new non-destructive computational technique that measures the strength and condition of the canvas beneath great works of art could one day help museum curators determine if it is safe to loan rare pieces, according to art conservators.

A research team led by Dr. Marta Oriola of the University of Barcelona and Dr. Matija Strlic of University College London tested the new method on twelve Dali paintings. They found that the painted canvases were strong enough to travel to other museums.

Interestingly, their method also revealed that Dali used cheaper cotton canvases during his student days in Paris before later upgrading to linen. Previously, it would have been impossible to identify the canvas material without cutting out a piece to examine under the microscope. Full Article »

Sharks and the Health of Oceans

by
Scope Correspondent

Shark fishing on coral reefs can threaten herbivorous fish that help to protect the reefs after natural disturbances such as cyclones, according to new study findings.

In areas where commercial shark fishing has occurred, there were declines in parrotfish and other types of herbivorous fish, and increases in carnivores, such as snappers.

Herbivorous fish help to clean and maintain coral reefs by eating algae off of the coral. “They are really essential to the recovery process of reefs,” said Dr. Jonathan Ruppert, a post-doctoral researcher at York University and lead author on the study. “Herbivores help in removing algae from the reef to allow coral to repopulate or reestablish on the reef.”

Researchers looked at the effects of the presence or absence of sharks before and after a traumatic event, either a cyclone or coral bleaching – a process through which warmer water temperatures cause algae to disappear from the corals. They found there was a link between the presence of sharks and populations of other types of fish further down the food chain. Full Article »