A new method for detecting disease-causing bacteria in food could eventually help keep tainted products from landing on diners’ plates.  Read more at NOVA Next.

The solution to saving energy might not be something big—it could be small. Nanoscale, to be exact.  Read more in Conor Gearin’s article at NOVA Next.    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/tech/this-new-nanogenerator-can-power-20-leds-with-the-tap-of-a-finger/

Trees can flee from climate change—with a little help from a burly friend.

Humans, we hope, can retreat from the effects of global warming. But trees—though they have limbs—can’t uproot themselves to find a new home. If a tree species has adapted to a particular temperature range, it needs a way to stay in that range or risk extinction.  Read the rest in NOVA Next.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/nature/black-bears-can-help-fruit-trees-escape-climate-change/

Neuroscientists have known since the 1960s what nerves tell a person’s legs to step off the curb to cross the street. But until now, they had no idea which hold the person back to avoid getting hit by a car.  Margaux Phares reports on NOVA Next.

Contrary to previous reports, China’s efforts at protecting its forests appear to have been successful.  Kendra Pierre-Louis reports at NOVA Next.

We know hypothermia as something that people die from, but can it help save them as well?  Margaux Phares reports on NOVA Next.

800 Trillion Plastic Microbeads Go Down Drains Every Day

From Nova Next, by Kendra Pierre-Louis, ’16

“Scrub away the stank,” promises a television commercial for a popular brand of men’s body wash after flashing a montage of questionable behaviors that would challenge even the most industrial cleaners. However, this cleanser doesn’t just send your dignity down the drain, it also sends microbeads, the tiny bits of plastic that are in myriad personal care products.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/earth/800-trillion-plastic-microbeads-go-down-drains-every-day/

Climate change is making the Antarctic blue—and that might be good news for the rest of the planet. Seafloor communities are flourishing beneath newly ice-free Antarctic seas, and as they grow, they are turning into carbon sinks, gobbling up carbon that might otherwise end up in the atmosphere. Read more at NOVA Next/

Controlled Fires Could Actually Save Forests and Fight Climate Change

at Nova Next, by Conor Gearin

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/earth/controlled-fires-could-actually-save-forests-and-fight-climate-change/