Allergenic Pollen by Ragweed Pollen allergies have been on a rise in recent times, and this study by Peter Wayne, and the center’s former associate director, Paul Epstein, shows that increased carbon dioxide levels could be directly responsible. In environmentally controlled greenhouses, the team grew two batches of ragweed. The batch, which was exposed to …
Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) are threatened by habitat destruction, human encroachment, and by exposure to persistent organic pollutants (they are at the top of the marine food chain and tend to concentrate these toxic chemicals in their tissues). But the greatest threat to them is from the melting of sea ice due to global warming, …
Scientists discover new species all the time. And every new species has something to offer us. Dr. Aaron Bernstein’s paper, The Importance of Biodiversity to Medicine, explores the different ways in which these species, and others that are endangered now, could be tapped for biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Bernstein writes, “When it comes to biodiversity—a …
