
EPA and Strict PFAS Water Regulations
The EPA recently proposed new regulations that will dramatically lower the amount of PFAS chemicals that can be present in drinking water. PFAS are associated with health concerns including cancers and reproductive issues, so the move is being called a huge win for public health.


Greenwashing Energy from Plastic
So-called “chemical recycling” is a greenwashing term used for incinerating plastic, according to critics. They say “chemical recycling” is contributing to climate change and poor air quality for many marginalized communities.

Mapping the Seafloor to Predict Coastal Flooding
The topography of the coastal seafloor has a lot to do with how much flooding coastal areas will experience during hurricanes. A team of scientists is working on a new technology to create more accurate seafloor maps in the Gulf of Mexico.

This Weeks Show
March 24, 2023
listen / download

EPA and Strict PFAS Water Regulations
listen / download
The EPA recently proposed new regulations that will dramatically lower the amount of PFAS chemicals that can be present in drinking water. PFAS are associated with health concerns including cancers and reproductive issues, so the move is being called a huge win for public health.

Beyond the Headlines
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New research finds plastic bags scouring the deepest parts of the ocean floor. Also, a huge Sargassum seaweed mass is making its way toward the Florida coast just in time for Spring Break. And in the history books, the 52nd anniversary of Tokyo Electric Power Company opening the ill-fated Fukushima nuclear reactors which later were the source of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.

Greenwashing Energy from Plastic
listen / download
So-called “chemical recycling” is a greenwashing term used for incinerating plastic, according to critics. They say “chemical recycling” is contributing to climate change and poor air quality for many marginalized communities.

Insects Need More Protection
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Roughly three quarters of the world’s insect species are inadequately protected, even in conservation areas. To help insects, which are important pollinators and the base of many food chains, even small areas of protected habitat can make a big difference.
Mapping the Seafloor to Predict Coastal Flooding
listen / download
The topography of the coastal seafloor has a lot to do with how much flooding coastal areas will experience during hurricanes. A team of scientists is working on a new technology to create more accurate seafloor maps in the Gulf of Mexico.
Special Features
Field Note: Cliff Hanger
Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender expands on his essay about cormorants and explains how the remnants of war can create refuges for wildlife where no humans will venture.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: I’ll Take Menhaden
Menhaden fish once gathered in schools several miles long and were a common food for predators like sharks, sea birds, and bass. But after humans turned them into everything from supplements to fertilizer their numbers plummeted by roughly 90 percent. In Long Island Sound they’re finally bouncing back and Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender, witnesses their return.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes

...Ultimately, if we are going prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, we are going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them...
-- President Barack Obama, November 6, 2015 on why he declined to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.
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