Divers discover mining cave from the Ice Age

"Until now, no one was really sure why this region's earliest inhabitants were exploring underground cave systems."

Austin Fitzgerald-Missouri • futurity
July 14, 2020 • ~6 min

Gold mining leaves deforested Amazon land barren for years, find scientists

Mining strips nitrogen from the soil and means the forest struggles to grow back even after mines are abandoned. 

David Galbraith, Associate Professor in Earth System Dynamics, University of Leeds • conversation
June 30, 2020 • ~7 min

Can UK fossil fuel companies now be held accountable for contributing to climate change overseas?

How Zambian farmers won the right to pursue claims in UK courts – and why UK polluters should be worried

Sam Varvastian, PhD researcher, Cardiff University • conversation
May 28, 2020 • ~7 min

Gold rush, mercury legacy: Small-scale mining for gold has produced long-lasting toxic pollution, from 1860s California to modern Peru

Small-scale gold mining operations in developing countries are major sources of toxic mercury pollution, using techniques that haven't changed much since the California Gold Rush 150 years ago.

Jasmine Parham, Ph.D. Student in Biology, Duke University • conversation
May 28, 2020 • ~10 min

I'm a bit of a modern-day alchemist, recovering gold from old mobile phones

There's 33 times more gold in the average handset than in the equivalent amount of ore. Yet the vast majority is never recovered.

Sandra Wilson, Professor of Ecological Metal Design, University of Dundee • conversation
May 21, 2020 • ~9 min

Indigenous people may be the Amazon's last hope

Native Brazilians are among the Amazon's most effective defenders against logging and mining, because they're fighting not just for the environment but for their people's very survival.

Maira Irigaray, PhD Candidate Geography, University of Florida • conversation
Feb. 27, 2020 • ~9 min

Mine waste dams threaten the environment, even when they don't fail

Dams built to hold enormous quantities of toxic mining waste have a long history of spills. Decisions in the Pacific Northwest threaten three free-flowing rivers there.

Julian D. Olden, Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington • conversation
Feb. 24, 2020 • ~9 min

Are corrugated pipe ‘doors’ too confusing for bats?

New research suggests corrugated metal pipes might not be the best option for letting bats into caves and mines while keeping people out.

Brown University • futurity
Jan. 30, 2020 • ~5 min

Physicists to hunt dark matter in a former gold mine

In a mine where workers once risked their lives to find gold, researchers now seek the ultimate treasure in particle physics—dark matter.

Lawrence Goodman-Brandeis • futurity
June 19, 2019 • ~9 min

Bugs show stream revival succeeded after mine damage

"Clearly, this is a case of the 'canary in the coal mine' and I'm glad to report that our canaries are alive and doing well."

Shelly Leachman-UCSB • futurity
Nov. 8, 2018 • ~6 min

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