25 years of Everglades restoration has improved drinking water for millions in Florida, but a new risk is rising

Changes to the landscape and pollution have harmed this vital ecosystem known as the ‘river of grass.’

John Kominoski, Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
April 15, 2025 ~10 min

Industrial chicken farms are trashing Britain’s rivers – and planning reforms could make things worse

The UK’s proposed Planning Bill may make it easier to build river-polluting chicken farms.

Rosalind Malcolm, Professor of Environmental Law, Director of Environmental Regulatory Research Group (ERRG), University of Surrey • conversation
April 3, 2025 ~7 min


Vitamin D builds your bones and keeps your gut sealed, among many other essential functions − but many children are deficient

Because vitamin D plays a crucial role in many aspects of health and growth, inadequate levels can put children at risk of developing chronic disease early on.

Cristina Palacios, Professor and Chair of Dietetics and Nutrition, Florida International University • conversation
April 3, 2025 ~8 min

Selenium is an essential nutrient named after the Greek goddess of the Moon − crucial to health, it may help prevent and treat cancer

You need only trace amounts of selenium to survive. Falling outside of this narrow therapeutic window can have significant health consequences.

Aliasger K. Salem, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iowa • conversation
Feb. 25, 2025 ~8 min

Why is water different colors in different places?

Blue, green orange, brown − water comes in many colors, depending on what’s in it.

Courtney Di Vittorio, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Wake Forest University • conversation
Feb. 17, 2025 ~7 min

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

It’s easy to get caught up in the promise of quick health fixes, but they are generally too good to be true.

Aimee Pugh Bernard, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus • conversation
Jan. 28, 2025 ~10 min

How your festival wee could disrupt soil health and water quality

Festivalgoers could be adding nitrogen and phosphorous to the rural environment at concentrated hotspots by weeing in the open air.

Jess Davies, Chair Professor in Sustainability, Lancaster University • conversation
Aug. 22, 2024 ~6 min

Nutrition Facts labels have a complicated legacy – a historian explains the science and politics of translating food into information

The process of converting food into nutritional information is more than just a scientific process. It involves many political and technical compromises that continue to shape the food industry today.

Xaq Frohlich, Associate Professor of History of Technology, Auburn University • conversation
July 16, 2024 ~11 min


Seagrass meadows are rapidly expanding near inhabited islands in Maldives – here’s why

While humanity often has a negative impact, people may inadvertently play a pivotal role in this Maldivian seagrass success story.

Matthew Floyd, PhD Candidate, Marine Ecology, Northumbria University, Newcastle • conversation
May 15, 2024 ~6 min

What is dirt? There’s a whole wriggling world alive in the ground beneath our feet, as a soil scientist explains

Rock dust is only part of the story of soil. Living creatures, many of them too tiny to see, keep that soil healthy for growing everything from food to forests.

Brian Darby, Associate Professor of Biology, University of North Dakota • conversation
March 25, 2024 ~7 min

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