From sunscreen to essential oils, why some personal care products could be harmful to your health

Personal care products, such as hairspray, perfume and deodorant, can contain potentially toxic chemicals. Here’s what you need to know.

Asit Kumar Mishra, Research Fellow in School of Public of Health, University College Cork • conversation
Feb. 26, 2025 ~6 min

Hairstylists face high levels of harmful airborne chemicals

"Manufacturers of hair care products need to focus on developing safer options that don't put hairstylists or consumers in harm's way."

Johns Hopkins University • futurity
Feb. 5, 2025 ~5 min


Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe

The chemicals emitted when buildings and vehicles burn can find their way into nearby homes. Studies show the health risks can stick around.

Colleen E. Reid, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Jan. 9, 2025 ~7 min

Wildfire smoke’s health risks can linger in homes that escape burning − as Colorado’s Marshall Fire survivors discovered

A series of surveys in the months and years after the devastating blaze near Boulder revealed continuing health concerns in surviving buildings, and tips for how to clean up smoke-damaged homes.

Colleen E. Reid, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Dec. 23, 2024 ~8 min

3 years after the Marshall Fire: Wildfire smoke’s health risks can linger long-term in homes that escape burning

The fire burned more than 1,000 homes outside Boulder, Colorado, in 2021. A series of surveys shows residents’ continuing health concerns, and tips for how to deal with smoke-damaged homes.

Colleen E. Reid, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Dec. 23, 2024 ~8 min

The silent conversations of plants

How do plants communicate, and how does it differ from us?

Sven Batke, Associate Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange - Reader in Plant Science, Edge Hill University • conversation
Sept. 16, 2024 ~7 min

Wildfires don’t just burn farmland − they can contaminate the water farmers use to irrigate crops and support livestock

Just like fires can contaminate municipal water systems by melting pipes, farms’ and ranches’ water supply systems are at risk. A first-of-its-kind study after the Maui fires explores the harms.

Andrew J. Whelton, Professor of Civil, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University • conversation
Aug. 13, 2024 ~9 min

City office buildings pump polluted air outside

"Our results demonstrate that buildings can directly influence urban air quality due to substantial outdoor-indoor air exchange."

Kayla Wiles-Purdue • futurity
June 3, 2024 ~8 min


Your unique smell can provide clues about how healthy you are

The science of smell is an exciting area of research.

Aoife Morrin, Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Dublin City University • conversation
Feb. 9, 2024 ~7 min

That sharp, green smell of freshly cut grass? It’s a plant’s cry for help – and it may work as a less toxic pesticide for farmers

Green plants produce a specific gas when under attack to both directly ward off herbivores and pathogens and indirectly lure in herbivore predators.

Sasimonthakan Tanarsuwongkul, Ph.D. Candidate in Biochemistry, University of South Carolina • conversation
Jan. 29, 2024 ~5 min

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