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CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
Living in fear in Iran, Dodger Stadium dispute, marijuana risks: Catch up on the day's stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! That extra fee for a plastic shopping bag at the grocery store is actually making a difference for marine ecosystems. Those policies are associated with a 25% to 47% decrease in plastic bag litter in shoreline cleanups, a new study found. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day. 1️⃣ Living in fear: After days of tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran, the civilians stuck in the middle are feeling desperation and despair. Israel's bombing campaigns have taken out much of the key leadership in Iran's military and nuclear program. 2️⃣ Stadium dispute: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Trump administration are at odds over what happened when federal agents showed up outside Dodger Stadium. Protesters began chanting anti-ICE slogans, but the government said there were no operations related to the baseball team. 3️⃣ A female first: A key election in Virginia this fall will make history no matter who wins: Democrat Abigail Spanberger or Republican Winsome Earle-Sears will become the state's first elected female governor. Neither candidate is talking much about it. 4️⃣ Cannabis risks: Marijuana use dramatically increases the chance of dying from a heart attack or stroke, according to a new analysis. Experts say weed's higher potency is a growing concern when it comes to potential health problems. 5️⃣ Cracks and dents: It's fair to say that the Florida Panthers are enjoying their Stanley Cup victory celebrations — but they've come at the expense of the trophy itself. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 💥 'Major anomaly': In the latest setback for Elon Musk's SpaceX venture, a Starship rocket preparing for a test flight exploded into a giant fireball in southern Texas. No one was injured, and the cause is under investigation. • Trump to allow up to two weeks for diplomacy before deciding on US strike on Iran• Unpacking the second trial and verdict that cleared Karen Read of murder• How a leaked phone call between a former strongman and a young leader could topple a government 🚘 That's how much General Motors said it would invest in three US plants to boost production of gas and electric vehicles. ✨ Living in your skin: Membership of traditional naturist organizations and clubs is on the decline, but there are growing numbers of people embracing clothing-free lifestyles. Check out these communities whether it's to explore your newfound freedom or grow closer to nature, your community and yourself. 'I don't know how I survived … For some time, I thought I was going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive.' Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air India plane crash 🛩️ Sole survivor: Moments after the plane crashed, the 40-year-old unbuckled himself and stepped out of the scene that had just killed 241 people — including his brother Ajay Ramesh. A day after his discharge from the hospital, he solemnly carried his loved one's coffin, performing the last rites for a life lost in the deadly disaster. 😷 A new coronavirus variant surging in China has arrived in the US. What is it called?A. DeltaB. OmicronC. AlphaD. Nimbus⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. 💙 Something old, something new: Piercing blue eyes. Strong brows. A nose similar to that of Cheddar Man. These are the features of a prehistoric woman who lived around 10,500 years ago in what is now Belgium. Researchers studying the remains have produced a reconstruction of her face using ancient DNA. Take a look. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: D. The NB.1.8.1 coronavirus variant, known as Nimbus, has been linked to about one-third of new cases in the US.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. 5 Things PM is edited and produced by CNN's Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Kimberly Richardson and Morgan Severson.
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
Living in fear in Iran, Dodger Stadium dispute, marijuana risks: Catch up on the day's stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! That extra fee for a plastic shopping bag at the grocery store is actually making a difference for marine ecosystems. Those policies are associated with a 25% to 47% decrease in plastic bag litter in shoreline cleanups, a new study found. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day. 1️⃣ Living in fear: After days of tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran, the civilians stuck in the middle are feeling desperation and despair. Israel's bombing campaigns have taken out much of the key leadership in Iran's military and nuclear program. 2️⃣ Stadium dispute: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Trump administration are at odds over what happened when federal agents showed up outside Dodger Stadium. Protesters began chanting anti-ICE slogans, but the government said there were no operations related to the baseball team. 3️⃣ A female first: A key election in Virginia this fall will make history no matter who wins: Democrat Abigail Spanberger or Republican Winsome Earle-Sears will become the state's first elected female governor. Neither candidate is talking much about it. 4️⃣ Cannabis risks: Marijuana use dramatically increases the chance of dying from a heart attack or stroke, according to a new analysis. Experts say weed's higher potency is a growing concern when it comes to potential health problems. 5️⃣ Cracks and dents: It's fair to say that the Florida Panthers are enjoying their Stanley Cup victory celebrations — but they've come at the expense of the trophy itself. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 💥 'Major anomaly': In the latest setback for Elon Musk's SpaceX venture, a Starship rocket preparing for a test flight exploded into a giant fireball in southern Texas. No one was injured, and the cause is under investigation. • Trump to allow up to two weeks for diplomacy before deciding on US strike on Iran• Unpacking the second trial and verdict that cleared Karen Read of murder• How a leaked phone call between a former strongman and a young leader could topple a government 🚘 That's how much General Motors said it would invest in three US plants to boost production of gas and electric vehicles. ✨ Living in your skin: Membership of traditional naturist organizations and clubs is on the decline, but there are growing numbers of people embracing clothing-free lifestyles. Check out these communities whether it's to explore your newfound freedom or grow closer to nature, your community and yourself. 'I don't know how I survived … For some time, I thought I was going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive.' Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air India plane crash 🛩️ Sole survivor: Moments after the plane crashed, the 40-year-old unbuckled himself and stepped out of the scene that had just killed 241 people — including his brother Ajay Ramesh. A day after his discharge from the hospital, he solemnly carried his loved one's coffin, performing the last rites for a life lost in the deadly disaster. 😷 A new coronavirus variant surging in China has arrived in the US. What is it called?A. DeltaB. OmicronC. AlphaD. Nimbus⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. 💙 Something old, something new: Piercing blue eyes. Strong brows. A nose similar to that of Cheddar Man. These are the features of a prehistoric woman who lived around 10,500 years ago in what is now Belgium. Researchers studying the remains have produced a reconstruction of her face using ancient DNA. Take a look. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: D. The NB.1.8.1 coronavirus variant, known as Nimbus, has been linked to about one-third of new cases in the US.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. 5 Things PM is edited and produced by CNN's Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Kimberly Richardson and Morgan Severson.
CNN
a day ago
- Health
- CNN
Plastic shopping bag policies are actually working, a new study suggests
Sign up for CNN's Life, But Greener newsletter. Our limited newsletter series guides you on how to minimize your personal role in the climate crisis — and reduce your eco-anxiety. That extra fee at the grocery store for a plastic shopping bag isn't just an inconvenience –– it is actually making a difference for marine ecosystems, according to a new study. Policies that ban or impose fees on plastic bags are associated with a 25% to 47% decrease in plastic bag litter in shoreline cleanups, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science. Plastic litter is a big risk to the health of marine ecosystems, and the problem is growing, said lead study author Dr. Anna Papp, an environmental economist and incoming postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The United States has no federal-level policy on plastic bags, so researchers analyzed 180 local programs, including full bans, fees on shopping bags and partial bans –– which sometimes have special regulations such as requiring thicker plastics to make shopping bags reusable. Researchers then analyzed data from more than 45,000 US shoreline cleanups to compare the litter before and after the policy was passed as well as the differences between areas with and without a policy, Papp said. 'The main finding is that these policies led to a decrease in plastic bags as a share of total items collected,' she said. Other studies have shown that plastic bag policies affect how many bags consumers use, said Dr. Erin Murphy, manager of Ocean Plastics Research for the Ocean Conservancy. But this most recent research 'really takes it to the next level, showing it's not only reducing the amount of bags we're using, but it's actually achieving our broader objectives of environmental cleanliness,' she said. Plastic bag pollution is harmful to both animals and humans. On beaches or other outdoor spaces, plastic pollution can have a negative impact on tourism or the value of spending time in nature, Papp said. Plastic bag litter is particularly dangerous to marine animals for two reasons, Murphy said. First, they enter the environment more easily than other types of plastic. 'They're hard to recycle, they're single-use, and they're lightweight, and so they blow very easily in the wind. Even if we're trying to properly manage them, it's easy for them to escape waste management systems and get into the environment,' she said. Second, once they enter the environment, plastic bags can lead to population-level effects on marine species, Murphy said. Many species, including marine mammals and sea turtles, will eat the plastic bags, obstructing the gastrointestinal tract and preventing them from eating until they die, she said. Plastic bags can also entangle wildlife, keeping hatchling sea turtles from reaching the ocean and shading coral reefs, all of which can lead to disease and death for marine species. 'In 2024 alone, our International Coastal Cleanup volunteers cleaned up over 500,000 grocery bags from the environment and 500,000 other plastic bags, totaling more than a million different plastic bag types from the environment,' Murphy said. 'They're always in our top 10 items found in the environment, and that alone is an issue.' While bans and fees on plastic bags are helping, they are not eradicating the problem, Papp said. 'Plastic pollution is a growing global problem,' she said. 'The overall percentage of plastic bags is still increasing … This increase is just slower in places with policies.' The evidence suggests some policies are more effective than others: Full bans made a bigger impact than partial bans, and fees seemed better than bans, said study coauthor Dr. Kimberly Oremus, an associate professor at the University of Delaware School of Marine Science and Policy. 'One hypothesis is that in at least some cases, the revenue from fees is being used to further reduce litter. In Washington, DC, for example, they use the revenue from plastic bag fees to clean up river shorelines,' Oremus said. However, the hypothesis has not been investigated, and there is not yet enough data to say for sure that fees are more effective than bans, she said. More must likely be done outside of these policies as well, Papp said. The United States needs regulations not just on the consumption of plastic bags but also on the production and supply of them, she added. There are also steps you can take so your plastic shopping bag doesn't end up in the environment, Papp said. For one, if you do use a plastic bag, don't let it fly away and create litter. Then, properly dispose of it — for example, you can take it to a plastic bag recycling station, she said. And you can always go back to the three R's, said Dr. Rebecca Taylor, an assistant professor of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Reduce the number of plastic bags you use, reuse them when you can and recycle them when you must.
CNN
a day ago
- Health
- CNN
Plastic shopping bag policies are actually working, a new study suggests
Sign up for CNN's Life, But Greener newsletter. Our limited newsletter series guides you on how to minimize your personal role in the climate crisis — and reduce your eco-anxiety. That extra fee at the grocery store for a plastic shopping bag isn't just an inconvenience –– it is actually making a difference for marine ecosystems, according to a new study. Policies that ban or impose fees on plastic bags are associated with a 25% to 47% decrease in plastic bag litter in shoreline cleanups, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science. Plastic litter is a big risk to the health of marine ecosystems, and the problem is growing, said lead study author Dr. Anna Papp, an environmental economist and incoming postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The United States has no federal-level policy on plastic bags, so researchers analyzed 180 local programs, including full bans, fees on shopping bags and partial bans –– which sometimes have special regulations such as requiring thicker plastics to make shopping bags reusable. Researchers then analyzed data from more than 45,000 US shoreline cleanups to compare the litter before and after the policy was passed as well as the differences between areas with and without a policy, Papp said. 'The main finding is that these policies led to a decrease in plastic bags as a share of total items collected,' she said. Other studies have shown that plastic bag policies affect how many bags consumers use, said Dr. Erin Murphy, manager of Ocean Plastics Research for the Ocean Conservancy. But this most recent research 'really takes it to the next level, showing it's not only reducing the amount of bags we're using, but it's actually achieving our broader objectives of environmental cleanliness,' she said. Plastic bag pollution is harmful to both animals and humans. On beaches or other outdoor spaces, plastic pollution can have a negative impact on tourism or the value of spending time in nature, Papp said. Plastic bag litter is particularly dangerous to marine animals for two reasons, Murphy said. First, they enter the environment more easily than other types of plastic. 'They're hard to recycle, they're single-use, and they're lightweight, and so they blow very easily in the wind. Even if we're trying to properly manage them, it's easy for them to escape waste management systems and get into the environment,' she said. Second, once they enter the environment, plastic bags can lead to population-level effects on marine species, Murphy said. Many species, including marine mammals and sea turtles, will eat the plastic bags, obstructing the gastrointestinal tract and preventing them from eating until they die, she said. Plastic bags can also entangle wildlife, keeping hatchling sea turtles from reaching the ocean and shading coral reefs, all of which can lead to disease and death for marine species. 'In 2024 alone, our International Coastal Cleanup volunteers cleaned up over 500,000 grocery bags from the environment and 500,000 other plastic bags, totaling more than a million different plastic bag types from the environment,' Murphy said. 'They're always in our top 10 items found in the environment, and that alone is an issue.' While bans and fees on plastic bags are helping, they are not eradicating the problem, Papp said. 'Plastic pollution is a growing global problem,' she said. 'The overall percentage of plastic bags is still increasing … This increase is just slower in places with policies.' The evidence suggests some policies are more effective than others: Full bans made a bigger impact than partial bans, and fees seemed better than bans, said study coauthor Dr. Kimberly Oremus, an associate professor at the University of Delaware School of Marine Science and Policy. 'One hypothesis is that in at least some cases, the revenue from fees is being used to further reduce litter. In Washington, DC, for example, they use the revenue from plastic bag fees to clean up river shorelines,' Oremus said. However, the hypothesis has not been investigated, and there is not yet enough data to say for sure that fees are more effective than bans, she said. More must likely be done outside of these policies as well, Papp said. The United States needs regulations not just on the consumption of plastic bags but also on the production and supply of them, she added. There are also steps you can take so your plastic shopping bag doesn't end up in the environment, Papp said. For one, if you do use a plastic bag, don't let it fly away and create litter. Then, properly dispose of it — for example, you can take it to a plastic bag recycling station, she said. And you can always go back to the three R's, said Dr. Rebecca Taylor, an assistant professor of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Reduce the number of plastic bags you use, reuse them when you can and recycle them when you must.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers develop innovative method to study crucial ocean creatures: 'Offers a powerful solution'
Coral reefs play crucial roles in marine ecosystems, and researchers in Okinawa, Japan, have developed a technology to further understand these complex creatures. Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology were able to identify reef-building corals called Scleractinia using environmental DNA, as shared. The eDNA system, a collaboration between several Japanese universities and organizations, collects and analyzes the DNA that corals shed by gathering seawater samples. This system detects 83 of 85 known Scleractinia in Japan, enabling scientists to monitor reef-building corals more accurately, efficiently, and cost-effectively. The OIST explained that prior to this system, trained divers and snorkelers performed time-consuming and often imprecise coral surveys. Underwater video imaging improved these surveys, but large-scale, comprehensive assessments remained challenging. But eDNA solves that challenge. While researchers produced the technology in 2021, they were unable to utilize it due to an absence of data to compare the DNA to. The latest development of this technology included sequencing the DNA of two-thirds of Japan's known Scleractinia to establish a more complete database, and scientists discovered a previously unknown diversity of reef-building corals in the process. Corals, and the reefs they produce, play host to some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. About 25% of the ocean's fish rely on coral reefs, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and fish and other organisms use corals for shelter, food, and reproduction. Coral reefs also benefit coastal communities, protecting them from storms and erosion and supporting their economies. Should we be harnessing the ocean to power our homes? Absolutely Leave it be It depends I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The NOAA stated that over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection, while their net economic value is estimated to be tens of billions of U.S. dollars per year. These ecosystems are culturally important, too. But rising ocean temperatures threaten coral reefs. Warmer temperatures can cause coral bleaching and death, affecting both corals and the species that rely on them. The eDNA technology can help scientists monitor coral reefs as they adapt to these changes. "Corals can now be found at the entrance to Tokyo Bay — another sign of climate change reshaping marine ecosystems," Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Professor Nori Satoh said. "Such shifts highlight the urgent need for accurate monitoring, and our newly developed system offers a powerful solution." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
