SPONSORED BY  | | | | March 20, 2024: "Forever chemicals" in food packaging, pollinators are loving solar array fields, and many stars eat their own planets. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | More Chemicals Everywhere | A global study identified 68 PFAS chemicals in food packaging, and 61 of them were not supposed to be there. About 140 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are known to be used in food packaging, but only seven of the 68 chemicals in the study were on this list. Scientists don't know how or why the other 61 chemicals turned up. The packaging materials included coated paper wrappers, plastic containers and aluminum foil. Why this matters: PFASs are ubiquitous in many commonplace objects, from cookware to cosmetics, because of their ability to repel water and grease. There are more than 12,000 known PFASs, and scientists don't know much about the long-term effects of most of them, though we know they can seep into human skin and persist in waterways and animal tissue. Many of the most-studied PFAS compounds have been linked to cancer, reproductive problems and lessened response to vaccines. These compounds are called "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the body or environment.
What can be done: Experts say the presence of unknown PFASs in food packaging warrants regulating these chemicals as a single class, say, in widespread limits or bans—a position shared by many other scientific experts and environmental protection groups. The chemical industry advocates dealing with chemicals one-by-one. | | | Solar (Wildflower) Fields | And now for good news: Some solar energy companies plant native wildflowers in their panel array fields. Those modern meadows turn out to be beneficial for pollinator species. For five years, researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory tracked pollinator numbers at two solar array wildflower fields in southern Minnesota. They found surging numbers of bees, beetles, butterflies, moths and more. Native bee populations increased 20-fold by the study's end. And twice as many bees visited adjacent soybean fields compared with fields farther away. Why this matters: About 75 percent of North American plant species (including many agricultural crops) rely on pollinators. But bee and butterfly populations have experienced staggering die-offs, likely caused by pesticide use, greenhouse gas emissions and habitat destruction. Nearly one in four native bee species is at increasing risk of extinction. The World Wildlife Fund reported last month that the 2023-2024 population of monarch butterflies will be the second lowest count in history.
What the experts say: The federal government hopes to devote several million hectares of land (80 percent in former agricultural plots) for solar energy. Seeding those fields with native wildflowers could boost pollinator populations. Though many solar companies are concerned with the costs, as incentives emerge and research is refined, it won't take much of a nudge to make the practice common, says Zara Dowling, an ecologist who oversees a pollinator-friendly certification program for solar facilities in Massachusetts. "From what I've heard," she says, "a lot of them are willing to do it if they can break even." | | | Credit: Frederick Bass/Getty Images | | | • Theoretical physicist Avi Loeb used seismology data to help locate the remnants of a 2014 meteor that crashed into the South Pacific. But a new analysis says that seismograph actually recorded a truck driving by. | 7 min read | | | • At the start of teaching introductory and organic chemistry every semester at Northwestern University, associate professor Stephanie Knezz shows her students a slide with all the faces of the white men whose names are on the chemical reactions the students will learn in the coming term. Her goal is simple, to openly display the historical lack of diversity in science and inspire her students to change the culture, she says. "What I want my students to understand is that even if you don't see yourself in these faces, you not only belong, but your participation is vitally important." | 5 min read | | | SPONSORED CONTENT BY HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE | Seeking: Innovative researchers committed to inclusive science | Eligible early career faculty scientists in the biological and biomedical sciences may apply to the HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program. Scholars may receive up to $8.6 million over 10 years, including full salary, benefits, a research budget, and scientific equipment. Learn More | | | • A social psychologist argues that smartphones have ruined childhood. | The Atlantic | • The inside story of a superconductivity scandal.| Nature
| • Schemes that sell millions in carbon credits to companies are meant to deliver money to the developing world. But that money never arrives. | The Guardian | | | If you're worried about the health of bug populations (especially bees) like I am, consider planting native pollinator-friendly plants in your garden, planter box, or fire escape pot. The National Park Service offers a great place to start with printable pollinator planting guides. I recommended last summer in this newsletter that we Americans reconsider our love affair with grass lawns. Not everyone loved the idea (and didn't hesitate to tell me why) and it's understandable. But if you're curious about what to do with your lawn instead of growing and mowing grass (which is a veritable desert for pollinators), check out the "No Lawn" forum on the social media platform Reddit to get inspired. If I convince a few of you to plant more flowers and give up some grass, I'll be happy!
| Whether you're pro- or anti-lawn, feel free to email me with any feedback or ideas: newsletters@sciam.com. I read all messages and respond to as many as I can. Until tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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