Abstracts: Coal, Steel, and More
• Last Tuesday, President Trump rolled back a temporary ban on coal mining instituted by the Obama administration. Trump has promised that this executive order will put coal miners back to work, but experts say the industry will continue to decline as power plants increasingly rely on natural gas. (Washington Post)
• In other coal-related news, a new study examined the health effects associated with the shutdown of two nuclear power plants in the 1980s. Their replacement with coal power plants was linked to lowered birth weights among local children. (The Guardian)
• With the Trump administration bent on undoing Obama-era climate policies, China is primed to become the world leader in clean energy. (NPR)
• According to a new report from the American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica, climate change doesn’t just spell bad news for the environment. Natural disasters, hot weather, and other consequences of climate change could contribute to a medley of mental health issues in impacted populations. (Huffington Post)
• There is at least some good news for environmental advocates: As of last Thursday, the West Indian manatee found off the shores of Florida and in the Caribbean is no longer officially endangered. This status change is a result of population growth and improving conditions in the manatees’ habitats. (TIME)
• Trump’s nominee to head the FDA, Scott Gottlieb, says he will recuse himself for one year from FDA decisions involving any of the 20-odd health care companies he’s worked with over the course of his career. (New York Times)
• The downside to steel is its tendency to crack under pressure. Now, scientists have fashioned a new type of steel that imitates the complex inner structure of our bones, which are better at withstanding repeated stress. (Science News)
• Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases advanced to a new phase of testing the Zika vaccine last week. So far, so good. Initial results from 40 participants showed an immune response against Zika without serious side effects. (MIT Technology Review)
• And finally, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster — which famously ferried the Dragon spacecraft into orbit last year — launched a communications satellite on Thursday, marking the first time a commercial space company has successfully reused a rocket. (WIRED)