From exploring flooded sites to providing alerts, use of robotics aims to “increase the arsenal of tools that can help miners work more safely and efficiently.”
safety
Westward Expansion, Technology, and Tornado Fatalities
By mining records from 1808 to 2017, researchers can now show just how many lives have likely been saved by technology like radar.
What Do People Drink When They Think Their Tap Water Isn’t Safe?
An analysis of nationwide housing data shows that minority households disproportionately bear the multibillion-dollar economic burden that comes from believing their water is unsafe.
“Eco-friendly” Flame Retardant May Have Eco-poor Breakdown
These flame retardants replaced earlier chemicals known to degrade into environmentally harmful by-products. The newer compounds may do the same thing.
Sea Level Rise Threatens Hundreds of Wastewater Treatment Plants
Untreated sewage could affect 5 times more people than direct flooding, a new study shows.
Damage Assessment by Laser Could Focus Postearthquake Response
Airborne lidar surveys taken before and after a powerful 2016 earthquake in Japan revealed the potential for such surveys to identify hard-hit buildings quickly.
Group Touts “Beneficial” Coal Ash Recycling
An industry group says recycling coal ash, the second-largest U.S. waste stream, helps the environment and economy. Recycling has a role but also raises concerns, environmentalists argue.
How Lightning Creates "Killer Electrons" in Earth's Radiation Belts
New calculations show that lightning-triggered plasma waves in Earth's magnetosphere absorb energy from slow particles and energize electrons to levels that can damage satellites severely.
What Happens to Methane That Leaks from Abandoned Wells?
Three-dimensional simulations suggest that some aquifers may be more vulnerable to contamination from leaky oil wells than others.
Tougher Guidelines Issued for Alaska Offshore Drilling
The regulations will reinforce safety mechanisms and provide stronger planning efforts and enhanced regulatory certainty, according to the Department of the Interior.
