A silver lining of social distancing and quarantine? Better air quality. As more and more cities across the U.S. clamp down on travel, there have been fewer cars on the road and early reports of improved air quality in cities like Los Angeles, Philadelphia and more. Peter DeCarlo, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University, can discuss how and to what extent social distancing and quarantine measures affect air pollution.
Recent news from The Johns Hopkins University
This section contains regularly updated highlights of the news from around The Johns Hopkins University. Links to the complete news reports from the nine schools, the Applied Physics Laboratory and other centers and institutes are to the left, as are links to help news media contact the Johns Hopkins communications offices.
More Pavement, More Problems
Think your daily coffee, boutique gym membership and airport lounge access cost a lot? There may be an additional, hidden cost to those luxuries of urban living, says a new Johns Hopkins University study: more flooding.
For every percentage point increase in roads, parking lots and other impervious surfaces that prevent water from flowing into the ground, annual floods increase on average by 3.3%, the researchers found.
China’s Regulations Unsuccessful in Curbing Methane Emissions
China, already the world’s leading emitter of human-caused greenhouse gases, continues to pump increasing amounts of climate-changing methane into the atmosphere despite tough new regulations on gas releases from its coal mines, a new Johns Hopkins study shows.
JHU Project Aims to Save Millions by Reducing Solar Power Forecast Errors
Although the popularity of solar energy has surged, the unpredictability of a weather-dependent technology has kept even more people from embracing it. A new Johns Hopkins University-led project hopes to change that by improving our ability to forecast sunshine and backup power needs.
Flaw Found in Water Treatment Methods
Some potentially toxic chemicals in water may be created, ironically, during the water treatment process itself.
Science and Health News Tips from Johns Hopkins
These news tips come from stories in the winter issue of Johns Hopkins Magazine.
Secrets of Ancient Egypt May Spark Better Fuel Cells for Tomorrow’s Cars
To make modern-day fuel cells less expensive and more powerful, a team led by Johns Hopkins chemical engineers has drawn inspiration from the ancient Egyptian tradition of gilding.
JHU Scientist Crowdsources Rocks Harboring Earthly “Extraterrestrials”
Crowdsourcing has been used to create an online photography archive, finance a British rock band’s tour and search for intelligent life on other planets. Now, Johns Hopkins University biologist Jocelyne DiRuggiero is hoping the approach can help her find rocks.
Climate Change Likely to be More Deadly in Poor African Settlements
Conditions in crowded, urban settlements in Africa make worse the effects of climate change, pushing temperatures to dangerous heights for children and the elderly in those areas, according to a new study led by a Johns Hopkins University scientist.
MEDIA ADVISORY: More Hurricane Experts from Johns Hopkins University
This is an additional list of experts from the Johns Hopkins University on issues associated with Hurricane Harvey and now Hurricane Irma
MEDIA ADVISORY: More Hurricane Harvey Experts from Johns Hopkins University
This is a third list of experts from the Johns Hopkins University on issues associated with the onslaught and aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
MEDIA ADVISORY: More Hurricane Harvey Experts from Johns Hopkins University
This is a second list of experts from the Johns Hopkins University on issues associated with the onslaught and aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
Media Advisory: Johns Hopkins Researchers to Present Their Work on Capitol Hill
Early career scientists, physicians, engineers and specialists in public health, nursing, music and marketing from Johns Hopkins University will gather on Capitol Hill in Washington to present their federally-funded research, emphasizing the importance of continuing federal support in the pursuit of new knowledge and innovation.
Mouse Tests Aim to Show How Genes and Environment Join Forces to Cause Disease
When researchers try to uncover the cause of disease, they commonly start with two questions: Did a quirk in the patient’s genes open the door to illness? Did exposure to environmental factors play havoc with the patient’s health? Very often, both troublemakers are at least partly to blame. To provide the most effective treatment, doctors need to know as much as possible about how these partners in sickness and poor health work together.
How Do Energy Policies and Climate Change Affect Air Quality—and Our Health?
A new interdisciplinary science team, led by experts from Yale and Johns Hopkins universities and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will try to figure how power generation trends, climate change and public policy interact to affect air quality. A key goal is to trace how the resulting changes in air pollution may affect the health of people who live and work in the mid-Atlantic area.
Rapid Plankton Growth in Ocean Seen as Sign of Carbon Dioxide Loading
A microscopic marine alga is thriving in the North Atlantic to an extent that defies scientific predictions, suggesting swift environmental change as a result of rising carbon dioxide in the ocean, a study led a by Johns Hopkins University scientist has found.
Johns Hopkins Joins National Sustainable Nanotechnology Project
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University have joined a national effort to produce environmentally friendly materials built at the atomic and molecular scale.The environmental impact of materials used in emerging areas of nanotechnology – used, for instance, in video screens, solar cells and electric car batteries – is largely unknown, but scientists working across the country under a new federal grant hope to learn how these products affect the natural world before their commercial use expands.
Advisory: Johns Hopkins Business Experts Available to Discuss Hurricane Katrina
To assist journalists covering the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School experts are available to comment on issues related to risk management, preparedness, community development, infrastructure, health, finance and related issues.
Johns Hopkins Researchers Partner with Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore to Probe Mercury Levels in Dolphins
Johns Hopkins environmental scientists are collaborating with researchers from Dolphin Island at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, to learn more about how and where mercury accumulates in the bodies of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins.
How Climate Change Could Leave Cities in the Dark
Cities like Miami are all too familiar with hurricane-related power outages. But a Johns Hopkins University analysis finds climate change will give other major metro areas a lot to worry about in the future.
Testosterone In Male Songbirds May Enhance Desire To Sing But Not Song Quality
Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have found that introducing testosterone in select areas of a male canary’s brain can affect its ability to successfully attract and mate with a female through birdsong. They also found that enhancing song activity based on testosterone in one brain area can change the size of a separate brain area that regulates song quality.