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Nature Already Invented Biodegradable Plastic. Scientists Want To Copy It. [1]

"Cellophane bees make a polyethylene-like plastic that breaks down in soil within a year. A new PNAS study shows how it could inspire biodegradable bioplastics."

 

Biodiversity [2]
Chemicals [3]
Science [4]
Technology [5]
Public [6]
International [7]
Source: Anthropocene [8], 11/06/2026
  • Read more about Nature Already Invented Biodegradable Plastic. Scientists Want To Copy It. [1]

Is El Niño Making Storms And Flash Floods In The Southwest Worse? [9]

"A natural warming cycle called El Niño is sizzling Pacific Ocean waters, leaking moisture into the air that can fuel passing storms. Such El Niño events can happen irregularly every couple of years, but scientists say the latest iteration is particularly extreme — and it’s just getting started, with impacts expected for several more months."

Climate Change [10]
Disasters [11]
Energy & Fuel [12]
Environmental Health [13]
People & Population [14]
Science [4]
Water & Oceans [15]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: AP [17], 11/03/2026
  • Read more about Is El Niño Making Storms And Flash Floods In The Southwest Worse? [9]

Energy on the Ballot [18]

As the public and news media alike tally the outcomes of this week’s U.S. midterm elections, it is the costs of energy — to the economy and the environment, today and into the future — that will continue to grow to dominate global discourse. A Backgrounder Analysis looks at how environmental journalists must seek the fuller story of this vast energy beat.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Backgrounders [19]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [10]
Consumer [20]
Economy & Business [21]
Energy & Fuel [12]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [23]
Journalism & Media [24]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [25]
Policy [26]
Science [4]
Technology [5]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility: 
Public [6]
  • Read more about Energy on the Ballot [18]

Smoke From LA Fires Exposed Millions To High Levels Of Toxic Heavy Metals [27]

"At the height of the Los Angeles fires in 2025, millions of residents were exposed in a 24-hour period to toxic lead levels from smoke that were 80 times higher than the typical background level, according to a new study."

Chemicals [3]
Climate Change [10]
Disasters [11]
Environmental Health [13]
Pollution [28]
Science [4]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [16]
California [29]
Source: AP [30], 10/30/2026
  • Read more about Smoke From LA Fires Exposed Millions To High Levels Of Toxic Heavy Metals [27]

Trump’s Cuts Have Exposed US To ‘Cascade’ Of El Niño Dangers, Experts Warn [31]

"Sweeping cuts to the premier US climate agency under Donald Trump have severely hampered the country’s capacity to forecast, research and respond to extreme weather events, former government officials and scientists have warned, as the US faces a cascade of hazards fueled by a potentially historic El Niño this winter."

Climate Change [10]
Disasters [11]
Energy & Fuel [12]
Environmental Health [13]
Environmental Politics [22]
Science [4]
Technology [5]
Water & Oceans [15]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: Guardian [32], 10/28/2026
  • Read more about Trump’s Cuts Have Exposed US To ‘Cascade’ Of El Niño Dangers, Experts Warn [31]

Dengue Cases In Florida Continued To Climb After Emergency Declared [33]

"About a month after three Florida counties declared states of emergency over what officials described as a “wildly unusual” dengue outbreak, infections of the mosquito-borne disease have continued to climb."

Biodiversity [2]
Climate Change [10]
Environmental Health [13]
People & Population [14]
Science [4]
Public [6]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Source: Washington Post [35], 10/27/2026
  • Read more about Dengue Cases In Florida Continued To Climb After Emergency Declared [33]

Researchers Leave US Because Of Trump Cuts And Politicization Of Science [36]

"Halley Froehlich was sure she’d spend her scientific career in the United States. Her family has been in America since the 1700s. But over the past two years, delayed federal grants and fears about the future motivated her to pack her life into boxes. She moved to Finland with her husband and daughter and is continuing her research — studying how fish, shellfish and seaweed that humans eat are responding to climate change — at the University of Helsinki."

Environmental Politics [22]
Government [23]
People & Population [14]
Science [4]
Technology [5]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: AP [37], 10/27/2026
  • Read more about Researchers Leave US Because Of Trump Cuts And Politicization Of Science [36]

Nearly All of World’s Shallow Coral Reefs Are Now Critically Endangered [38]

"If climate change continues apace, 96 percent of shallow coral reef ecosystems may collapse within 50 years, including in Australia’s Great Barrier reef."

Biodiversity [2]
Climate Change [10]
Laws & Regulations [39]
Science [4]
Water & Oceans [15]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [16]
International [7]
Source: New York Times [40], 10/26/2026
  • Read more about Nearly All of World’s Shallow Coral Reefs Are Now Critically Endangered [38]

A New Ice Age Was Beginning. Then Humans Started Burning Fossil Fuels [41]

"Ancient plants reveal that the vestiges of the North American ice sheet started expanding a few thousand years ago, but that climate change caused it to reverse course."

Climate Change [10]
Energy & Fuel [12]
Science [4]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [16]
International [7]
Canada [42]
Source: WIRED [43], 10/23/2026
  • Read more about A New Ice Age Was Beginning. Then Humans Started Burning Fossil Fuels [41]

After Trump Scraps Key Climate Report, Scientists Plow Ahead Anyway [44]

"After the Trump administration dismissed scientists behind a key national climate report last year, some of them decided they’d keep working on it — but from outside the government."

Climate Change [10]
Environmental Politics [22]
Journalism & Media [24]
People & Population [14]
Science [4]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: Washington Post [45], 10/21/2026
  • Read more about After Trump Scraps Key Climate Report, Scientists Plow Ahead Anyway [44]

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/nature-already-invented-biodegradable-plastic-scientists-want-copy-it [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [6] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [7] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [8] https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2026/11/nature-already-invented-biodegradable-plastic-scientists-want-to-reverse-engineer-it/ [9] https://www.sej.org/headlines/el-ni-o-making-storms-and-flash-floods-southwest-worse [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [16] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [17] https://apnews.com/article/el-nino-southwest-floods-colorado-arizona-88cf0ddc26d3ec7e40941fb437f9a4e8 [18] https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/energy-ballot [19] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/backgrounders [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/nuclear-power/radiation [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [27] https://www.sej.org/headlines/smoke-la-fires-exposed-millions-high-levels-toxic-heavy-metals [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [29] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [30] https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-fires-2025-eaton-fire-air-pollution-smoke-b1d86fbb096940500a4c04c5d5bf82dd [31] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-s-cuts-have-exposed-us-cascade-el-ni-o-dangers-experts-warn [32] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/27/trump-cuts-el-nino-noaa [33] https://www.sej.org/headlines/dengue-cases-florida-continued-climb-after-emergency-declared [34] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [35] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/10/23/dengue-cases-florida-continued-climb-after-emergency-declared/ [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/researchers-leave-us-because-trump-cuts-and-politicization-science [37] https://apnews.com/article/trump-science-research-funding-cuts-9f4c34581f4343f316a5e72852a71b51 [38] https://www.sej.org/headlines/nearly-all-world-s-shallow-coral-reefs-are-now-critically-endangered [39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [40] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/climate/nearly-all-of-the-worlds-shallow-coral-reefs-are-now-critically-endangered.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LlE.aXRV.q3id4WLlujgA&smid=url-share [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/new-ice-age-was-beginning-then-humans-started-burning-fossil-fuels [42] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/canada [43] https://www.wired.com/story/ice-age-beginning-then-humans-started-burning-fossil-fuels/ [44] https://www.sej.org/headlines/after-trump-scraps-key-climate-report-scientists-plow-ahead-anyway [45] https://wapo.st/485IfYu [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=1 [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=2 [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=3 [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=4 [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=5 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=6 [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=7 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=8 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science?page=344