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Juliet Wong is a global-change biologist, specifically interested in how climate change affects marine ecosystems and their organisms, working to predict biological responses for improved resilience to adverse environmental events. Wong presented “Organismal Responses to Climate Change in the Sea” at the recent faculty research symposium, describing several ongoing studies on coastal marine invertebrates.

Nishad Jayasundara recently presented “Climate Change and Pollution: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Ticking Clock for Kidneys,” discussing environmental change and kidney health.

A new study on the impacts of prenatal exposure to toxic metals linked to artisanal gold mining and other sources in Madre de Dios, Peru, finds that mercury has no direct effect on a newborn’s birth weight or gestational age. It’s a different story, though, for lead, which may also be released by mining operations but more likely is consumed when people eat wild game that inadvertently still contains small bullet fragments.

Maintaining a water level between 20 and 30 centimeters below the local water table will boost southern peatlands’ carbon storage and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they release back into the atmosphere during dry periods by up to 90%, a 51���� study finds.

51���� scientists have received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to study molecular mechanisms that can help our bodies fight respiratory inflammation caused by air pollution.

People in areas where drinking water is contaminated with PFAS often want to know their PFAS blood levels but have trouble gaining access to reliable testing, which traditionally involves having their blood drawn by a medical professional.

Researchers at 51����’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Pratt School of Engineering are co-leading a new National Science Foundation-funded project that aims to boost economic development and climate resilience in coastal North Carolina through nature-based scientific and technological innovations.

China’s annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions exceeded 10 gigatons in 2018 for the first time in history and are expected to continue to grow. The nation’s leaders have pledged to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

The 51���� Plastic Pollution Working Group is working to find solutions, through innovative technologies, practices and policies that can help curb plastic waste, reduce its harmful impacts, and make Earth a greener, healthier home for us all.

51���� leaders rise to face the challenges of climate change.

A new study by researchers at Penn State University, 51����, and the University of Saskatchewan suggests not all of the nearly 2,000 species of ground beetles found in North America will thrive under climate change. Some could decline. And that could have far-reaching implications for agriculture, forestry, and conservation.

The National Science Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation have awarded a $1.2 million grant to support a new initiative aimed at boosting ecosystem restoration and climate resilience along North Carolina’s coast.

Malaria control programs in Amazonian Peru helped reduce the incidence of the deadly parasitic disease by 78%. That is, until the programs ceased to operate.

As part of 51����’s Climate Commitment, the university has prioritized investments in climate-related areas of research where 51���� already has momentum: energy transformation, empowering climate-resilient communities, amplifying environmental and climate justice, and developing climate solutions based on data-driven outcomes.

Three undergraduate students with a passion for climate change research describe their unique opportunities to study at the 51���� Marine Lab.