Category: Published Science Articles

The Mississippi River that flows by our town may get cleaner faster as a result of a recent Environmental Protection Agency decision. In fact, the federal government is requiring Missouri to make the river along its entire 195-mile stretch on the Missouri border suitable for “whole body contact” — meaning it should be both fishable and swimmable.

This decision does not mean that we can take a dip as soon as warm weather arrives. A Mississippi River in which folks would want to swim is a long-term goal that presents great challenges to the state and the city. Everyone will be asked to play a role in developing solutions, including businesses large and small and even homeowners.

In late October, the EPA ordered the Missouri Clean Water Commission to adopt more stringent water quality standards for the 28.6 miles of the Mississippi that flows past St. Louis. The decision came in the wake of a suit filed by the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. That means that the area will have to get a better grip on handling stormwater runoff that overwhelms the region’s sewer systems.

 

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This article was originally published in the St. Louis Beacon.

The future of wild animals — among them the mighty elephant, the lowly hellbender salamander and the American burying beetle — will be the topic of discussion when the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums meets this week in St. Louis.

Leading conservationists, including keynote speaker Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, will join about 200 heads of zoos and aquariums from all over the world at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. They will meet for two days of presentations followed by work on plans to implement the organization’s updated conservation strategy.The event is hosted by the St. Louis Zoo.

For at least a century, the association’s members have emphasized conservation and education, as well as providing inviting places to visit. But in recent years, in the face of a human population explosion, climate change and growing public awareness of the importance of biodiversity, their mission has evolved.

 

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This article was originally published in the St. Louis Beacon.

Mobility—it’s part of modern American life.  So perhaps it’s no surprise that 500 prairie chickens will relocate from Kansas to Missouri in the next few years.

Prairie chickens are the ‘poster bird’ of prairie restoration.  In 1890, hundreds of thousands of these colorful grouse inhibited the native grasslands that covered about a third of Missouri.  Nature lovers know of the prairie chicken for its entertaining courtship display, in which males dance,  make a “booming” song with inflated orange air sacs,  and joust for female partners.

Today, as few as 100 of these birds remain in the state. They are classified as one of the state’s endangered species.

 

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This article was originally published in the St. Louis Beacon.

If you are reading this story on a computer, you are probably using electricity from coal.

Our modern life style depends upon an uninterrupted and inexpensive supply of electrical energy.  Coal powered electric plants operate around the clock to fill the demand for energy. Currently, half of the electrical power in the U.S. comes from burning coal.  The percentage is even higher in Missouri—76 percent.  And, in the St. Louis area alone, electrical consumption— and therefore the use of coal—is up 50 percent since 1990.

Most scientists and policy makers agree that we must make a transition to renewable and cleaner sources of energy as quickly as possible. In the meantime, however, a great deal of the electricity that we rely upon 24/7 will be generated by burning fossil fuels.

 

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This article was originally published in the St. Louis Beacon.

When you get immunized for the H1N1 swine flu virus this fall, researchers from Saint Louis University will be “deciders” of how the vaccine is administered.

For almost two decades the Center for Vaccine Development at SLU has been one of only eight Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units funded by the National Institutes of Health for clinical trials on new vaccines.

This year, in addition to testing the normal seasonal flu vaccine,  they will be participating in an intense, accelerated clinical research effort aimed at containing the present pandemic.  Cases of H1N1 infection may peak as early as October, so the dosage schedule must be standardized well before then.

“Companies know how to make influenza vaccines,” stated Dr. Robert Belshe, Director of the School of Medicine’s division of Infectious Diseases and the Center for Vaccine Development.  “The problem is knowing how much viral antigen protein to put into the shots.”

 

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This article was originally published in the St. Louis Beacon.