Growing Impact

Apr 01, 2026 — India is the world's largest groundwater-based economy, with more than half its 1.5 billion population depending on agriculture for their livelihoods — making groundwater depletion a critical threat. Researchers are investigating the Atal Bhujal...

Feb 01, 2026 — Microplastics are turning up in unexpected places, including tidal freshwater marshes. Researchers are uncovering how these ecosystems trap plastics before they reach the ocean, leading to long-term accumulation in sediments and habitats. Understanding...

Dec 01, 2025 — Long-distance wildfire smoke is emerging as a serious health risk in the Northeast U.S., where many residents have little experience navigating hazardous air. Conflicting messages from apps, agencies, media, and social networks often leave people...

Oct 01, 2025 — How do you keep a building comfortable without wasting energy? A Penn State team is tackling that question with an innovative smart window. Using a responsive polymer, the window can block visible light, infrared heat, or both—automatically, without...

Aug 01, 2025 — The Amazon, home to rich biodiversity and vital carbon-storing ecosystems, is also the ancestral land of Indigenous communities who are grappling with the devastating effects of oil extraction across Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. These communities live...