Environment

NASA is planning to start “the biggest man-made fire ever in space” aboard an unmanned Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo vehicle. In an experiment known as Saffire scientists want to find out how fire spreads in near-zero gravity in a bid to keep astronauts safe. International Business Times reports: The study is being developed by engineers at Nasa’s Glenn Research Centre, Ohio, and will be lit after the cargo vehicle delivers supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The idea is to monitor the way that flames spread in microgravity so that future disasters can be avoided.

France have announced plans to completely ban the use of pesticides due to unusually high bee deaths worldwide, which French authorities claims pesticides are responsible for.  Lawmakers have approved plans to ban some of the most popular pesticide products on the market, going above and beyond European Union requirements. Reuters.com reports: The EU limited the use of neonicotinoid chemicals, produced by companies including Bayer CropScience and Syngenta , two years ago after research pointed to risks for bees, which play a crucial role pollinating crops.

USA Today this past weekend reported in the wake of the current water crisis in Flint, Michigan that an estimated six million Americans have drinking water contaminated with much higher levels of lead than allowed by federal guidelines. The AFP via Yahoo!

California is suffering one of the worst droughts in history, which according to Oregon Live, is causing some companies to become very creative with what they use to make their products…particularly in the beer industry: Half Moon Bay Brewing created an IPA with gray water from toilets and showers. The water, of course, is treated using NASA’s system that allows astronauts, such as recently-returned Scott Kelly, to brew coffee with their sweat and urine.

The city of Portland are suing GMO giant Monsanto for poisoning the city’s water supply with PCBs.  City Attorney Tracy Reeve has filed a suit claiming that traces of cancer causing PCB chemicals were found in Portland’s waterways. Kgw.com reports: Reeve says the city has already spent a significant amount of public money to clean up the PCB contamination in the Willamette River and Columbia Slough and will continue to do so. It has known for years of the contamination.