© Julián Trejo Bax/Associated Press
Michigan case is one of several legal disputes as Trump administration uses emergency powers to force a half-dozen coal-fired plants from closing
In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the energy department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year.
The energy secretary, Chris Wright, had said the 64-year-old JH Campbell Generating plant was needed to ensure reliable electricity in the region, and he used emergency powers to keep it operating. Environmental groups and three states – Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota – went to court to try to overturn orders keeping the plant online.
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© Photograph: Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette/AP
© Photograph: Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette/AP
© Photograph: Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette/AP
New findings raise questions about the role of microbes living in the lungs. More than 35 trillion bacteria live throughout the human body, forming microbiomes in the gut, mouth, lungs, skin, and urogenital tract. Researchers increasingly recognize that these microbial communities are connected to both health and disease, but much about what individual microbes do [...]
© Nina Riggio for The New York Times
A study suggests that severe pollinator losses may have sharply slowed plant adaptation. A morning glory facing a warmer climate may benefit from blooming earlier. But if pollinators are becoming harder to attract, producing larger flowers may matter more. New research suggests that these competing pressures have become linked in a way that sharply limits [...]Lettuce and salad greens have become the prime suspects in an explosive outbreak of the diarrheal parasite Cyclospora, which is surging nationwide but erupting to extraordinary heights in Michigan.
In recent years, Michigan has typically reported around 50 cases of cyclosporiasis, which causes urgent bouts of watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. But, this year, as of July 14, the state has reported 3,309 cases of the food-borne pathogen. Of those 44 have been hospitalized.
Based on interviews with more than 1,000 people sickened in Michigan, the latest data is pointing to leafy greens as the source, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
© Getty | Al Drago
Researchers on Beaver Island, in Lake Michigan, are trying to find a more reliable form of power using local resources
Beaver Island sits in the middle of the northernmost end of Lake Michigan, about 70 miles from the maritime border with Canada. The forested island, just a little bigger than San Francisco in size, is a popular summer destination for tourists and home to about 600 permanent residents. Getting there requires a boat or plane ride.
Getting electricity to the island is not as easy. Power comes from mainland Michigan through cables that cross roughly 30 miles of lake bed. Outages are common during extreme weather, or when there are problems with the sensitive wires. The devastating ice storm that walloped the state last year knocked out power to the island for weeks.
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© Photograph: Marcin Szczepanski/University of Michigan Engineering
© Photograph: Marcin Szczepanski/University of Michigan Engineering
© Photograph: Marcin Szczepanski/University of Michigan Engineering
A newly identified sensory pathway links fine hairs to itch sensations, revealing an unexpected biological system that may contribute to chronic itching disorders and provide new targets for treatment. An itch can seem simple, but scientists are finding that the sensation is far more complex than it appears. Researchers at the University of Michigan have [...]
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