Toxic gas used in petrochemical manufacturing has been detected at levels a thousand times higher than what is considered safe in Louisiana.The chemical in question is ethylene oxide, an extremely flammable and colorless gas with a slightly sweet smell. It has a variety of industrial uses, including the production of products like antifreeze, detergents, fibers, and bottles. It’s also used to sterilize medical and food production equipment.Researchers at Johns Hopkins University recently tested levels of ethylene oxide in the air of southeastern Louisianna using two vans fitted with different but highly sensitive technologies to measure the gas in real-time. This part of the state includes “Cancer Alley,” a stretch along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that has very high rates of cancer and other health issues among its residents. By coincidence, it also has a significant number of petrochemical plants that pump out all kinds of industrial chemicals, including ethylene oxide. Long-term exposure to concentrations of ethylene oxide over 11 parts per trillion is considered problematic to human health due to its ability to directly damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer.Shockingly, this study found levels as high as 40 parts per billion in areas close to industrial facilities. The concentrations were also found to be way higher than the estimates created by the Environmental Protection Agency.A map of southeast Louisiana showing concentrations of ethylene oxide in the ambient air.IMAGE CREDIT: KHAMAR HOPKINS/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY“We expected to see ethylene oxide in this area. But we didn’t expect the levels that we saw, and they certainly were much, much higher than EPA’s estimated levels,” Peter DeCarlo, senior author and an associate professor of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement. “We’d drive through the industrial areas and saw concentrations hitting 40 parts per billion, which is more a thousand times higher than the accepted risk for lifetime exposure,” DeCarlo said.The researchers warned that people living near facilities that manufacture and use ethylene oxide could be at a higher risk of cancer. “Our findings have really important implications for community residents, especially infants and children. Ethylene oxide has been shown to directly damage DNA, meaning that exposures that occur in early life are more dangerous,” said Keeve Nachman, associate professor of Environmental Health and Engineering and the co-director of the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute.The new study was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. 

Scientists have spotted a mysterious hole on Mars where, in theory, ancient alien life could survive. The entrance to this depression is located on the edge of a volcano in the Tharsis region and appears to be a crater approximately 150 feet (46 m) in size. Researchers say it can protect living beings from radiation and harsh conditions on the Red Planet. Scientists do not yet know how deep the dungeon found is, but they suggest that it is most likely an underground lava tube formed during the explosion of a volcano. “We’ve seen more than one of these pits on Mars. They’re very interesting for research because that’s where astronauts can protect themselves from radiation,” Brandon Johnson of Purdue University, who studies impact craters throughout the solar system, tells Business Insider. Since the atmosphere of Mars is very thin and there is no magnetic field there that would reflect the harmful effects of solar winds, there is a level of radiation dangerous for humans on the surface of the planet. This poses a serious health problem for astronauts who might land there. The first colonists risked cataracts, heart disease, cancer, and a number of genetic pathologies. “On the Earth, these lava tubes can be large enough to walk around in, but they can also be small or the voids can be discrete or discontinuous,” Ross Beyer, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute, told Business Insider. “So these pits we see could open into larger caves, or they could just be isolated pits.” However, such missions are not planned in the near future. “The presence of such mines on Mars does not guarantee that there is life there, but it is a good place to look,” Brandon Johnson added. Recall that lava tubes on Mars and the Moon can accommodate entire cities. The height of such underground tunnels reaches the size of the tallest skyscrapers on Earth. The post Mars holes could unlock discoveries, including Extraterrestrial Life appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The last Final Fantasy 14 Live Letter before Dawntrail gave us a lot to get excited about. Between a look at the new raid series, an even deeper dive into the regions of Tural, and a breakdown of 7.0’s new quality-of-life features, the MMORPG’s upcoming expansion is going to be a big one. After getting the loudest reaction of all the reveals at last year’s Las Vegas Fan Fest though, the new two-dye system is what we’ve all really been waiting for, and director Naoki Yoshida just gave us our best look at the system yet. Continue reading FF14 Dawntrail’s fashion overhaul will completely change the endgame MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best MMOs, FF14 Dawntrail release date, FF14 Island Sanctuary guide

Rockstar Games has been forced to remove multiple pieces of content from Grand Theft Auto Online's PC version, as the studio has reportedly suffered a "critical exploit."

The baked clay tablet tells the tale of an epic flood.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A LOT MORE. And if there were, blogs like this one would never have had a reason to exist.   

Tren de Aragua, a criminal gang from Venezuela that is said to be as serious a threat as the Salvadoran gang MS-13, is quietly operating in unsuspected neighborhoods and communities across the country.…

[unable to retrieve full-text content]So-called “Palestinian” Muslims are asked if their pre-Islam ancestors were Jewish or Christian?   

This is incredible.