The Gaia Reports By Theodora Filis - Environmental Journalist

By Theodora Filis The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) X-ray scanning machines are a sci-fi fan's dream. Lower-energy beams penetrate clothing and the topmost layers of skin, exposing any explosives concealed under clothing.  The TSA has set up 172 full-body image scanners at 68 airports across the United States.  According to a group of scientists and professors, low-energy rays do a "Compton scatter" of tissue layers just under the skin, possibly exposing some vital areas and leaving the tissues at risk of mutation. Scientists from the University of California San Francisco wrote to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy expressing concerns that the scanners might expose the skin to high doses of X-rays that could increase the risk of cancer and other health problems, particularly among older travelers, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems. Tests in Italy raised questions about airport body scanners following fi

By Theodora Filis Our Earth is changing and not in little, insignificant ways. It is warming and cooling and quaking and shaking in ways we have never known before.  There are more earthquakes in areas where one wouldn’t think a quake might be. Storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and blizzards cause severe devastation and drought.  As many as half of Republican members of Congress "deny the existence of man-made climate change" while 86 percent oppose any climate change legislation. Scientists involved insist their goal is not to influence public policy but to present the facts when needed. "I think it is important for scientists to assure that the public and policymakers have a clear view of what scientific findings are and what the implications of those findings are," said Princeton University scientist Michael Oppenheimer. "To the extent that some members of the new majority in the House have exhibited a contrarianism to science, I think it is a good

By Theodora Filis As one of the world's oldest holidays, Halloween is still celebrated today in several countries around the globe. North America and Canada maintain the highest level of popularity.  However Halloween, like so many North American holidays, has a steep carbon footprint and a serious environmental impact.  Americans use more than 380 million plastic bags and more than 10 million paper bags every year. Plastic bags end up as litter, kill thousands of marine mammals annually, and break down slowly into small particles that continue to pollute soil and water. During production, plastic bags require millions of gallons of fossil fuels that could be used for fuel and heating; paper bag production consumes more than 14 million trees annually in the U.S. Cloth or canvas shopping bags, or even pillowcases, make terrific eco-friendly alternatives to paper or plastic bags, or to the molded plastic jack-o-lanterns so many kids use to collect candy at Halloween.