Good morning. It's Tuesday, Dec. 2, and welcome to this week's Science & Technology newsletter. First time reading? Sign up here or click here to share with friends. |
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This week, we're covering the Environmental Protection Agency. In honor of the EPA beginning its operations 55 years ago today—when its first administrator, William Ruckelshaus, was confirmed by the US Senate—we're exploring the impact the agency has had throughout its history. We're also taking a deep dive into deepfakes before playing the part of cosmic janitors and uncovering space trash.
Let us know what you think! Whether it's feedback on our email format, a comment on this week's topics, suggestions for future coverage, or something else, we're happy to hear from readers. You can get in touch by simply replying to this email.
—Marco Machado, 1440 Science & Technology Section Editor |
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America's Environmental Regulators |
What is the EPA?
The Environmental Protection Agency is the federal agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment through science-based regulations and enforcement. Established in 1970 amid growing public concern over pollution and a series of human-made environmental disasters (see example), the EPA has since played a central role in dramatically reducing air, water, and land pollution across the United States.
The agency enforces major laws passed by Congress—most notably the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act—and establishes standards, such as those for fuel emissions, to limit pollution, safeguard natural resources, and hold industries accountable for environmental harm. It operates through 10 regional offices and employs roughly 12,000 people nationwide who work with state and tribal governments to carry out day-to-day enforcement.
Once a source of broad bipartisan support, the EPA’s work has become increasingly politicized in recent decades (learn why). Recent Supreme Court rulings, significant budget cuts, and restructuring have reduced the agency’s enforcement authority and narrowed its regulatory scope.
Also, check out ...
> Pineapple research helped scientists solve Los Angeles' smog mystery. (More)
> Earth Day began as a grassroots protest coordinated by a 25-year-old. (More)
> The origins of the Energy Star program. (More)
> Explore how close you live to some of the most contaminated places in the US. (More)
Explore everything else we've found on EPA. |
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Deepfakes, explained
Deepfake technology allows users to manipulate media using AI to produce fictional images, audio, and video. The term is a combination of "deep learning" and "fake," with the former referring to computers being taught to recognize complex patterns in data to produce realistic content (technical explainer).
Combined with a human intent to deceive, this technology most often involves replacing a real person's likeness with an artificial version of someone else (see example). Users may also create realistic content entirely from scratch with the explicit goal of making others believe an untrue scenario (explore impacts).
The vast majority of AI-generated media do not qualify as deepfakes because they do not alter a known person or factual event. For example, prompting a text-to-image generator to create an image of a woman playing guitar would not be a deepfake, but modifying the prompt to place Taylor Swift's head on the body of the woman playing the guitar would not be true to life and therefore would be a deepfake (watch Billy Joel deepfake himself).
Also, check out ...
> Audio deepfakes have fooled voice biometrics at banks. (More)
> In China, deepfaking a dead loved one has become a growing industry. (More)
> Explore tips for spotting deepfake images. (More)
> Take a quiz to identify whether you can spot deepfakes. (More)
Explore everything else we've found on deepfakes. |
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Space trash, 101
Space trash, or space junk, refers to human-made debris—pieces of satellites, rockets, and other spacecraft—orbiting Earth. Virtually all of the trash is traveling approximately 17,500 miles per hour, posing a significant threat of damaging active spacecraft and satellites (see visualization).
The vast majority of the debris is tiny—estimates suggest there are more than 100 million pieces of space trash larger than one millimeter but smaller than one centimeter, such as flecks of paint that have chipped off a spacecraft. There are also roughly 1 million objects between 1 and 10 centimeters (0.39 to 3.9 inches) and more than 35,000 items larger than 10 centimeters. Thousands of pieces of space trash fall out of orbit each year, and, while the majority burn up in the atmosphere, some make it to the surface (see example).
As of 2025, there is no international agreement regarding who is responsible for cleaning up space trash, but there is some optimism that the private sector will develop cost-effective solutions to remove space debris.
Also, check out ...
> By 2028, a space trash-avoiding maneuver is expected to occur every 18 seconds. (More)
> Space archeologists study the symbolic and historical importance of space trash. (More)
> The increasing density of space trash may lead to the Kessler syndrome. (More)
> Could lasers be the key to cleaning up space trash? (More)
Explore everything else we've found on space trash. |
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Like all great scientists, we love spending time researching the latest scientific breakthroughs, tech releases, engaging explainers, and the connections between science and society that are making headlines. Here's what we found this week.
> Deformable fibrosarcoma cells help cancer spread
American Institute of Physics | Staff. Teams at Delft University of Technology and Kavli Institute of Nanoscience identified that when gaps in tissue are narrow, these cells can shapeshift to squeeze through and migrate more easily. Future research aims to develop treatments that impact these cells' deformability. (Read)
> Environmental impacts of floating solar panels vary significantly by location
Oregon State University | Sean Nealon. Simulations showed that these systems consistently cooled surface waters and altered water temperatures at different layers within 11 reservoirs across six states. The panels also introduced increased variability in habitat suitability for aquatic species, complicating modeling. (Read)
> Indigenous aquatic infrastructure found to improve climate resilience in fish
University of Hawai'i News | Staff. Traditional Hawaiian fishponds (loko iʻa) were shown to shield fish populations from the negative impacts of climate change by providing temperature regulation via freshwater input. Researchers believe the findings demonstrate the value of Indigenous knowledge in modern science. (Read)
> Gut microbiome may be uniquely suited to generating long-lasting antibodies
University of Toronto | Betty Zou. Scientists have shown that immune cells in the gut follow an atypical pathway to produce antibodies that provide long-term protection against viruses. The research could help guide the development of better vaccines for respiratory viruses like influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and bird flu. (Read)
> New data suggests dark energy is weakening
Royal Astronomical Society | Sam Tonkin. By removing systematic bias and standardizing data sets of type Ia supernovae—exploding white dwarfs, which are the remnants of low-mass stars—researchers found the expansion of the universe to be decelerating, a finding consistent with the DESI data from March 2025. (Read) |
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Looking to tickle your curiosity during the holiday season? In "1440 Explores," our editor-in-chief combines fascinating history and expert interviews to unpack questions about the world around us: |
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From FYs 1980 to 2024, EPA spending has decreased 37.2% while overall federal spending has increased 193.7%. As a result, just 0.2% of overall federal spending in FY 2024 was spent by the EPA. |
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