The publisher of a high-profile, now-corrected study on black plastics has been removed from a critical index of academic journals after failing to meet quality criteria, according to a report by Retraction Watch.
On December 16, Clarivate—a scholarly publication analytics company—removed the journal Chemosphere from its platform, the Web of Science, which is a key index for academic journals. The indexing platform tracks citations and calculates journal "impact factors," a proxy for relevance in its field. It's a critical metric not only for the journals but for the academic authors of the journal's articles, who use the score in their pursuit of promotions and research funding.
To be included in the Web of Science, Clarivate requires journals to follow editorial quality criteria. In an email to Ars Technica, Clarivate confirmed that Chemosphere was removed for "not meeting one or more of the quality criteria." According to Retraction Watch, Chemosphere has retracted eight articles this month and published 60 expressions of concern since April.
© Getty | Kinga Krzeminska
Editors of the environmental chemistry journal Chemosphere have posted an eye-catching correction to a study reporting toxic flame retardants from electronics wind up in some household products made of black plastic, including kitchen utensils. The study sparked a flurry of media reports a few weeks ago that urgently implored people to ditch their kitchen spatulas and spoons. Wirecutter even offered a buying guide for what to replace them with.
The correction, posted Sunday, will likely take some heat off the beleaguered utensils. The authors made a math error that put the estimated risk from kitchen utensils off by an order of magnitude.
Specifically, the authors estimated that if a kitchen utensil contained middling levels of a key toxic flame retardant (BDE-209), the utensil would transfer 34,700 nanograms of the contaminant a day based on regular use while cooking and serving hot food. The authors then compared that estimate to a reference level of BDE-209 considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA's safe level is 7,000 ng—per kilogram of body weight—per day, and the authors used 60 kg as the adult weight (about 132 pounds) for their estimate. So, the safe EPA limit would be 7,000 multiplied by 60, yielding 420,000 ng per day. That's 12 times more than the estimated exposure of 34,700 ng per day.
© Getty | Grace Cary
Enlarge / Artist's rendition of the LADEE mission above the lunar surface. (credit: NASA/ Dana Berry)
The Moon may not have much of an atmosphere, mostly because of its weak gravitational field (whether it had a substantial atmosphere billions of years ago is debatable). But it is thought to presently be maintaining its tenuous atmosphere—also known as an exosphere—because of meteorite impacts.
Space rocks have been bombarding the Moon for its 4.5-billion-year existence. Researchers from MIT and the University of Chicago have now found that lunar soil samples collected by astronauts during the Apollo era show evidence that meteorites, from hulking meteors to micrometeoroids no bigger than specks of dust, have launched a steady flow of atoms into the exosphere.
Though some of these atoms escape into space and others fall back to the surface, those that do remain above the Moon create a thin atmosphere that keeps being replenished as more meteorites crash into the surface.
In the year 2245, the Earth was a memory held in the digital archives of the Great Library of Mars, humanity's new cradle in the cosmos. Among the red sands and towering domes of this new world, a young historian named Elias uncovered a mystery that could unravel the very fabric of Martian society. This is the tale of "The Martian Codex: Elias's Quest Through Time."
Elias, a curator at the Great Library, had dedicated his life to preserving the history of Earth and the early days of Martian colonization. His world turned upside down when he stumbled upon an ancient codex, encrypted with a language and technology long thought lost. The codex hinted at the existence of a device, the Chronosphere, capable of viewing the past to uncover the truths hidden by time.
Driven by a thirst for knowledge and the shadows of conspiracy looming over his discovery, Elias embarked on a journey to find the Chronosphere. His quest led him to the underbelly of Martian society, where he allied with a band of outcasts: Nova, a rogue engineer with a penchant for old Earth tech; Kael, a former soldier turned mercenary, seeking redemption; and Lyra, a mystic who believed the Chronosphere was key to foreseeing Mars' perilous future.
Together, they traversed the Martian wastelands, from the bustling metropolis of New Olympus to the ghostly ruins of the First Settlements, uncovering clues that led them deeper into the heart of a conspiracy that threatened the stability of the new world. The ruling Council of Mars, fearing the Chronosphere would expose secrets that could ignite civil unrest, deployed their elite enforcers, the Red Guard, to stop Elias and his companions at any cost.
The climax of their adventure unfolded in the ancient Valles Archive, buried beneath the surface, where the Chronosphere was hidden. As they activated the device, visions of the past flooded their minds: the early days of struggle on Mars, the sacrifices made, and the untold stories of heroes and villains that shaped their society. But among these visions, they discovered a darker truth—the Council's origins were tied to a betrayal that had altered the course of Martian history.
Faced with the decision to reveal the truth or protect the fragile peace on Mars, Elias chose to broadcast their findings to the entire colony. The revelation sent shockwaves through Martian society, challenging its citizens to confront their past and decide the future they wished to build.
In the aftermath, Elias and his companions were hailed as heroes, visionaries who had unveiled the truth that had been buried by time. The Martian Codex became a symbol of their quest, a reminder that history, in all its forms, was the key to understanding not just where they came from, but where they were going.
"The Martian Codex: Elias's Quest Through Time" was celebrated as a turning point in Martian history, a story of courage, unity, and the unyielding pursuit of truth in the face of adversity. Elias's journey inspired a new generation of explorers, historians, and dreamers to look beyond the sands of Mars, to the stars, and back to Earth, ensuring that the memory of humanity's cradle would never be forgotten.
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