In this borough of 2,900 in the westernmost part of the state, the steel industry used to be the primary employer. Today, Midland's schools offer the most jobs — and now are beginning to unravel a mystery that could affect the health of their students.

For five days this fall, USA TODAY monitored the air near Midland Elementary-Middle School, a red-brick building blocks from the riverside steel plants that defined the town for generations. It was one of 95 schools in 30 states where the newspaper teamed with scientists at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland to take samples and analyze toxic chemicals in the air... (View Full Article)

Researchers at MIT have found that carbon nanotubes can serve as highly sensitive biological sensors for detecting single molecules in living cells in real time... (View Full Article)

Last week, I wrote about a growing industry of so-called “green dry cleaners” who use alternatives to the cleaning solvent perchloroethylene — or “perc” — which has been labeled a probable human carcinogen. The EPA is currently requiring a phase-out of perc at cleaners located in residential buildings.

While health is top of mind, there’s a secondary reason homeowners should care about the legacy of the soil beneath them — property values... (View Full Article)