In the shadow of an election that left many environmentalists gasping for air, a scientific meeting in New Orleans yielded a series of results that at first, second, and perhaps third blush are stunning.

Covered by science reporter Janet Raloff in the newest issue of Science News, they identify new links between environment and health, including a common plastic additive (phthalates) and babies’ reproductive development; uranium and cancer in Navajo girls; and DDT and miscarriage in China.