February

February 2020

Bring biodiversity back to your garden to help save the planet

The disastrous drop in insect numbers is not inevitable – each of us can help them to thrive

29/02/2020 The Independent

The Next Generation of Batteries Could Be Built by Viruses

Angela Belcher found a way to turn nature's zombies into a tiny assembly line. But creating a new power cell might be just the beginning.

26/02/2020 Wired

Glass-Like Solar Panels Could Help Greenhouses Become Completely Energy Neutral

Swapping out glass panels for transparent solar modules, and harnessing the energy from wavelengths of light not used during photosynthesis, could help turn greenhouses into self-sufficient solar power plants.

25/02/2020 Reset.org

Renewables push: Senegal opens West Africa's first big wind farm

Wind farms remain scarce throughout sub-Saharan Africa compared with solar plants but Senegal hopes to draw 30 per cent of its energy from this plant.

25/02/2020 Sydney Morning Herald

Bell's New Design Could Make Helicopters Quieter—and Safer

The new aircraft, which ditches the noisy tail rotor for four fans, may also be a step toward electric-powered flight.

22/02/2020 Wired

The suicide prevention message from the rugby scrum

Boys told "open up" don't "man up" by top rugby players, in a suicide prevention scheme.

22/02/2020 BBC

Antibiotic that kills drug-resistant bacteria discovered through AI

A powerful antibiotic that kills some of the most dangerous drug-resistant bacteria in the world has been discovered using artificial intelligence.

20/02/2020 The Guardian

Beavers cut flood risks, clean rivers and boost wildlife, major study of wild population in UK reveals

Animals have 'unrivalled capacity to breathe new life into our rivers and wetlands', say authors of report, paving way for further reintroductions

17/02/2020 The Independent

Wikipedia Is the Last Best Place on the Internet

People used to think the crowdsourced encyclopedia represented all that was wrong with the web. Now it's a beacon of so much that's right.

17/02/2020 Wired

Crossing Divides: The hostel promoting tourism to ease Israel's tensions

An Arab-Jewish-owned hostel caused controversy but is being held up as a symbol of change.

16/02/2020 BBC

Climate impact of flying could be cut significantly with small altitude changes, study suggests

'This new method could very quickly reduce the overall climate impact of the aviation industry,' scientist says

14/02/2020 The Independent

‘Grounds for Optimism.’ Global CO2 Emissions Plateaued in 2019, Defying Expectations, Says Report

Global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector plateaued in 2019, defying widespread expectations that they would continue to rise, according to a Feb. 11 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Emissions fell sharply in some…

11/02/2020 Time Magazine

‘Part of a mosaic of peace’: The schools bridging religious divides

The inclusive ethos of Northern Ireland’s integrated schools has been replicated in other divided lands

10/02/2020 Positive News

Do you have it in green? The living fabrics that can help clean the air

Mushroom, pineapple and algae: it sounds like the topping for a rather unusual pizza.

08/02/2020 The Guardian

'Fuel falls from the sky': The solar revolution coming down the road

Long the pursuit of technology geeks and futurists, self-charging electric vehicles available for a mass market may not be too far away.

08/02/2020 Sydney Morning Herald

Masakhane: Using AI to Bring African Languages Into the Global Conversation

Researchers from across the continent are collaborating on an open source AI project to develop machine translation for African languages – facilitating communication, increasing accessibility and opening doors to the world’s youngest continent to…

06/02/2020 Reset.org

In the ground and off the page: why we’re banning ads from fossil fuels extractors

In a bid to reduce our carbon footprint, confront greenwashing and increase our focus on the climate crisis, the Guardian this week announced it will no longer run ads from fossil fuel extractors alongside any of its content in print or online.

01/02/2020 The Guardian

Taiwan's female politicians forge path to equality

Women legislators take up 42 percent of seats in the island's legislative body, making it the most equitable in Asia.

01/02/2020 Al Jazeera