‘On stage I have a release’: the theatre making stars of care leavers
From ‘worst-behaved child in Westminster’ to Bafta-nominated actor – how one theatre company is brining marginalised voices to the stage
31/08/2022 Positive News
August
August 2022
Hornsea 2: North Sea wind farm claims title of world's largest
The world's largest offshore wind farm is now fully operational, 55 miles off the coast of Yorkshire.
31/08/2022 BBC
Whatever happened to the Kenyan farmer who turned a dump into a garden of giveaways?
Victor Edalia turned a trash dump into a farm. He hoped to earn extra income but decided to give away free produce during the pandemic. Now hundreds of needy families enjoy his harvest.
30/08/2022 NPR
The Long, Leguminous Quest to Give Crops Nitrogen Superpowers
Farmers have to apply heaps of emissions-heavy fertilizer to provide crops with enough nitrogen. Scientists are looking to legumes for help.
30/08/2022 Wired
How Scientists Are Cleaning Up Rivers Using Grasses and Oysters
In the Delaware River and other waterways across the US, conservationists are restoring aquatic vegetation and beds of bivalves to fight pollution.
27/08/2022 Wired
Long read: Changing how we measure progress is key to tackling a world in crisis
‘GDP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile,’ said John F Kennedy. But what are the alternatives?
26/08/2022 Positive News
Could Coal Waste Be Used to Make Sustainable Batteries?
Acid mine drainage has long been a scourge in Appalachia. Recent research suggests that we may be able to simultaneously clean up the pollution and extract the minerals and elements needed to power green technologies.
26/08/2022 The New Yorker
White House Orders Journals to Drop Paywalls on Publicly Funded Research
The policy, hailed by researchers as “transformational,” will be fully in place by 2026 and make publicly financed research available immediately at no cost.
26/08/2022 New York Times
'Pre-bunking' shows promise in fight against misinformation
Google and a team of university researchers have hit on what they say could be an effective way to make people more impervious to the harmful impact of online misinformation
24/08/2022 The Independent
Germany inaugurates world’s first hydrogen-powered train fleet
Germany has inaugurated a railway line powered entirely by hydrogen, a “world premiere” and a significant step forward for green train transport despite nagging supply challenges.
24/08/2022 Al Jazeera
The New Transparent Open Source Model Tackling Learned Biases in AI
Until now, the development of AI-based technologies for recognising text and speech has been in the hands of large technology companies. BLOOM aims to make this more transparent.
24/08/2022 Reset.org
How a fake reef under the Opera House brought back an endangered seahorse
Sydney Harbour will be once more teeming with life thanks to living seawalls scientists hope will bring more penguins, seals, seahorses and turtles to the waterway.
20/08/2022 Sydney Morning Herald
WHO recommends new Ebola treatments
The World Health Organization has recommended the use of two drugs against the Ebola virus, which it says have "revolutionized" the treatment of what had previously been thought of as a "near certain killer."
19/08/2022 Deutsche Welle
‘Vital’ bee populations boosted by national park wildflower corridor scheme
A 72% rise in recorded bee populations and other pollinators has been recorded in the South Downs National Park following the introduction of projects to grow wildflower meadows.
19/08/2022 The Independent
Genetic tweaks to upgrade photosynthesis boost soy yield by a fifth
Researchers have succeeded in making photosynthesis more efficient in soybean plants, in a major breakthrough that will mean less forest has to be cut down to make way for farms
18/08/2022 NewScientist
How to destroy a 'forever chemical' – scientists are discovering ways to eliminate PFAS, but this growing global health problem isn't going away soon
PFAS can be filtered, but getting rid of the chemicals is a monumental challenge. A new breakthrough offers some hope.
18/08/2022 The Conversation
Car tires are disastrous for the environment. This startup wants to be a driving force in fixing the problem
Every time a driver brakes, accelerates, or turns a corner, their car tires wear down a little. Most car owners replace their tires every five or so years because of this normal wear and tear — but the environmental consequences are extreme.
17/08/2022 CNN
Ivory Coast, a Big Cocoa Exporter, Tries to Move Up the Ladder
A new generation of Ivory Coast chocolatiers is striving to change an industry that has long left cocoa farmers in poverty.
13/08/2022 New York Times
Germany battles heat waves with drinking water fountains
As German cities heat up, the federal government has announced plans to increase the number of public drinking fountains to help ease the impact of the changing climate. The plan also has other environmental benefits.
13/08/2022 Deutsche Welle
Saiga antelopes have increased 10-fold after mass die-off in 2015
More than a million large-nose antelopes now roam the Kazakhstan steppe, a big rebound from the 130,000 animals left after a fatal bacterial disease killed half of the population
12/08/2022 NewScientist
Endangered, flightless parrot sees highest population in 50 years after artificial insemination
New Zealand's kākāpō population has reached 252 – the highest in almost 50 years. Conversationalists also point to artificial insemination success.
09/08/2022 USA Today
Major test of first possible Lyme vaccine in 20 years begins
Lyme disease is a growing problem, with cases rising and warming weather helping ticks expand their habitat.
09/08/2022 Al Jazeera
Once the fish factories and ‘kidneys’ of colder seas, Australia’s decimated shellfish reefs are coming back
Only 200 years ago, Australian waters were full of oyster and shellfish reefs. Then they collapsed. Now large scale restoration efforts are underway.
09/08/2022 The Conversation
Horniman Museum to return 72 artefacts to Nigeria
A London museum says it has agreed to return to Nigeria artefacts looted in the 19th Century from the Kingdom of Benin. The Horniman Museum said ownership of 72 objects would be transferred to the Nigerian government.
07/08/2022 BBC
Icelanders' reforestation efforts paint volcanic lava green
'The heralds of the forests 3/6.' Though Iceland has undergone intensive deforestation over centuries, its inhabitants persist in reforesting the island, even at the foot of glaciers or volcanoes.
06/08/2022 Le Monde
Oyster nurseries filter half a million bathtubs of water in year since creation
Experts say efforts to bring the native oyster back from the brink of extinction is already having major benefits.
04/08/2022 The Independent
These cities are better at enduring extreme heat. Here's what they're doing different
Blistering temperatures have returned to western Europe, as some countries like France enter into their third heat wave of the summer with temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), while more than 80% of the US…
04/08/2022 CNN