July

The man who lives on rubbish

Dumpster-diving with Patrick O’Hare, the anthropologist fighting for our right to what people throw away.

Jul 30, 2022 New Statesman

AI predicts the structure of all known proteins and opens a new universe for science

The DeepMind lab, owned by the same company as Google, has calculated the predicted shapes of 200 million molecules, some of them essential for understanding devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s

Jul 30, 2022 El País

California aims to make its own insulin brand to lower price

A vial of insulin cost $25 in 1995, back when Chris Noble was 5 years old and just learning how to manage his Type 1 diabetes with the help of his parents and his doctors.

Jul 29, 2022 The Independent

Doctors awed at ‘unique’ patient who has been living HIV-free for over 15 years without medication

A team of researchers from Barcelona has studied the cellular mechanism that allowed a woman to be ‘functionally’ cured despite not taking antiretrovirals

Jul 29, 2022 El País

The Case for Making Public Transit Free Everywhere

From Spain to Germany and Luxembourg to Estonia, more and more countries are experimenting with fare-free transportation.

Jul 29, 2022 Wired

Rewilding: Before and after photos reveal stunning transformation of Scottish glen

In recent years people have increasingly heard of rewilding, but may not have seen the scale of the transformation it can have on a landscape.

Jul 28, 2022 The Independent

US cities roll out ‘cool pavements’ to fight dangerous heatwaves

As the climate crisis causes summer temperatures to soar across the US, some cities are introducing innovative measures to keep their citizens cool.

Jul 25, 2022 The Independent

Greener pastures: Can ancient eco-engineering help fix our degraded landscapes?

Land management is one of the key issues facing the planet in the 21st century. As a result of climate change droughts are becoming longer and more intense and severe flooding is getting worse. Land degradation due to human activity and extreme…

Jul 23, 2022 CNN

Kelp is on the way: Why we should all be eating seaweed

When most of us read the words "plant-based diet," we tend to think of foods such as kale salads and grain bowls or trendy meat replacements. But there is one nonmeat option that's gaining traction as the newest superfood: seaweed.

Jul 21, 2022 CNN

A Tool for Fighting Superbugs Has Been Found Deep in the Desert

Scientists are turning to the world’s most extreme environments to find new ways of combating drug resistance.

Jul 21, 2022 Wired

Haemophiliacs’ faulty gene could be cured with single injection

Haemophiliacs could receive a single injection to cure the faulty gene that causes the disease, a University College London (UCL) study suggests There are around 6,000 people in the UK with haemophilia, a genetic condition which disproportionately…

Jul 20, 2022 Telegraph

This Hong Kong farm is using fish and blue lights to grow basil the size of your face

Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than any other city, so it's not surprising that just 0.6% of its land is farmed. The city currently produces less than 2% of the fresh vegetables eaten there — but one agritech startup wants to change that.

Jul 20, 2022 CNN

‘We’re making Britain fairer’: the man filling the City with working-class stars

A radical recruitment firm has developed an algorithm that identifies talent from disadvantaged backgrounds

Jul 19, 2022 Positive News

M&S removes ‘best before’ dates from fruit and vegetables to reduce food waste

Marks & Spencer will remove “best before” dates from more than 300 fruit and vegetable products this week. Following a successful trial, the retailer will scrap dates from fresh produce across its stores and encourage customers to use their…

Jul 17, 2022 The Independent

‘If we wrap our children in digital cotton, they will not learn to cope with problems’

British professor Sonia Livingstone is one of the leading global experts on minors and technology. ‘There is little evidence of big problems in the new generations,’ she says

Jul 16, 2022 El País

How to preserve secrets in a quantum age

It is not often that a bit of mind-bending mathematics can avert disaster. But researchers at America’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (nist) have done their bit: last week, after years of analysis, they gave their stamp of approval…

Jul 13, 2022 Economist

When Does the Clean-Energy Infinity Loop Start?

Digging up minerals for rechargeable batteries has a high initial cost, but eventually those minerals can be recycled indefinitely.

Jul 13, 2022 The Atlantic

Shapeshifting microbot swarms used to brush teeth ‘handsfree’ by scientists

New shapeshifting robotic microswarms can clean off sticky biofilm from teeth in an advance that could lead to new handsfree technology for an all-in-one toothbrush, rinse and dental floss, said researchers.

Jul 7, 2022 The Independent

‘Fonio just grows naturally’: could ancient indigenous crops ensure food security for Africa?

With sweeps of his arm, Jean-Pierre Kamara showers handfuls of tiny seeds over the freshly ploughed land near his village in Senegal’s southern foothills.

Jul 7, 2022 The Guardian

Growing a 150,000-hectare highway for the UK's insect 'commuters'

Imagine traveling vast distances through a barren wilderness without access to food or water. That's the challenging reality facing many flying insects in the UK.

Jul 6, 2022 CNN

The Future of Mud

A Senegalese architecture firm is championing a lower-tech material than concrete to help cities prepare for climate change.

Jul 5, 2022 The Atlantic

Dismantling the stigma of non-monogamous relationships

One in five adults has practiced consensual polyamory at some point in their lives. And yet, experts say: ‘Monogamy is presumed and you have to be constantly explaining yourself’

Jul 3, 2022 El País

California sets the nation's toughest rules for the reduction of plastics

Companies selling shampoo, food and other products wrapped in plastic have a decade to cut down on their use of the polluting material if they want their wares on California store shelves.

Jul 1, 2022 NPR

The Race to Build Wind Farms That Float on the Open Sea

There’s huge potential to generate renewable energy far out in the ocean. But designing turbines that can survive rough waters isn’t exactly a breeze.

Jul 1, 2022 Wired