November

African company to start making vaginal rings that protect against HIV

A South African company will make vaginal rings that protect against HIV, which AIDS experts say should eventually make them cheaper and more readily available

30/11/2023 The Independent

Miniature organs on chips could revolutionize health-care research

Organoids — clusters of specialized cells designed to mimic organs — enable researchers to study biological processes and the effects of drugs.

29/11/2023 The Conversation

Super-Sorting Robots Help Unlock the Full Potential of Recycling

Inefficient sorting means 25 percent of materials end up wrongly in landfills. AI is increasingly helping recycling centres ensure everything ends up where it belongs.

29/11/2023 Reset.org

A New Type of Geothermal Power Plant Just Made the Internet a Little Greener

A new approach to geothermal energy makes it possible to tap the energy of hot rocks just about anywhere. A pilot plant in Nevada is now helping to power Google data centers.

28/11/2023 Wired

Millions of EV Batteries Could Retire to Solar Farms

A Southern California company is showing how repurposing EV batteries for solar storage can extend their usefulness for several years.

25/11/2023 Wired

South Africa, Colombia and others are fighting drugmakers over access to TB and HIV drugs

In a series of moves experts say signal a shift in how developing countries deal with pharmaceuticals, South Africa, Colombia and others have recently adopted a more combative approach towards drugmakers, pushing back on policies that deny treatment…

24/11/2023 The Independent

Japan holds first world championship of competitive rubbish collection

Japan on Wednesday held the first world championship of a unique homegrown competition of rubbish collection.

23/11/2023 The Independent

This Moroccan startup is growing crops in the desert

Sand to Green is working to transform patches of desert into sustainable and profitable plantations.

22/11/2023 CNN

Sails and satellite navigation could cut shipping industry's emissions by up to a third

In the vast expanse of the world’s oceans, a transformation is underway. The international shipping sector, made up of thousands of massive cargo ships laden with many of the goods we buy, emits carbon dioxide (CO₂) roughly equivalent to the entire…

21/11/2023 The Conversation

Carbon-dioxide-removal options are multiplying

In what used to be a fish-processing plant in Akranes, a small port in Iceland, fragments of seaweed rise and fall in glass columns lit by leds. Running Tide, the Maine-based company which runs the facility, is trying to work out how best to get…

20/11/2023 Economist

Magic touch: how ‘revolutionary’ changes are making braille better than ever

Blind from birth, Graeme Innes can’t remember the last time he sat down to read a book in braille. Instead, he listens to audiobooks.

19/11/2023 The Guardian

Suck carbon from the air? US facility launches novel climate solution

Inside a vast new warehouse in the California town of Tracy, tall towers of trays containing a gray powder are stacked in neat rows.

19/11/2023 The Guardian

Battery breakthrough brings ‘unprecedented performance’ to next-gen cells

A battery breakthrough made by researchers in Japan could pave the way for next-generation batteries to finally enter mass production. A team from Tokyo University of Science discovered a way to build sodium-ion batteries with an equivalent…

17/11/2023 The Independent

Sweden opens state-of-the-art plant for sorting plastics for recycling

Sweden has opened a new state-of-the-art plastic sorting facility, the largest of its kind and big enough to receive all plastic packaging waste generated from Swedish households

15/11/2023 The Independent

Glass-infused paint offers cooling breakthrough

Researchers have come up with a new form of glass-infused paint that they claim can reduce vast amounts of electricity used by air-conditioning units.

15/11/2023 The Independent

Breakthrough solar system outperforms military-grade diesel generator

Solar panels combined with next-generation batteries now outperform military-grade diesel generators, according to new analysis.

13/11/2023 The Independent

Scientists Have Been Freezing Corals for Decades. Now They're Learning How to Wake Them Up

Deep-frozen corals, cryopreserved in the hope of restoring ocean ecosystems, are growing up. Could the futuristic technique eventually save dying reefs?

11/11/2023 Wired

The Long Quest for a Universal Flu Vaccine Finally Takes Its First Steps

The search for a shot that could protect us against many strains—and maybe a pandemic—is notching achievements at last. But the flu’s endless mutation and our own biology stand in the way.

10/11/2023 Wired

Would you eat a cookie with fake fat to save the planet?

Chances are you don’t know where your pie crust came from and don’t care, so would you switch to artificial oils to save the planet?

09/11/2023 Haaretz

Peanut toothpaste shows promise at preventing allergic reactions

A toothpaste that contains peanut proteins did not cause any serious side effects in people with an allergy to the food and showed early signs of preventing dangerous reactions

09/11/2023 NewScientist

Transforming the renewable energy sector

Dogger Bank, powered by SSE, will become the UK's largest wind farm – and power over six million homes.

09/11/2023 New Statesman

Nigeria begins Africa’s largest human papillomavirus vaccination campaign

The country plans to immunize 7.7 million girls and adolescents against this pathogen, which causes the majority of cases of cervical cancer. About 8,000 Nigerians died from this cause in 2020, as cases are detected when they are advanced

08/11/2023 El País

Can HIV be cured using gene editing? We will soon find out

HIV, the virus that causes Aids, was first identified in 1983. To catch this virus was initially a death sentence, but today, thanks to antiretroviral drugs, it can be kept in check. However, there is still no cure.

08/11/2023 The Conversation

Major diabetes breakthrough as 150,000 people to be offered artificial pancreas

More than 150,000 adults and children with type 1 diabetes will be eligible to access “life changing” technology on the NHS.

07/11/2023 The Independent

A person who has had Parkinson’s disease for 25 years can now walk again thanks to a neuroprosthesis

Researchers directly stimulated the spinal cord, making it possible for the patient to avoid falls and freezing when walking

06/11/2023 El País

Abandoned oil rigs could scrape carbon from the sky and store it in empty undersea reservoirs

Keeping control of our planet’s thermostat is proving tricky these days. Temperatures are rising slowly, and inaction is proving costly as we awkwardly lurch towards a cleaner future. Some industries are proving stubbornly difficult to decarbonise,…

06/11/2023 The Conversation

Chana, the research station in the Peruvian jungle set up to rescue Amazonian languages

Of the 48 Indigenous languages in Peru, eight are in danger of extinction. In the eastern region of Ucayali, a group of linguists is working to keep them alive

06/11/2023 El País

Lessons from Bhutan: Using the happiness index to guide public policy

Smoking in public and plastic bags are banned in this small Asian country with a dedicated government ministry to measure citizen well-being

02/11/2023 El País

London air quality improved by Ulez and Lez - report

The introduction of London's first clean air zone 15 years ago has significantly improved air quality, according to new analysis. University of Bath academics have examined the launch of the low emission zone (Lez) in 2008 and ultra low emission…

02/11/2023 BBC

Some children born deaf in China finally able to hear after gene therapy, report says

Chinese scientists have claimed some children in the country who were born entirely deaf are now able to hear after undergoing a breakthrough gene therapy trial.

01/11/2023 The Independent