April

Patch to protect against measles shows promise

Painless and easier to store than injections, it remains early days for microneedle-patch technology.

30/04/2024 BBC

Four myths about vertical farming debunked by an expert

Vertical farming - growing plants without soil in huge controlled environments - has huge potential to support traditional agriculture but won’t ever replace it.

29/04/2024 The Conversation

Can Turning Office Towers Into Apartments Save Downtowns?

Nathan Berman has helped rescue Manhattan’s financial district from a “doom loop” by carving attractive living spaces from hulking buildings that once housed fields of cubicles.

29/04/2024 The New Yorker

Testing the Waters: Scotland Surges Ahead on Ocean Power

There is no question that the planet’s oceans contain enormous amounts of energy. But can that energy be harnessed economically — or is the idea of pulling watts from the water doomed to be a sideshow in the quest for green energy? In Scotland,…

29/04/2024 Undark Magazine

How an ancient water tunnel design is cooling 21st-century streets

In Seville, 3,000-year-old underground technology is being transformed in modern day air-conditioning.

28/04/2024 Al Jazeera

US drugs regulator gives LSD ‘breakthrough’ status for treating anxiety – why this is so significant

Having long been considered to have ‘no accepted medical use’, psychedelics are finally being recognised as being beneficial for treating a range of mental health disorders.

25/04/2024 The Conversation

The cycling revolution in Paris continues: Bicycle use now exceeds car use

A study indicates that 11.2% of trips in the French capital are made on two wheels, compared to 4.3% in four-wheel vehicles

24/04/2024 El País

Community ownership matters

Extending cooperative models of ownership for core community assets can open the path to true decentralisation.

24/04/2024 New Statesman

In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice

Vietnam aims to transform its rice sector, making it more resilient to climate change while also reducing its emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide

23/04/2024 The Independent

What cities can learn from Seattle’s racial and social justice law

Ending institutional racism is a long-term goal and requires well-informed and engaged people to remake systems and structures

22/04/2024 The Conversation

Protecting the Darkness in Chile’s Atacama Desert

The Atacama boasts high altitudes and clear skies, making it a haven for stargazing. And by 2030, Chile will be home to almost 70 percent of the world’s astronomical infrastructure. Light pollution, though, threatens frontier research. Can a…

22/04/2024 Undark Magazine

The waste-busters: six European companies on a mission to design out waste

Some ingenious ideas are vying for the Green Alley Award this year

19/04/2024 Positive News

New types of mosquito bed nets could cut malaria risk by up to half, trial finds

Two new types of mosquito bed nets have been found to reduce cases of malaria by up to a half, raising hopes of combating the disease, which is becoming increasingly resistant to treatments and prevention efforts.

18/04/2024 The Guardian

‘Unprecedented’ energy record shows future of clean power, expert says

California has hit a new renewables record after exceeding 100 per cent of grid demand with clean energy sources for 30 of the past 38 days. New data from California Independent System Operator (CAISO) shows that supply from geothermal, hydro, solar…

15/04/2024 The Independent

The Myth of the Mobile Millionaire

In 2010, as California was moving forward with plans to raise taxes sharply on million-dollar earners, opponents issued dire warnings that the hike would drive away entrepreneurs and cripple the state economy.

15/04/2024 The Atlantic

Record number of river barriers removed across Europe in 2023

Europe removed a record number of dams and other barriers from its rivers in 2023, a report has found, helping to restore its disturbed waterways to their natural states.

15/04/2024 The Guardian

Democracy Dies Behind Paywalls

How many times has it happened? You’re on your computer, searching for a particular article, a hard-to-find fact, or a story you vaguely remember, and just when you seem to have discovered the exact right thing, a paywall descends. “$1 for Six…

14/04/2024 The Atlantic

Making cement is very damaging for the climate. One solution is opening in California

The cement industry is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and is responsible for some 8% of global emissions each year

11/04/2024 The Independent

New ‘visit a heat pump’ scheme aims to help householders make clean tech switch

A new website enables people to visit homes near them with a working heat pump to see it and ask users about the low-carbon technology.

11/04/2024 The Independent

‘Groundbreaking’ UTI vaccine could stop infections for nine years

Recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be prevented for up to nine years with an oral spray vaccine, a “breakthrough” British trial has found. The painful bacterial infection is experienced by half of all women and one in five men, and can…

07/04/2024 The Independent

Norway could become first country to have more electric cars than petrol

The number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on Norway‘s roads is on track to overtake petrol cars by the end of this year or in early 2025, in a first for any country, according to Reuters’ and analysts’ calculations.

03/04/2024 The Independent