February

EU countries already hitting some of their sustainable energy targets for 2030

Several European countries hit some of their sustainable energy targets for 2030 a decade early, a study has found, but big gaps remain across the board.

28/02/2024 The Guardian

A variety of new batteries are coming to power EVs

The tall grey buildings covering an industrial complex at Nysa, in south-west Poland, look like a modern car factory has been teleported into the surrounding farmland. The plant, though, does not make cars, but it is a new and vital part of the…

28/02/2024 Economist

AI designs bespoke 3D-printed prosthetic eyes

Using an artificial intelligence model and 3D printer to create prosthetic eyes reduces the time required to make such implants, which could make them available to more people

27/02/2024 NewScientist

The Finnish miracle: how the country halved its suicide rate – and saved countless lives

“Now he’s died,” said his mother’s voice down the phone. Instantly, Jaakko Teittinen knew that what he had feared for years had happened: his older brother, Tuomas, had taken his own life. He was 33.

22/02/2024 The Guardian

Out of the rabbit hole: new research shows people can change their minds about conspiracy theories

A new study has found no evidence that people’s beliefs in conspiracy theories increase over time. They can even change their minds – just not that often.

18/02/2024 The Conversation

Japan to launch world’s first wooden satellite to combat space pollution

Japanese scientists have created one of the world’s most unusual spacecraft – a tiny satellite that is made of timber.

17/02/2024 The Guardian

The hottest trend in U.S. cities? Changing zoning rules to allow more housing

As Americans struggle to find affordable housing, cities are realizing their own rules have made it too hard and expensive to build the homes they need. Now, some cities are trying to change that.

17/02/2024 NPR

Ebola vaccine cuts death rates in half — even if it's given after infection

Ebola is one of the most feared infectious diseases, with more than half of those infected dying. A vaccine has now been shown to cut that mortality rate in half.

15/02/2024 NPR

Rhinos are returned to a plateau in central Kenya, decades after poachers wiped them out

Conservationists in Kenya are celebrating as rhinos were returned to a grassy plateau that hasn’t seen them in decades

15/02/2024 The Independent

The real threat to gender-diverse children is the politicization of care issues like puberty blockers and detransition

On both sides of the transgender care debate, what is presented as ‘fact’ distorts real complexities of gender-affirming health care, leaving many in the dark about what is really at stake.

13/02/2024 The Conversation

New solar panel concept reduces payback time to five years

Researchers have calculated that a new renewable energy concept could reduce the payback period for solar panels to less than five years.

12/02/2024 The Independent

These improvements in aircraft design seek to reduce noise, decibel by decibel

Two European projects are investigating how to stop noise pollution from the aviation sector, which disrupts sleep and harms the health of people living near airports

12/02/2024 El País

Sustainable energy community in Poland generates green energy for a popular spa town

After choking on polluted air for many years, the Polish spa town of Ladek-Zdroj turned to renewables to clean up its act and improve its air quality. It managed to slash electricity costs in the process.

11/02/2024 Deutsche Welle

Prosthetic limb device enables users to ‘sense’ temperature difference

Whether it is a simple handshake or a full-body hug, the warmth of another person adds a human touch to social interactions.

09/02/2024 The Guardian

Battery breakthrough boosts electric car range with simple hack

Scientists have figured out how to extend the range and lifespan of electric car batteries by making a simple adjustment to the vehicle’s software.

07/02/2024 The Independent

Europe’s deepest mine to become giant gravity battery

An abandoned mine in Finland is set to be transformed into a giant battery to store renewable energy during periods of excess production.

07/02/2024 The Independent

The science of happiness comes under examination

Psychology has undergone serious upheaval over the last decade, as researchers realized that many studies were unreliable and unrepeatable

06/02/2024 El País

Solid-state batteries: inside the race to transform the science of electric vehicles

Working in the dry room at Deakin University’s Battery Research and Innovation Hub is no day at the beach. “[It’s] more desert than beach,” says its general manager, Dr Timothy Khoo. “At the beach, you at least still get the moisture coming in.

04/02/2024 The Guardian

In Kenya, Nigeria and Malawi, gene-editing is saving crops

A dozen genetic-editing projects for crops in Africa are achieving incredible results. For more than 20 years, European countries have been repressing this technology, due to pressure from certain environmental groups

03/02/2024 El País

A Startup Has Unlocked a Way to Make Cheap Insulin

Houston-based rBIO has invented a new process to churn out insulin at higher yields using custom-made bacteria.

02/02/2024 Wired

Malaria vaccine is highly effective in young children, study suggests

New data from a phase 3 trial of R21/Matrix-M in African children confirmed the jab is effective and safe.

02/02/2024 The Independent

The Dominican Republic miracle: a fifth of the country regreened in 10 years

The Yaque River basin restoration project has reduced soil degradation by 18%, although gentrification and climate change remain threats

02/02/2024 El País