French startup can recycle any old plastic and turn it into virgin plastic again
The problem with traditional recycling is that you degrade the material each time you do it. That’s why a France-based startup called Carbios is taking an entirely new approach. Using a bioreactor, the startup is taking pulverized PET plastic waste—the kind of plastic found in drink bottles Read More...
In America’s biggest cities, cemeteries have become havens for animal life
Don’t be mistaken: while the cemetery may not be sprawling with human life, it’s most certainly a hotspot for plant and animal life—especially in urban areas. Perhaps the best example of this comes from the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, one of the most densely populated places Read More...
How mindfulness can help us get better at processing fear
For years, psychologists have used something called exposure therapy to help people overcome their biggest fears. This type of therapy involves that particular thing you fear most while in a safe environment. But according to a brand new study, there is an alternative way to overcome fears that Read More...
These California trees hold the key to climate resilience
When California's historic five-year drought finally relented a few years ago, the tally of dead trees in the Sierra Nevada was higher than almost anyone expected: 129 million. Most are still standing, the dry patches dotting the mountainsides. But some trees did survive the test of heat and Read More...
Southwest Atlantic humpback whales have returned from the brink of extinction
In the late 1920s, humpback whales in the southwest Atlantic became so rare that whaling ships could only find and catch a few dozen individuals per year. It was estimated that some 27,000 humpbacks frequented the southwest Atlantic at the start of the 20th century, but due to intensive commercial Read More...
A human burn has just been successfully treated using live-cell pig skin tissue
When someone has a severe burn, a protective covering needs to be temporarily grafted onto the wound site – and as soon as possible. Although that covering typically consists of skin from a human cadaver, genetically-engineered live-cell pigskin has now been used on a patient for the first time. Read More...
The elderly are becoming unexpected heroes in the fight for climate action
While the young, unapologetic Greta Thunberg has become the face of the climate movement, it is the elderly members of the Extinction Rebellion that are gradually becoming heroes in the fight to inspire greater climate action. Among the “normals” of all ages, characters such as the 77-year-old Read More...
This city in North Carolina is designing America’s future composting systems
In the city of Durham, North Carolina, roughly 30% of the garbage residents throw away is compostable. Two-thirds of that is food scraps (the rest comes from paper products). The problem: like most municipalities, the city doesn’t offer a residential composting program. And not everyone has space Read More...
San Francisco’s Market Street is getting a radical pedestrian-friendly redesign
San Francisco’s Market Street is one of the most iconic streets in America, starting from the famous Ferry Building, passing by grand office buildings, such as Twitter’s headquarters, and ending right in front of City Hall. It also happens to be the most dangerous street in the city, with five Read More...
Apple is dismantling old phones to recover precious metals, but is it enough?
Today, smartphones are made with dozens of materials—from gold and silver to phosphorus and titanium—mined in processes that are often environmentally and socially destructive. But all of those materials could eventually be recovered from old electronics and reused for new products. At Read More...