The global child mortality rate has dropped to an all-time low
These days, it can sometimes feel like everything is getting worse. We’re faced every day with the problems we haven’t solved yet and new ones that we’re creating, and the barrage of bad news can be dispiriting. In these times of seeming despair, it’s extremely important to take a step back Read More...
This nonprofit is 3D-printing beautiful homes for poor families in Latin America
It seems there’s no limit to what the 3D printer can do. In the past couple weeks we’ve written about a 3D-printed artificial human heart and a 3D-printed organ that mimics the lungs in terms of function. Now the 3D printer is being utilized for another monumental task: creating a complete Read More...
Hydrogen will be powering a new fleet of London’s famous double-decker busses
A new fleet of famous double-decker busses are about to hit the streets of London. Although they may not look much different on the outside, the new busses have one major upgrade: they’re powered by hydrogen. As the capital steps up attempts to tackle its polluted air, London is rolling out 20 Read More...
America’s largest grocery chain to create and adopt a no-deforestation policy
Two years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report that ranked 13 major food companies on their deforestation-free beef commitments and practices, highlighting that fact that, "beef is the largest driver of tropical deforestation – and companies that buy beef from tropical Read More...
Scientists have found a way to turn methane into clean fuel using bacteria
Known for their ability to remove methane from the environment and convert it into a usable fuel, methanotrophic bacteria, also known as methanotrophs, have long fascinated researchers. But how, exactly, these bacteria naturally perform such a complex reaction has been a mystery. Now an Read More...
Scorpion venom could help surgeons remove brain cancer more easily
Though the venom of some scorpions can deliver pain, and occasionally death, to humans, scorpion venom is used in a number of medical fields, including cancer research. Recently, for instance, scientists have developed an imaging technique that uses a synthetic version of a compound found in Read More...
Six out of 10 UK voters support radical action to curb climate change
With the growing international focus on school strikes inspired by teen activist Greta Thunberg, the Extinction Rebellion protests in London, and David Attenborough’s latest documentary on climate change, enthusiasm for tougher measures on curbing global warming is on the rise in Britain. A Read More...
This credit card tracks your personal carbon emissions
If you want to make your carbon footprint smaller, you have to realize the carbon emissions you indirectly create every time you spend money (unless you’re buying carbon offsets). Tracking the amount of emissions that come with your spending is somewhat of an impossible task, but now there’s a Read More...
Greta Thunberg has given the no-fly movement a huge push
With her powerful, fearless speeches urging politicians to act on climate change, Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg has become an icon and an inspiration to millions of people throughout the world. But it’s not just her words that are motivating people to become environmentally conscious. It’s Read More...
Yacht-sized sharks are being spotted off California coast after 30-year hiatus
Sharks as long as small yachts are starting to frequent the coastal waters of Southern California. Surely some of you beach lovers find this bit of news unsettling, but there is no need to fear. The humongous sharks we’re talking about are called basking sharks, and they are known to be peaceful Read More...