New power plant uses liquid air to store renewable energy
While batteries are great for short-term energy storage, they are still too expensive to do long-term energy storage. Plus, batteries require minerals that are becoming increasingly scarce as the world moves towards power systems based on variable renewable energy. Fortunately, there is a promising Read More...
This girl juggled a soccer ball over a million times for essential workers
Back in April, we wrote about Captain Tom Moore and his quest to raise money for NHS charities in the UK by walking laps around his backyard. The 99-year old’s goal was to raise £1,000 ($1,300) by walking 100 laps before his 100th birthday at the end of the month but wound up raising over £32 Read More...
Major UK retailers remove glitter from their products to prevent pollution
While it may add some fun and glamour to the holiday season, glitter quickly loses its sparkle once you realize that it’s just another form of microplastic, bound to eventually make its way into the environment and harm marine life. But as awareness around the problem with glitter is growing, an Read More...
Prince William launches Earthshot Prize to inspire climate solutions
England’s Prince William, aka the Duke of Cambridge, has announced what is being billed as “the most prestigious global environment prize in history.” The Earthshot prize, as it’s called, will award £50 million ($64.5 million) over 10 years to help find solutions to repair the planet by Read More...
Ban on straws, stirrers, and cotton buds comes into effect in England
A ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds was supposed to come into effect in England this past April, but that ban was put on delay during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, months later, the ban has come into force. Each year, people in England use an estimated 4.7 billion Read More...
Number of young black authors doubles to nearly 20% in UK
People of color have long been underrepresented in the publishing industry, but a new study out of the University College London shows that is starting to change amongst young adult writers in the UK. The study found that only 7.1 percent of YA authors in the UK were people of color in 2017. That Read More...
For severe Covid patients, cheap steroids can be a lifesaver
While researchers scramble to find a cure for Covid-19, it’s also important we have ways to treat patients that are already severely ill from the virus. Recently, new studies have found that cheap steroids can actually be life-saving for Covid patients in intensive care. The new Read More...
Why seagrass meadows are the carbon capture solution we need
Although rainforests are vital for capturing carbon from the atmosphere, their efficiency hardly compares to that of seagrass. According to the United Nations Environment Program, seagrass can capture carbon an incredible 35 times faster than rainforests. The only problem is seagrass covers just Read More...
UK will start using bacteria to extract precious metals from e-waste
According to a recent report by the UN, the world dumps at least $10bn worth of gold, platinum, and other precious metals in a growing mountain of e-waste each year. The problem is further exacerbated by the release of toxic compounds into the atmosphere associated with inappropriate and unsafe Read More...
Mapping the Ocean: Robot boat completes 22-day-mission without crew
The more we know about the Earth’s oceans, the more we can do to protect them. But we still know relatively little. As of June, only 19 percent of the ocean floor had been mapped out, meaning we still have a whopping 81 percent of the ocean to survey and map. Fortunately, scientists are finding Read More...