How climate-friendly waterwheels are coming around again
17 January 2025 - From the Himalayas and Nepal to Northern Ireland, the sustainable source of energy seems to be back in vogue. (more)

FDA bans red dye No. 3 from food, drinks, and ingested drugs in the US
16 January 2025 - The US Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of red dye No. 3 in food, beverages, and ingested drugs, more than 30 years after scientists discovered links to cancer in animals, the agency announced Wednesday [15 January]. A synthetic color additive made from petroleum and chemically known as erythrosine, red dye No. 3 is used to give foods and beverages a bright cherry-red color. (more)

Israel and Hamas agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, multiple officials say
15 January 2025 - Multiple officials say Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release dozens of hostages after more than 15 months of war. Any deal is expected to pause the fighting and bring hopes for winding down the most deadly and destructive war Israel and Hamas have ever fought, a conflict that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests. (more)

Photographer highlights the importance of monarch butterfly conservation through stunning images
14 January 2025 - The monarch butterfly isn't just a pretty sight -- it's an essential pollinator that keeps our planet healthy. ...Jime Rojo, a photographer and National Geographic Explorer with a background in conservation, has been documenting monarch butterflies for the last 20 years. His series, Saving the Monarchs, delves into their captivating behavior, the challenges they face, and the ongoing efforts to protect them. (more)

What's Up: January 2025 skywatching tips from NASA
13 January 2025 - Each evening this month, enjoy a sweeping view of four bright planets at once. In the first couple of hours after dark, you'll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest, Jupiter high overhead, and Mars in the east. ...Planets always appear along a line in the sky, so the 'alignment' isn't special. What's less common is seeing four or five bright planets at once, which doesn't happen every year. (more)

You can see four planets shining brightly in the sky every night in January
13 January 2025 - It's only the beginning of 2025, but some really exciting astronomical events are already happening for stargazers around the world. For starters, an amazing event is underway -- one that can be easily seen with the naked eye. Throughout January, four planets will shine brightly in the night sky, forming a 'planet parade' that you surely won't want to miss. (more)

What were the world's most liveable cities in 2024?
12 January 2025 - The pursuit of an ideal city has long been a topic of debate among architects and urban planners. In addition to aesthetic identity and cultural heritage, the quality of life in every city represents perhaps the most important marker in this pursuit. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its Global Liveability Index 2024, highlighting the cities that excel in this ongoing quest. For the third consecutive year, Vienna ranked as the most liveable city in the world. (more)

US: The business case for saving coral reefs
11 January 2025 - After hurricanes devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, research revealed that communities near coral reefs faced less destruction, leading to new federal investments in reef restoration. Coral reefs act as natural barriers against storm surges, reducing flood damage in vulnerable coastal communities. Their protection saves lives and reduces disaster recovery costs. (more)

Scientists uncover a unique find beneath the waves off Chile that could change the future of our oceans
10 January 2025 - Off the coast of Chile, scientists have uncovered a discovery that could reshape marine conservation and offer new hope for preserving ocean ecosystems. This unique find, hidden in the depths of the Kawesqar National Reserve, is a testament to the resilience of marine biodiversity. (more)

Renewable energy made up 62.7% of Germany's electricity in 2024
9 January 2025 - Renewables are now making up a majority of the net public electricity generation in Germany, according to a new report by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE). In addition to rising renewables, reliance on hard coal and lignite for public electricity generation declined by 27.6% and 8.4%, respectively. Lignite, or brown coal, is one of the most polluting and carbon-emitting types of coal to use for power generation, according to Greenpeace. Reducing the combustion of lignite and hard coal in favor of renewables is helping to lower emissions in Germany. (more)

U.S. Department of Energy announces $6.9 million in projects to support effective community waste-to-energy strategies for local transportation needs
9 January 2025 - The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) announced $6.9 million in funding for nine projects to support local waste-to-energy management solutions for transportation energy needs. Located across six states, these selected projects will help sustainably manage and recover potential clean energy sources from local community waste streams using innovative and cost-effective technologies to produce low-carbon biofuels. (more)

Batteries made from industrial waste could store renewable energy
9 January 2025 - Redox flow batteries offer a promising way to store power from wind and solar generation, and an industrial byproduct could be used in these batteries instead of lithium and cobalt, which are in short supply. Such batteries could perform a vital function for power grids by smoothing out the peaks and troughs of renewable energy. (more)

Flying taxis are on the horizon as aviation soars into a new frontier
8 January 2025 - As CEO of Joby Aviation, JoeBen Bevirt is getting closer to turning his boyhood flights of fancy into a dream come true as he and latter-day versions of the Wright Brothers launch a new class of electric-powered aircraft vying to become taxis in the sky. The aircraft -- known as ''electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, or eVTOL'' -- lift off the ground like a helicopter before flying at speeds up to 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour) with a range of about 100 miles (161 kilometers). And these craft do it without filling the air with excessive noise caused by fuel-powered helicopters and small airplanes. (more)

A four-day science-backed guide to forging better friendships that will improve your life
7 January 2025 - Friendships can bring some surprising benefits to our health. Here's how you can make new friends and strengthen the ones you've got already. (more)

Seven quiet breakthroughs for climate and nature in 2024 you might have missed
6 January 2025 - Here are seven quiet wins that may have gone under your radar in 2024. (more)

US: University of Montana students band together for waterfowl conservation
6 January 2025 - University of Montana students of the Wildlife Biology Program are making a tangible impact on waterfowl conservation while also learning important skills for future careers in wildlife work. (more)

Focus on gratitude and hope in 2025, happiness expert says
5 January 2025 - UN Global Happiness Council member Jennifer Moss says, 'We have to kind of rewire our brain toward thinking more positively and there's lots of benefits to that. People that have higher levels of positive feelings or they tend to be more optimistic, they're more grateful, they're more pro-social, they tend to live longer, they tend to have better health, they have a stronger community relationship, there's psychological safety, there's all these huge benefits.' (more)

What is the Global Happiness Council?
5 January 2025 - The Global Happiness Council (GHC) is a new global network of leading academic specialists in happiness and key practitioners in areas ranging from psychology, economics, urban planning, civil society, business and government. The GHC identifies best practices at the national and local levels to encourage advancement of the causes of happiness and well-being. (more)

Seven proven ways to help the planet in 2025
4 January 2025 - Here are some of the most impactful actions you can take to live a more sustainable life this year, from eating more plant-based food, to reducing your number of flights, to buying more second-hand clothes. (more)

Here's your 2025 guide to the night sky and other celestial wow moments
3 January 2025 - While the world will have to wait until 2026 for the next total solar eclipse, the cosmos promises plenty of other wow moments in 2025. It's kicking off the year with a six-planet parade in January that will be visible for weeks. Little Mercury will join the crowd for a seven-planet lineup in February. Five planets already are scattered across the sky -- all but Mars and Mercury -- though binoculars or telescopes are needed to spot some of them just after sunset. (more)

Indigenous fashion, film and art went global in 2024
3 January 2025 - There were so many high points to Indigenous arts and entertainment in 2024 as fashion went big time to mainstream venues and media, art went global to Italy and beyond, books won awards and cruised the reservations in a pink truck, and powerful films hit the screens in theaters and online. (more)

China's solar Great Wall: A renewable energy milestone
2 January 2025 - China is undertaking an ambitious project in the Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongolia, to construct a vast solar energy installation, often referred to as the ''Solar Great Wall.'' This initiative aims to transform the once barren desert into a renewable energy powerhouse, with plans to power the capital city, Beijing, upon its completion in 2030. (more)

US: More than 400 fur seal pups spotted off San Francisco coast in ''truly remarkable'' comeback
1 January 2025 - Over 400 fur seal pups were found resting in an inlet at the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge off the coast of San Francisco -- and the adorable sight was caught on video. Protection began in 1911 with the Northern Fur Seal Treaty, which banned the hunting of fur seals at sea. In 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed by Congress, which prohibits the hunting and killing of marine mammals. (more)

Greece: Hundreds of endangered sea turtle hatchlings born in 2024 on Crete
30 December 2024 - A 'remarkable number' of at least five female caretta caretta sea turtle individuals used Pachia Ammos beach, at Stavros village on the Akrotiri peninsula of Crete, for breeding in 2024, resulting in five hundred hatchlings reaching the sea. (more)