Climate change

[lenny]

Czech scientists study trees’ ability to absorb traffic noise

Czech scientists study trees’ ability to absorb traffic noise

Trees do not only improve air quality but also reduce noise levels. Brno scientists are investigating how trees could be used as sound barriers against traffic noise.

english.radio.cz

 

[lenny]

This startup just hit a big milestone for green steel production
Boston Metal completed its first run of an industrial reactor that uses electricity to make steel.

This startup just hit a big milestone for green steel production

Boston Metal completed its first run of an industrial reactor that uses electricity to make steel.

www.technologyreview.com

 

[lenny]

The Shrouded, Sinister History Of The Bulldozer
From India to the Amazon to Israel, bulldozers have left a path of destruction that offers a cautionary tale for how technology without safeguards can be misused.

The Shrouded, Sinister History Of The Bulldozer | NOEMA

From India to the Amazon to Israel, bulldozers have left a path of destruction that offers a cautionary tale for how technology without safeguards can be misused.

www.noemamag.com

 

[lenny]

Next generation LEDs are cheap and sustainable
Cost, technical performance and environmental impact – these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society. This has been demonstrated by researchers at Linköping University in a study published in Nature Sustainability.

Next generation LEDs are cheap and sustainable

Cost, technical performance and environmental impact – these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society. This has been demonstrated by LiU-researchers in a new study.

liu.se

 

[lenny]

I create buildings from mushroom components
Mtamu Kililo creates alternative construction materials to confront Kenya’s housing crisis.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00741-9

 

[lenny]

Some Geniuses Are Swapping 200-Mile Battery Packs Into BMW i3s, Creating A Potential ‘Forever Car’
If you hop onto Alibaba, you’ll find a Samsung-based replacement BMW i3 battery pack for sale for $6,500 a pop:

Some Geniuses Are Swapping 200-Mile Battery Packs Into BMW i3s, Creating A Potential 'Forever Car' - The Autopian

BMW sold over 250,000 i3s between 2013 and 2022, and with those cars having carbon fiber bodies and aluminum frames that don’t rust; plastic and carbon fiber panels that don’t dent; and interiors that hold up to abuse, there are naturally many i3s still on the road, looking good. The issue is...

www.theautopian.com

 

[lenny]

Gene-edited non-browning banana could cut food waste, scientists say
Fruit variety developed in Norwich remains fresh for up to 12 hours after being peeled

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/07/gene-edited-non-browning-banana-cut-food-waste-tropic-norwich

 

[lenny]

Earth's hidden carbon recyclers: Sulfur bacteria team up to break down organic substances in the seabed

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-earth-hidden-carbon-recyclers-sulfur.html

 

[lenny]

Genetic discovery puts bigger, tastier tomatoes and eggplants on the horizon
"Bigger, tastier tomatoes and eggplants could soon grace our dinner plates thanks to Johns Hopkins scientists who have discovered genes that control how large the fruits will grow.

The research—led by teams at Johns Hopkins University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory—could lead to the development of new varieties of heirloom tomatoes and eggplants, including those that help support agriculture in areas around the world where local varieties are currently too small for large-scale production."

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-genetic-discovery-bigger-tastier-tomatoes.html

 

[lenny]

The optimum nitrogen fertilizer rate for maize in the US Midwest is increasing

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55314-7

 

[lenny]

A river ‘died’ overnight in Zambia after an acidic waste spill at a Chinese-owned mine

A river ‘died' overnight in Zambia after an acidic waste spill at a Chinese-owned mine

Authorities and environmentalists in Zambia fear the long-term impact of an acid spill at a Chinese-owned mine that poisoned a major river and could potentially affect millions of people after signs of pollution were detected at least 100 kilometers downstream.

apnews.com

 

[lenny]

How To Build A Thousand-Year-Old Tree
A set of experimental techniques and technologies that might seem harmful to trees is actually helping ancient forests survive.

How To Build A Thousand-Year-Old Tree | NOEMA

A set of experimental techniques and technologies that might seem harmful to trees is actually helping ancient forests survive.

www.noemamag.com

 

[lenny]

Bio-Oil and American-Made Steel: How Charm Will Decarbonize Ironmaking

Bio-Oil and American-Made Steel: How Charm Will Decarbonize Ironmaking

At Charm, we’re charting a path to produce low-carbon iron—right here in America.

charmindustrial.com

 

[lenny]

Laser-based device can scan almost any sample of gas and tell you what's in it
"The group has developed a new laser-based device that can take any sample of gas and identify a huge variety of the molecules within it. It is sensitive enough to detect those molecules at minute concentrations all the way down to parts per trillion."

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-laser-based-device-scan-sample.html

 

[lenny]

How To Boil the Mediterranean Sea

How To Boil the Mediterranean Sea

From May 1st

benbyfax.substack.com

 

[lenny]

'Microlightning' in water droplets may have sparked life on Earth

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-microlightning-droplets-life-earth.html

 

[lenny]

Europe's largest battery site goes live in Scotland, boosting UK energy grid
Zenobē unveiled the groundbreaking site

Europe's largest battery site goes live in Scotland, boosting UK energy grid

The Blackhillock site is being implemented in two phases. The first phase, which just went live, has a capacity of 200MW. The second phase, scheduled for 2026,...

www.techspot.com