🧠 Younger generations have lower risk of dementia at a given age than earlier generations
People born later have less risk of developing dementia at the same age compared to earlier generations. The trend is clearer among women, especially in Europe and England.
🚰 Desalination plants to produce fresh water on ocean floor
Three companies are developing technology to desalinate seawater in deep water, which can reduce energy consumption by up to 40 percent. The first large-scale facility will start producing 1 million liters of water per day in Norway in 2026.
☀️ Solar energy with batteries now delivers electricity around the clock in several countries
17 kWh battery storage is enough to convert 5 kW solar panels into constant 1 kW clean electricity around the clock. Sunny cities like Las Vegas can reach 97 percent of the way to constant solar electricity every hour throughout the year.
🔭 The world's largest digital camera weighs as much as a car and takes 3200-megapixel images of the sky
During the first 10 years, the observatory will collect more optical astronomical data than all previous telescopes combined.
🧬 New AI model predicts cellular responses to drugs and treatments
Arc releases State, a virtual cell model trained on data from nearly 170 million cells to predict how different cell types react to drugs and genetic perturbations.
🚗 Tesla starts driverless taxi service in Austin
Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service without drivers in Austin, Texas, where the public can for the first time order driverless rides. This is the first step in a rollout that Elon Musk has said will make autonomous ride-sharing ubiquitous.
🔙 Beaver returns to Portugal after 500 years
Beaver has returned to Portugal after being extinct since the end of the 1400s, confirmed through camera traps and gnaw marks. The species functions as a natural ecosystem engineer that creates wetlands and improves water quality without human cost.
🧒 Bangladesh has reduced child mortality from 21% to 3%
Child mortality in Bangladesh has dropped from 211 per 1,000 births in 1979 to 31 per 1,000 today. Vaccination coverage has increased from 2 percent to 98 percent for basic vaccines. The country now finances 39 percent of its vaccination program and will become completely self-sufficient by 2030.
🌾 Global grain supplies set to reach record levels – food prices expected to fall
Global grain supplies are expected to reach a record level of 3.6 billion tons during the 2025-26 season. World Bank food prices are expected to decrease by 7 percent during 2025.