🌊 Record number of river barriers removed in Europe during 2024
Europe removed 542 dams, weirs and sluices that blocked the flow in waterways during 2024. The number of removals increased by 11 percent compared to the year before according to a report from Dam Removal Europe.
🏭 South America the first continent without planned new coal power plants
South America has become the first continent in the world without planned new coal power plants, after having 18 projects on the drawing board in 2015. Renewable energy sources have become economically superior to coal across the continent.
👁️ Contact lenses that give humans infrared vision
Researchers have created contact lenses that convert infrared light into visible light. The lenses contain nanoparticles of gold and rare earth metals that enable night vision.
🔋 Denmark's first molten salt battery can power 100,000 homes for 10 hours
Denmark has launched a 1 GWh molten salt battery that can store renewable energy for up to two weeks with minimal loss. The system uses industrial byproducts from chlorine production and achieves 80-90 percent efficiency for co-generation of heat and electricity.
👩🏫 AI teachers provide major academic progress in Nigeria
Students who used the AI teacher ChatGPT-4 improved their test results by 0.31 standard deviations, equivalent to 1.5 to 2 years of regular schooling. The program cost only $48 per student for six weeks and proved to be highly cost-effective compared to other educational interventions.
🩸 Previously deadly blood cancer completely disappears in one-third of patients
One-third of 97 patients with incurable blood cancer became tumor-free after immunotherapy and remain healthy after five years. The treatment uses the patient's own white blood cells that are modified to attack the cancer. The cost is much lower than traditional medications.
💰 Poverty in Jamaica drops to lowest level ever
Poverty in Jamaica decreased to 8.2 percent in 2023, compared to 16.7 percent in 2021. It is the lowest figure measured since measurements began in 1989. Food poverty dropped to 2.8 percent, also the lowest level ever.
📉 Have China's CO2 emissions peaked? Declining for the first time thanks to clean energy
China's carbon dioxide emissions fell by 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2025 despite sharply increased energy demand. China's electricity sector emissions have decreased four times previously. However, the current reduction is the first time the main cause is growth in clean energy production.
🚚 CERN researchers transport antimatter by truck for the first time
CERN has developed a portable container that can transport antimatter by truck between laboratories. The test showed that protons could be transported 4 kilometers without a single particle disappearing during transport.