Ada Palmer

Scientists have used artificial intelligence to create an enzyme that can eat one of the toughest plastics on Earth: the kind used in foam mattresses and sneakers. The enzyme breaks polyurethane down into reusable chemicals in just 12 hours at 50°C, turning it back into raw materials. Truly circular recycling. Wild. We know it’s already in the headline, but did we mention they used AI to design this thing? Ars Technica

Ars Technica

Neural network finds an enzyme that can break down polyurethane

Given a dozen hours, the enzyme can turn a foam pad into reusable chemicals.

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In September, The Lancet released a report with one of the most extraordinary statistics I’ve ever seen: since 2010, humanity’s total burden of illness and early death has dropped by 12.6 percent, driven by declining deaths from the world's deadliest infectious diseases: tuberculosis, lower respiratory infections, diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS, all down by between 25 and 49 percent.

Fix The News | Angus Hervey | Substack

Fix The News is the world's leading solutions journalism newsletter. We share hidden stories of progress with readers from 195 countries. Steven Pi...

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Agrivoltaics boost crop yields even when the solar panels aren’t generating power. New research from Canada shows that shading crops with elevated solar panels creates a cooler, wetter microclimate that can lift yields and improve performance across dozens of crops, from peppers to pasture grass. These benefits persist even when panels are offline, strengthening the case for agrivoltaics as dual-use infrastructure. The Conversation

The Conversation

The gift that keeps on giving: How solar panels on farms can help increase crop yields

A new study finds farmers can enjoy increased crop yeilds under partial shade of solar panels long after they stop working decades from now.

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US coal generation has collapsed from about 50% of electricity in 2005 to just 14% today. It’s one of the fastest energy transitions in modern history. Nearly 400 plants have retired or been scheduled for closure, and operating a coal plant now costs more than building new wind and solar in every state.

Canary Media

Can the war on coal still be won?

Ten years ago, the U.S. was on track to phase out coal by 2030, thanks to the Sierra Club. Now Trump and AI are delaying the fuel’s decline.

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400 years ago, Jubilee Marsh was walled off from the sea and stopped being a saltwater marsh. In the mid-2000s, the Royal Society for the Protection Of Birds bought the land and decided to ‘rewet’ the marsh. Just letting the sea back in wouldn’t be enough though — the land had sunk — but in London, the Crossrail project was excavating the Elizabeth line tunnel and needed a place to put dirt. Cue collaboration, and now a hugely successful bird refuge

Oceanographic

Record 40,000 birds flock to 400-year-old revived wetland - Oceanographic

Jubilee Marsh in Essex sees nearly 40,000 wintering birds, a decade after being restored using soil from London’s Elizabeth line excavations.

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Britain ends new fossil fuel exploration. The government has introduced a legal moratorium on all new oil and gas exploration licences, ending five decades of North Sea expansion and aligning policy with 1.5°C targets. Existing fields will keep producing under stricter climate tests, but future investment will now flow to offshore wind, carbon-free heat and upgrades to the grid. Greenpeace UK

Greenpeace UK

Britain becomes world’s largest economy to end new oil and gas exploration - Greenpeace UK

Commenting on the government’s North Sea Future Plan, in which it has confirmed that no more licences for new oil and gas will be issued, Greenpe...

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In Europe, rewilding is reversing the fortunes of ‘Empty Spain.’ In the sparsely populated Serranía Celtibérica, a decade of rewilding efforts has revived ecosystems, wildlife and rural livelihoods. Semi-wild herbivores and predators are returning to abandoned farmland, local timber and resin businesses are gaining sustainable footing, and young volunteers are helping build a rewilding movement rooted in community and ecological renewal. Rewilding Europe

Rewilding Europe

Rewilding is revitalising lives and landscapes in the Iberian Highlands | Rewilding Europe

The Iberian Highlands of Spain have struggled with rural depopulation and economic decline for many years. Today, rewilding is helping communities ...

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3,150-year-old papyrus reveals the world’s earliest recorded labour strike. New analysis of the Turin Strike Papyrus—a detailed account from 1157 BCE—shows how artisans building the royal tombs at Deir el-Medina staged a coordinated walkout after going 18 days without grain rations. The document reads like an ancient industrial dispute: workers blocking gates, sending written demands to officials, and ultimately winning emergency payments.

Collection online - The so-called “Strike Papyrus” written by Amunnakht

More than 4.000 of the approximately 40.000 objects in Museo Egizio’s collection are accessible here. All data are constantly updated, thanks to ...

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15,000 acres of New York’s Adirondacks has passed from private hands to parkland — and for the first time in 100 years, will be re-opened to the public. 6,000 acres along ten miles of the Raquette River will now allow hiking, paddling and camping, while 9,000 additional acres around the lake are protected as a freshwater research preserve supporting rare cold-water species. The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy

Forever Wild in the Adirondacks

In 2008, The Nature Conservancy bought thousands of acres of Adirondack forest, including the historic Follensby Pond. Now, part of the area will o...

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The U.K. will ban the sale of plastic-based wet wipes from 2026, targeting a major source of sewer blockages and riverine microplastics. Water companies say wipes form up to 90% of fatbergs, costing millions to remove and degrading ecosystems downstream.The ban forces a full market shift toward biodegradable alternatives that the country’s pipes and treatment plants can actually handle, closing a long-standing gap in wastewater regulation. BBC

BBC Newsround

Plastic wet wipes to be banned from spring 2027 in England

England is bringing in a ban on plastic wet wipes from 2027. This will mean they then have the same rules as the rest of the UK.

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