Wildfires smoke more poisonous than other forms of pollution, responsible for thousands of premature deaths
On a cool September morning in San Francisco, a group of firefighters packed their gear into a bright red van. The sickly-sweet odour of pine resin from a distant blaze hung in the air as the crew prepared to battle the rapidly growing Dixie fire, on its way towards becoming...
One day, the neglected Mt Nyiragongo volcano in DR Congo will kill thousands in 30 minutes – expert
In October, one researcher said institute didn’t have enough funds to afford a drone to take high-resolution photos of the May Mount Nyiragongo eruption site, while in July staff said the Volcano Observatory centre in Goma, east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was struggling to raise money for...
Underpaid and under fire: The risky business of monitoring Congo’s volatile Nyiragongo volcano
Editor’s note: The second of two stories on the aftermath of the May volcanic eruption in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The New Humanitarian spent three weeks interviewing displaced people, aid workers and employees at a local observatory tasked with monitoring the volatile Mount Nyiragongo. Read part one here. This...
How appetite for cell-based seafood engineered fish cultivation from flasks to large bioreactors
As lab-cultured fish becomes an alternative source of seafood, production has also been changing to ensure safety. Researchers initially grow the cells in a single layer adhering to the surface of small flasks or other labware. The cells grow in nutrient-rich media typically consisting of a unique, species-specific combination of...
Boneless lab-cultured fish hits dinner tables and European consumers say it ‘tastes just the same’
In recent weeks, companies developing cell-based fish and shellfish have been drawing attention as they tout their offerings and expand their businesses globally. San Diego-based BlueNalu will introduce lab-made finfish to Europe through a collaboration announced in September with British frozen food distributor Nomad Foods. The same month, Hong Kong-based...
Why executives are inflexible about flexible work arrangements, juniors prefer ‘home work’
Ever feel like your boss just doesn’t understand you? That’s because they don’t – and that’s especially true when it comes to flexible working. Future Forum, a research group backed by Slack, runs its quarterly Pulse survey of 10,000 knowledge workers alongside focus groups with their bosses across six countries,...
Sprint for electric vehicles picks up as their batteries outperform what car firms thought they’d do
Plenty of Americans are confused about the basics of electric vehicles (EVs), says Jeff Allen, the executive director of Forth, an advocacy and research organisation focused on electric mobility. A question he still hears from drivers: “Can I take it safely through the car wash? Spoiler: Yes,” he says. Fears...
After years of hesitancy, demand for electric vehicles has soared with used cars tipping the balance
A few years ago, Greg Platt, an electric vehicle salesperson in Portland, Oregon, was having extraordinary success with a particular type of customer: foreigners. For a $250 fee, he’d ship cars north, where they usually crossed to western Canada by ferry. Other interested buyers would fly in from Europe. Platt...
African economies belt up to avoid crash as China’s appetite for large investments abroad wanes
Deep in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, members of the National Youth Service tirelessly swing machetes to clear dense shrubs obscuring railway tracks more than a century old. It’s a distinctly low-tech phase for China’s Belt and Road drive in Africa to create the trade highways of the future. There’s not...
Brainy bunch: How dad and mum in US home-tutored their 10 children into university by age 13
‘Brainy bunch’ family in the US has mastered home schooling, with all 10 children starting university the same year they became teenagers. High school sweethearts Monalisa and Kit Harding, both 53, have made a name for themselves as home schooling experts after getting their 10 children through high school and...
