Things aren't as bad as they seem.

Spanish firms AMSA and ELSAN, with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, replaced conventional mineral filler in bituminous road mix with biochar made from olive pits and pine waste. Lab results show comparable durability to standard asphalt, with up to 75% lower CO₂ emissions in the surface layer.

Barcelona tests olive pit asphalt that cuts road surface emissions by 75%

Barcelona tests olive pit asphalt that cuts road surface emissions by 75%

01.07.2026

Heading layer

Barcelona tests olive pit asphalt that cuts road surface emissions by 75%

29.06.2026

Seychelles marks 50 years with conservation at the center

Fifty years after independence, Seychelles has protected about 30% of its vast marine territory and roughly half of its land. From restoring coral reefs to safeguarding giant tortoises and expanding marine reserves, the Indian Ocean nation has made conservation a central part of its development while supporting tourism and local livelihoods.

29.06.2026

Watching sunsets reduces anxiety, inflammation and cortisol — here’s the science

Researchers at Arizona State University and the University of Toronto have found that the awe triggered by sunsets lowers stress hormones, reduces inflammatory cytokines linked to diabetes and depression, and improves sleep by reinforcing the body's circadian rhythm. Dusk's red and gold light activates the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling the body to wind down.

29.06.2026

South Africa opens art galleries in prison to cut one of the world’s highest reoffending rates

Since 2023, South Africa's Department of Correctional Services has opened nine arts-and-crafts galleries inside prisons. At Leeuwkop in Johannesburg, 34 inmates display their work publicly. The program — run with Just Detention International since 2024 — builds skills and income ahead of release, in a country where recidivism estimates reach as high as 95%.

29.06.2026

Kerala creates India’s first dedicated department for elderly welfare

In Kerala — India's fastest-ageing state, where migration to the Middle East and beyond has left growing numbers of older people living alone — the state government has launched the country's first dedicated department for elderly welfare. Its strategy centers on keeping people in their homes and communities, with planned caregiver training, day-care centres, and volunteer networks to address isolation.

29.06.2026

Philadelphia bans horse-drawn carriages, with New York set to follow

Philadelphia City Council voted to ban horse-drawn carriages — both commercial and noncommercial — effective June 26, with fines of $1,000 per day for violations. Chicago banned the practice in 2020, San Antonio in 2024. New York City's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has also voiced support for removing carriages from Central Park.

29.06.2026

Floating capsule cleans drinking water with a shake, no power needed

An international team of researchers developed a self-powered capsule that tests and disinfects water without batteries, filters, or chemicals. Three seconds of shaking generates enough electricity to measure water quality via Bluetooth, then floating motion powers disinfection — eliminating 99.9999% of microorganisms across 120+ cycles.

27.06.2026

Budapest’s biggest Pride in years draws tens of thousands after Orbán’s defeat

Hungary's 31st Budapest Pride marched through the capital on June 27 — the first since Viktor Orbán, who had legislated to ban it, lost April's election. Last year's march was held in defiance of the ban; this year police authorized the event and provided security along the route.

27.06.2026

Cape Verde reach the World Cup knockouts unbeaten on their debut

Ranked 67th and playing their first-ever World Cup, Cape Verde — an Atlantic island archipelago of just over 500,000 people — finished second in their Group. Three draws put them through to face reigning champions Argentina in Miami on July 3, becoming the first debut nation to go unbeaten in three group games since Senegal in 2002.

27.06.2026

Researcher maps the full vocabulary of zebra finches

After more than a decade of observation and recording, Dr. Julie Elie identified 11 distinct call types used by zebra finches, decoding both their meanings and the individual vocal signatures birds use to recognize each other. Machine learning helped organize the data; crucially, birds confused calls with similar meanings more than similar-sounding ones — showing they respond to content, not just sound.

27.06.2026

New oral hair loss drug passes key trial with 80% reporting regrowth

The first oral minoxidil formulation developed specifically for pattern hair loss, showed roughly four times more regrowth than placebo in a 500-plus participant study. Nearly 80% of patients and investigators reported improvement. A Phase 3 men's trial is underway; if approved, it would be the first oral treatment cleared for women too.

27.06.2026

Dodgers donate $1.1 million to families hit by LA immigration raids

The Los Angeles Dodgers have delivered on a pledge made last year, distributing $1.1 million between two nonprofits: California Community Foundation, which used $1 million to provide $1,000 in direct cash relief to 1,000 affected households, and Labor Community Services, which used $100,000 to supply food assistance to more than 4,000 families.

27.06.2026

Ocean conference in Mombasa ends with $6.4 billion in pledges for the sea

The 11th Our Ocean Conference — the first ever on African soil — closed with 320 new commitments from 104 governments, businesses and civil society groups. The World Bank pledged $1 billion for blue economies; Kenya committed $1 billion including $200 million for electronic fishing vessel monitoring. About 85% of all pledges made since 2014 have been fulfilled or are underway.

24.06.2026

Chinese queer art museum opens in San Francisco’s Chinatown

Xiangqi Chen left China, and opened the OUT Museum in San Francisco's Chinatown — the first of its kind for Chinese and diaspora queer artists. Launched in May 2026 with over 2,000 early supporters, the bilingual museum has already brought together generations and families across lines long considered uncrossable.

24.06.2026

UK wine importer heats 33,000 m² of warehouses with abandoned coal mine water

Lanchester Wines in Gateshead, northeast England, became the first private business in Britain to draw heat from disused underground coal mines. Two open-loop water source heat pumps with a combined 4-megawatt capacity now heat more than 33,000 square metres of warehouse space. Britain has around 23,000 flooded coal mines, a quarter of which sit beneath homes and businesses.

24.06.2026

Colombia becomes first Latin American country to ban female genital mutilation

On June 10, 2026, Colombia's Senate passed Bill 440, making it the first country in Latin America to legislate specifically against FGM. Between 2020 and 2025, 204 cases were recorded nationally, 177 involving Indigenous girls. Indigenous women drove the campaign that shaped the law's intercultural approach.

24.06.2026

Psilocybin leaves measurable epigenetic marks in people with alcohol use disorder

A randomized controlled trial gave 37 patients with alcohol use disorder either psilocybin or a placebo and then examined their DNA methylation — chemical changes that regulate gene activity without altering DNA itself. Psilocybin produced significant changes in genes linked to serotonin signaling, immune response, and inflammation, pointing toward biological mechanisms behind its therapeutic effects.

24.06.2026

Ten weeks of Nordic walking put over half of depressed adults into remission

64 adults with moderate to severe depression enrolled in a supervised Nordic walking program — two one-hour sessions a week for 10 weeks. By week five, about half the participants had reduced their symptoms by 50% or more; by week ten, between 35% and 53.6% had reached full remission. Those with the most severe depression improved fastest. No injuries were reported.

24.06.2026

112 major companies call for faster electrification shift

Nestle, Ikea, Volvo Cars, and 109 other companies with combined annual revenues of $1.5 trillion have signed an open statement urging governments to make electrification central to economic strategy. The coalition argues that fossil fuel dependence drives price shocks and supply chain instability — and that electrification technology already exists.