Things aren't as bad as they seem.

Uganda has been declared Ebola-free 42 days after its last patient was discharged, meeting the WHO benchmark. The country confirmed 20 cases linked to the outbreak in eastern DR Congo, then used event cancellations, travel suspensions, quarantine and 21-day contact follow-up to stop further transmission.

Uganda declared Ebola-free after containing 20 confirmed cases

Uganda declared Ebola-free after containing 20 confirmed cases

29.07.2026

Heading layer

Uganda declared Ebola-free after containing 20 confirmed cases

24.07.2026

Dutch students unveil solar ambulance built for remote medical care

Students from Eindhoven University of Technology have introduced Stella Juva, a solar-powered ambulance designed to bring healthcare directly to remote communities. The prototype powers both its drive system and medical equipment with rooftop solar panels and a battery, and will begin field testing in Kenya next month.

24.07.2026

Loggerhead turtle nesting surges after decades of protection efforts

A 27-year study found an 80-fold increase in loggerhead turtle nesting across three beaches on Boa Vista, Cabo Verde. Researchers link the recovery to habitat protection, anti-poaching patrols, hatcheries, long-term monitoring, and stronger community involvement, despite ongoing threats from climate change and human activity.

24.07.2026

UK legalizes plug-in solar kits for homes starting August 27

From August 27, households across the UK will be able to install approved plug-in solar kits by connecting them to a standard wall socket. The new rules set technical safety limits and fulfill the government's pledge to legalize the systems before summer ends, making small-scale solar power more accessible.

24.07.2026

UN opens talks on first treaty focused on older people’s rights

The United Nations has begun negotiations on a treaty dedicated to protecting the rights of older people as populations live longer. Led by Argentina, the talks seek to address age-based discrimination, neglect and abuse. People over 65 are expected to make up one-fifth of the world's population within 50 years.

24.07.2026

Children become climate detectives to help redesign cooler school grounds

More than 500 elementary pupils at seven schools in southeast England joined the University of Surrey's Heat-Cool program, using thermal cameras to capture images across their school grounds and help identify heat hotspots and what might cause them. Their findings showed green and water-based features were typically one to three degrees cooler than surrounding areas.

24.07.2026

Amazon fires hit record low as forest protection gains ground

Forest fires in Brazil's Amazon dropped to their lowest level since records began in 1985, with 3.1 million hectares burned in 2025. MapBiomas links the decline to lower deforestation, weather that limited burning and stronger local prevention, although researchers warn a possible strong El Niño could raise fire risk again.

20.07.2026

Coral reef off Benin, presumed dead for 60 years, found thriving

Sonar and an underwater drone equipped with the National Geographic Deep Sea Camera System led researchers to a living mesophotic coral ecosystem in the Gulf of Guinea — the first confirmed on the West African continental shelf. Lead author Gérard Zinzindohoué of Benin's Institut de Recherches Halieutiques et Océanologiques published the findings in Frontiers in Marine Science.

20.07.2026

New Orleans party bottles become sand for Louisiana’s vanishing coastline

Glass Half Full, founded by Franziska Trautmann and based in Chalmette near New Orleans, collects tens of thousands of pounds of glass weekly from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, crushing it into sand used to rebuild eroding marshland. Louisiana loses a football field of land every 100 minutes. Tulane researchers confirmed plants grow and wildlife survives in the recycled glass sand.

20.07.2026

A Dutch bubble curtain catches 86% of river plastic before it reaches the sea

The Great Bubble Barrier lays a perforated tube diagonally across a riverbed, pumping air to create a rising curtain that pushes floating and submerged plastic to a bank collector — without blocking fish or boats. Active in Amsterdam, Katwijk, Harlingen, and Vila do Conde, Portugal, the system is now expanding internationally, backed by Earthshot Prize recognition.

20.07.2026

Penn State engineers paint health sensors directly onto skin in any color

A water-based conductive ink developed at Pennsylvania State University dries in under ten minutes, forming flexible electrodes that capture ECG, EEG, and EMG signals — even on hairy or sweaty skin. In lab tests, participants wore the painted sensors through 12 hours of daily activity. The study was published in PNAS.

20.07.2026

Hawaiʻi builds a sign language rooted in its own Indigenous tongue

Started in 2024 by University of Hawaiʻi student Kekai Kaaumoana-Cummings — the first deaf person in UH Mānoa's Hawaiian Language Department — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Kuhi Lima develops hand signs grounded in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Native Hawaiian culture, not American Sign Language, which has no cultural connection to the islands.

20.07.2026

EU bans large fashion companies from destroying unsold clothes and shoes

From July 19, 2026, large EU companies — those with over 250 employees and more than €50 million in annual turnover — must stop incinerating or landfilling unsold clothing, accessories, and footwear. An estimated 4–9% of unsold EU textiles are destroyed annually, generating around 5.6 million tons of CO₂. Medium-sized firms must comply from 2030.

18.07.2026

Brain implant lets paralyzed man feed himself after three-year trial

A "double neural bypass" developed at New York's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has restored hand movement and touch sensation in a man with complete tetraplegia. Over three years, Keith Thomas — paralyzed from the chest down since a 2020 diving accident — regained enough arm strength to feed himself and drink from a cup.

18.07.2026

New deepfake detector reaches 95% accuracy by reading facial expressions

Researchers have developed a deepfake detection method that reads the naturalness of facial expressions rather than searching for visual glitches. Tested on standard benchmark datasets, it achieved over 95% accuracy and caught manipulations that defeated most existing detectors.

18.07.2026

Scientists generate electricity from humid air using cigarette filters and dead batteries

A flexible, paper-thin generator, built entirely from waste materials — wild sugarcane stalks, discarded cigarette filters, carbon paste from spent dry-cell batteries, table salt, and aluminum foil. One single unit generates up to 1.16 volts at 65% humidity; four units in series powered a small LED for over three hours without a capacitor.

18.07.2026

Greece’s former prison island is now a monk seal stronghold

Gyaros, an Aegean island sealed off for decades as a political prison and naval firing range, has become the largest known Mediterranean monk seal colony, with around 70 adults. Between 2015 and 2023, illegal fishing by amateurs fell 57% and by professionals 85% and a presidential decree gave it the highest level of legal protection in April 2026.

18.07.2026

Maasai and Samburu musicians use social media to reclaim their culture

Improved internet access and affordable smartphones have enabled a new generation of Maasai and Samburu musicians in Kenya to bring their music to social media, blending traditional Maa-language songs with modern genres like Amapiano and Bongo Flava. The movement is also countering cultural loss: as one singer put it, "If we don't update our roots, our songs will be forgotten, and the community will forget about their customs."

18.07.2026

India launches its first domestically built hydrogen-powered train

India has unveiled its first hydrogen-powered train built in the country, marking a new step in the railway’s clean energy plans. The locomotive is designed to reduce diesel use on non-electrified routes as Indian Railways expands low-emission transport alongside broader investments in electrification and renewable energy.