Things aren't as bad as they seem.

Fairphone’s Gen 6+ is designed so owners can replace 12 parts with one included screwdriver, including the battery, screen, cameras and USB-C port. The $650 phone, now entering the US market, will receive software updates and spare parts through 2033, though its modular design is thicker and only IP55

There’s a fully self-repairable smartphone coming to the market

There’s a fully self-repairable smartphone coming to the market

09.09.2026

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There’s a fully self-repairable smartphone coming to the market

15.07.2026

Oxford begins the world’s first human trial of a Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine

The University of Oxford's Vaccine Group has launched a Phase I trial testing safety and immune response in 50 healthy adults aged 18–55, as the Bundibugyo outbreak spreads across Congo and Uganda. As of July 11, Congo reported 1,926 cases and 702 deaths across five provinces; Uganda confirmed 20 cases and two deaths.

15.07.2026

Tech coalition targets illegal wildlife trade with AI and blockchain

Leading technology, crypto and payments companies have joined a new initiative to disrupt the illegal wildlife trade, which the UN estimates generates up to $23 billion each year. The coalition will use AI to detect illegal online listings, blockchain analytics to trace financial flows, and public awareness campaigns to reduce trafficking.

15.07.2026

Porto makes all public transit free for residents

As of July 11, 2026, residents of Porto, Portugal's second city, can ride the metro, STCP and Unir buses, urban CP trains, trams, and river boats at no cost. Mayor Pedro Duarte, who campaigned on the measure, says the city will cover the €20–25 million annual bill partly by raising the tourist tax from €3 to €4.

12.07.2026

Catnip lotion matches DEET as mosquito repellent in Uganda field trials

In trials conducted in eastern Uganda, a lotion made from catnip oil performed as well as the active chemical ingredient currently used in mosquito repellent , offering a low-cost, natural solution to ward off disease-spreading mosquitoes. A 6% catnip oil formulation matched the standard 15% DEET lotion; a 2% version was only marginally less effective. Malaria infects around 282 million people annually.

12.07.2026

A Mexico City café turns into a free coffee stop for World Cup losers

During the 2026 World Cup, the Compay Café in Mexico City's La Condesa neighborhood transformed into the Losers Café: after every match, the losing team's flag hung outside, while dairy-free coffee was offered inside, along with napkins printed with "dry your tears". With nearly 50 teams competing and only one winner, the concept has plenty of customers.

12.07.2026

Greece deploys four nanosatellites to detect wildfires from orbit

Four EU-funded nanosatellites, each smaller than a carry-on bag, entered low Earth orbit in May, making Greece the first country to operate a satellite constellation dedicated solely to wildfire detection. Thermal sensors identify fires as small as four metres across — far smaller than what conventional satellites can see — with AI processing the images and sending real-time alerts to firefighters every hour.

12.07.2026

Mississippi program gives Black single moms $1,000 a month — and it works

Since 2018, the Magnolia Mother's Trust in Jackson, Mississippi, has provided Black mothers on low incomes with $1,000 a month for 12 months, no conditions attached. The program targets this group specifically because, as founder Aisha Nyandoro explains, data shows Black mothers in Jackson face the greatest economic disadvantage — a direct result of longstanding policy and systemic inequality.

12.07.2026

Giraffes can do basic addition, a new study finds

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12.07.2026

Portugal’s first elephant sanctuary opens in Alentejo with last circus elephant

Julie, Africa-born elephant kept captive in a Portuguese circus since 1988, has become the first resident of Pangea — a 400-hectare sanctuary in the Alentejo region that presents itself as Europe's first large-scale elephant refuge. Captured in the wild roughly 40 years ago, she is also the last wild animal held by any circus in Portugal, following the country's 2018 ban that took full effect in 2024.

08.07.2026

Barbershops boost therapy at a Kenyan psychiatric hospital

At Mathari Hospital in Nairobi, visiting barbers offer free haircuts to male psychiatric patients as a novel therapeutic approach. Healthcare workers note that restoring personal grooming dramatically improves self-esteem and clinical engagement, reversing the self-neglect often caused by severe depression.

08.07.2026

NASA transfers 105 acres of Maryland forest to wildlife refuge

NASA completed the transfer of a 105-acre wooded parcel in Maryland to the neighboring Patuxent Research Refuge. The land, once used for propellant research, has been cleared of infrastructure and restored to nature. It now expands the largest continuous block of unfragmented forest between Washington and Baltimore.

08.07.2026

Nestlé removes artificial colorings from all global products

The Swiss food giant Nestle announced it will eliminate all synthetic food dyes from its global portfolio by the end of 2026. Following years of research into natural shelf-life alternatives, this decision marks the first time a major multinational manufacturer has committed to a completely clean label worldwide.

08.07.2026

Italy has a public tactile museum that lets visitors touch the art

Museo Omero in Ancona, founded by blind couple Aldo and Daniela Grassini in the early 1990s, is Italy's only publicly funded tactile museum, where visitors touch replicas including Roman and Greek statues and the head of Michelangelo's David. Since 2012 it has occupied the 3,000-square-meter Mole Vanvitelliana.

08.07.2026

African nations break free from the colonial mineral export model

Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, and Mali now require minerals to be processed domestically before export, ending the colonial pattern that extracted resources while leaving factories elsewhere. By controlling the value chain, these governments build industrial capacity and keep profits at home rather than shipping raw ore abroad.

08.07.2026

Ford rehires veteran engineers after AI falls short on quality

Ford has rehired more than 300 veteran quality inspectors after concluding that artificial intelligence alone could not match their expertise. Vice President Charles Poon said engineers had been undervalued and now train Ford's AI systems, which helped it top the JD Power quality study for the first time since 2010.

06.07.2026

Cognitive rehabilitation clears long COVID brain fog symptoms

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06.07.2026

Delhi bans new petrol two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws to clear its air

India's capital, Delhi, launched its EV Policy: new electric auto-rickshaws and small goods carriers will be the only ones eligible for registration from January 1, 2027; two-wheelers follow from April 1, 2028. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers together account for 81% of vehicular pollution in the city. The policy runs through March 2030 and targets 95% electric new vehicle registrations by 2027.

06.07.2026

Leopard density in Benin’s last stronghold more than tripled in six years

Leopard density in Benin's Pendjari National Park rose more than threefold between 2017 and 2023. Researchers credit the African Parks' management: anti-poaching patrols, habitat restoration, and community programs, succeeding despite the security crisis in the wider W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, a 27,000 km² transboundary landscape spanning Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger.