Science

Microlightning in water might have sparked life

The energy from ‘microlightning’ might have powered chemical reactions that formed the building blocks for life on Earth. When water sprays as a fine mist — after the crash of a wave, for example — it forms minute, charged droplets. The proximity of oppositely-charged droplets to one another generates an electrical discharge and a tiny flash of light.

Saudi Arabia invests $1.5 billion in Groq’s AI

Groq’s groundbreaking AI infrastructure, backed by Saudi Arabia’s investment, not only strengthens the Kingdom’s position as a global leader in AI but also amplifies the potential for AI to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Beyond Consumer Trends: The Holistic Approach to Sustainable Product Success Ashley Kleckner, SVP, Terviva

Sustainable products must solve real challenges for stakeholders. This means developing solutions that meet consumer demand, enhance operational efficiency, and reduce environmental impact. Companies should prioritize innovative approaches that regenerate ecosystems, optimize resource use, and create value across the supply chain.

Forming pine trees into bio-plastic foam

The research team used an environmentally-friendly preparation of lignin as a substitute for 20% of the fossil fuel-based chemicals in the foam. The bio-based foam was as strong and flexible as typical polyurethane foam.

Saudi Arabia initiates a wild plant survey

Saudi Arabia until recently was hermetically sealed to the outside world. But times are changing and the Kingdom of Saud which once dwelled in...

Robot retrieves radiactive nuclear material from Fukushima

Japanese teams have tried to isolate and retrieve bits of radioactive fuel in the past. This was the first successful attempt. Knowing more about the radioactive nature of the spent fuel will help TEPCO decommission the reactor. 

Colcom Foundation and PennEnvironment Unite To Create A Green Legacy For Pennsylvania

Reaffirming its ongoing support for environmental initiatives, especially in Pennsylvania, Colcom Foundation has awarded a generous $50,000 grant to PennEnvironment.

Why sunflowers dance: the code is cracked

Sunflowers dance to maximize each others' light.

Be a climate and energy engineer intern at Sandia National Laboratories

A summer internship for American college students is almost as important as going to school. If you are an aspiring archeologist you head to Israel. If you are an artist, you spend the summer in Florence, but if you are a scientist interested in climate change you might want to visit one of the hottest places on earth in Saudi Arabia.

Reefs get a boost from Zeroe in the UAE

Project Reeframe is a pioneering coral reef restoration project based in the UAE, run by Freestyle Divers. By creating artificial reefs and transplanting rescued coral fragments, Project Reeframe aims to restore damaged reefs, promote biodiversity, and enhance the resilience of marine ecosystems.

These micro robots clean up microplastics

To construct the bots, the team linked strands of a positively charged polymer to magnetic microparticles, which only move when exposed to a magnetic field. The polymer strands, which radiate from the surface of the beads, attract both plastics and microbes.

Buy a glowing petunia so you can bring GMO into the house

Plant lovers in the United States will soon be able to buy glowing petunias (Petunia hybrida). The $29 US plant, sold by biotech firm Light Bio, contains genes from a bioluminescent mushroom (Neonothopanus nambi).

Amazon deforestation is killing the lungs of the earth

For the first time scientists have determined that due to the ongoing deforestation in the Amazon basin in recent decades, the number of thunderstorms and rain in the region has decreased significantly, and the area over which they occur has shrunk.

The toxicity of recycled plastics

A new report from Greenpeace shows the toxicity of recycled plastics

Etihad Rail funds 3D printed sustainable plastics science

a forward thinking Abu Dhabi is putting their mark on greening the plastics industry by connecting industry at Etihad Rail with students at ACTVET to apply the latest 3D printing technologies that use recycled materials.

Hot this week

Ancient Jewish New Year for Animals revived with global campaign against factory farming

Jewish Vegan Life has launched a global campaign celebrating the New Year for Animals, with synchronized events in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Jerusalem, alongside an international livestream on August 9 featuring partners including Mercy for Animals, The Good Food Institute and Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The Space Orchestra, and the search for extraterrestrial life, to eclipse celebration

The event will livestream eclipse views from Iceland and northern Spain, where the eclipse will be total, while the 35-member International Space Orchestra, made up of astronauts, scientists, engineers, and researchers—performs a new orchestral interpretation of Voyager by PJ Harvey.

Canada’s healthcare became the world’s digital health laboratory. Now Europe is taking notice

Canada's healthcare system may be under pressure, but its decades-long experience with digital transformation is becoming a model for Europe and beyond. In an interview with Nordic's Alison MacDonald, Green Prophet explores why successful AI in healthcare depends less on software than on empowering clinicians, improving workflows and building resilient systems.

Jewish Climate Network founded so innovators don’t leave their identity at the door

Rather than retreating from climate change work, the Jewish Climate Trust organization has backed a new initiative designed to strengthen both climate action and Jewish community.

The Hidden Components Powering the Renewable Energy Revolution

A rooftop solar system looks simple: panels, an inverter, a battery and a few cables. But beneath that simplicity lies a bill of materials thousands of lines long, where tiny current sensors, magnetic cores, gate drivers, capacitors and connectors quietly determine efficiency, safety and lifespan. These overlooked components—not the solar panels themselves—are why today's residential solar systems are smaller, smarter and far more reliable than those of a decade ago.

Topics

Ancient Jewish New Year for Animals revived with global campaign against factory farming

Jewish Vegan Life has launched a global campaign celebrating the New Year for Animals, with synchronized events in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Jerusalem, alongside an international livestream on August 9 featuring partners including Mercy for Animals, The Good Food Institute and Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The Space Orchestra, and the search for extraterrestrial life, to eclipse celebration

The event will livestream eclipse views from Iceland and northern Spain, where the eclipse will be total, while the 35-member International Space Orchestra, made up of astronauts, scientists, engineers, and researchers—performs a new orchestral interpretation of Voyager by PJ Harvey.

Canada’s healthcare became the world’s digital health laboratory. Now Europe is taking notice

Canada's healthcare system may be under pressure, but its decades-long experience with digital transformation is becoming a model for Europe and beyond. In an interview with Nordic's Alison MacDonald, Green Prophet explores why successful AI in healthcare depends less on software than on empowering clinicians, improving workflows and building resilient systems.

Jewish Climate Network founded so innovators don’t leave their identity at the door

Rather than retreating from climate change work, the Jewish Climate Trust organization has backed a new initiative designed to strengthen both climate action and Jewish community.

The Hidden Components Powering the Renewable Energy Revolution

A rooftop solar system looks simple: panels, an inverter, a battery and a few cables. But beneath that simplicity lies a bill of materials thousands of lines long, where tiny current sensors, magnetic cores, gate drivers, capacitors and connectors quietly determine efficiency, safety and lifespan. These overlooked components—not the solar panels themselves—are why today's residential solar systems are smaller, smarter and far more reliable than those of a decade ago.

Teen Farmerettes were Canada’s answer to Victory Gardens during wartime food shortages

It is a wake-up call to teen girls on TikTok planning their next Coachella outfit or trip to Sephora: During the Second World War, thousands of young men left family farms to enlist, but the crops still needed planting and harvesting. Ontario's government answered by recruiting high school girls, from ages 16 to 18, to spend parts of spring, summer and fall to fill in for the labor shortage. 

The Early Believers: Investors Who Backed SpaceX Long Before Its Record IPO

SpaceX’s 2026 IPO didn’t just mint billionaires—it revealed the many forms of conviction behind one of the most doubted bets in venture history.

From eco city experiment to global clean energy giant: How Masdar became the UAE’s renewable energy powerhouse

Masdar began as an ambitious eco city in the Abu Dhabi desert. Two decades later, it has become one of the world's largest renewable energy developers, financing billions of dollars in solar, wind and battery storage projects across the globe.
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