£1.4M prize awaits U.K. circular plastics flagship projects
This competition aims to engage Britain’s best scientists and innovators to help move the country towards a more circular economy and sustainable approaches to plastics.
2018 C.E.
Japan to add 17 GW of new solar by end of 2020
The Japanese solar sector grew from 13.6 GW at the end of 2013 to 48.6 GW by the end of 2017, making it one of the fastest growing solar sectors in the world.
The world’s largest collection of rice is now permanently funded
Like the “doomsday” seed vault in Norway, the purpose of the IRRI gene bank is to ensure we never find ourselves in a position where our food supply isn’t secure and diverse.
Washington state abolishes death penalty
Washington has become the 20th US state to ban the death penalty, after its Supreme Court ruled the punishment was applied in an “arbitrary and racially biased manner”.
New report finds raising the minimum wage reduces prison recidivism
Economics professors found that a minimum wage increase of $.50 an hour reduced the chance that a person would end up back in prison within a year by 2.8%.
The first Hyperloop passenger capsule is unveiled in Spain
A feasibility analysis by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates that Hyperloop routes could be up to six times more energy efficient than air travel on short routes, and over three times faster than the world’s fastest high-speed rail system.
Taylor Swift’s Instagram post has caused a massive spike in voter registration
The singer waded into politics on Sunday with a social media post encouraging her fans to register to vote before it was too late.
Commercial fishing banned across much of the Arctic
International agreement will protect vast areas of sea that have opened up as the ice melts.
World’s first hydrogen-electric passenger plane to take off in 2025
Designed to fly up to four passengers for distances between 500km to 5,000km, the Element One is described as a quiet, ultra-light, zero carbon aircraft “several orders of magnitude better” than battery-electric aircrafts.
Minnesota now offers ‘X’ for gender option on driver’s licenses
In addition to “M” and “F,” “X” can now be checked by any applicant who does not want to identify as male or female.