The German town of Gaildorf is now home to the world’s largest wind turbine. Max Bögl Wind AG constructed the turbine, and its central hub alone measures some 178 meters (584 feet). When the length of the blade is added to that, the turbine’s height is 246.5 meters (808.7 feet). The record-breaking turbine is part of a quartet…
Researchers from Newcastle and Glasgow Universities believe they have found a way to effectively reverse type 2 diabetes, without requiring a new kind of drug or invasive surgery. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how a person’s body metabolizes sugar, either because they’ve developed resistance to the hormone insulin, or their pancreas fails…
After Hurricane Maria destroyed much of Puerto Rico earlier this year, Elon Musk was quick to offer Tesla’s services as an energy provider. The largest energy contract in the restoration efforts ultimately went to Whitefish, a small energy company from Montana, but they’ve since halted work. Tesla, however, has remained dedicated to improving energy access…
One of the first line treatments for cancer is chemotherapy, which can be a long, stressful process. While some patients certainly benefit from the treatment and see their cancer go into remission, others may not see the same effect. For those chemotherapy has failed, as well as others for whom other treatments were unsuccessful, the…
Half of England’s prisoners are illiterate. Since most of us learn to read and write in the first year or two of school, it feels almost impossible to imagine. But Angela Cairns, CEO of prisoners reading charity Shannon Trust, knows all too well how illiteracy can feel. “I sometimes hear a prisoner describing themselves as…
The state government of Assam is vying to elevate the Kamakhya temple, its most touted pilgrimage hotspot, as the cleanest pilgrimage site in the country. The ancient temple has been declared as a Swachh Iconic Place, with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of Kamakhya Development Project on Monday. “Kamakhya is…
Microbeads, the tiny plastic beads used in some facial scrubs and toothpaste that rinse down drains and pollute oceans and lakes, are now banned in “rinse-off” products in the U.S. But it’s not like those products are great for the environment now: you’re probably still slathering other lesser-known petrochemical ingredients on your face, like methylparaben…
Under the Donald Trump administration, the national parks and monuments in the United States have entered into an era of unprecedented threat. Earlier in December, the President moved to slash the size of two national monuments in Utah by a combined total of around 2 million acres, the largest rollback of federal land protections in…
More than half the global population relies on rice to survive, but meeting that demand is difficult due to the increasing scarcity of freshwater, which is required for rice cultivation. To get around the problem, an 87-year-old Chinese scientist named Yuan Longping is developing a new high-yield strain of rice that grows in saltwater. Swamps,…
Mumbai’s Jama Masjid in Kalbadevi is going to save 35 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year. The 200-year-old mosque is switching to solar energy for 70% of its electricity requirements, reports the Hindustan Times. This mosque in South Mumbai is not the only one to do so. Two other mosques — Minara Masjid at…