Microbes offer a glimpse into the future of climate change
Microbes play an important role in climate because they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when they eat.
The Brighter Side of News features good news, compassionate news and inspirational news from around the world
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Joshua Shavit
- Jun 25
Tiny fish-shaped robot ‘swims’ around picking up microplastics
Researchers created a light-activated fish robot that “swims” around quickly, picking up and removing microplastics from the environment.
Joseph Shavit
- Jun 8
Researchers develop method that can recycle water used in fracking and drilling
The current volume of wastewater - the result of water forced underground to fracture rock - is estimated at 250 million barrels per day.
Joseph Shavit
- Apr 5
Meet Aquabot: Aquatic drone that measures water quality throughout river networks
The AquaBOT measures a range of water quality indicators, providing data for studies focused on clean water and sustainable energy.
Joseph Shavit
- Apr 2
Solar-powered technology pulls water from the air, 24 hours a day
Researchers developed a technology that, for the first time, allows them to harvest water 24 hours around the clock, with no energy input.
Joseph Shavit
- Mar 24
Okra and Aloe shown to remove microplastics from wastewater
Okra serves as a master thickener of stews and soups. The goo from that fruit and other plants, such as aloe can also clean wastewater.
Joseph Shavit
- Mar 2
These solar panels pull in water vapor to grow crops in the desert
Using a unique hydrogel, scientists created a solar-driven system that successfully grows spinach by using water drawn from the air.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 28
New hydrogels collect freshwater from thin air in drought-stricken regions
Study shows that the salt enhances the moisture uptake of the gel, making it suitable for water harvesting in dry regions.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 25
This revolutionary UV-C water bottle filters 99.9996% of water impurities
No matter where you are, this water bottle will deliver 99.9996% of purified water with each sip.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 23
Mimicking mother nature: Algae-inspired technology makes fresh water
Scientists have developed a new membrane, whose structure was inspired by a protein from algae, for electrodialysis used for fresh water.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 18
Using sunlight to convert oil spills into seawater
Researchers discovered that 10% of the oil floating on the Gulf after the Deepwater Horizon disaster was dissolved into seawater by sunlight
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 30, 2021
A billion people could get safe drinking water from harvesting devices
Devices that uses solar power to pull water from the air could potentially serve a billion people across the world.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 29, 2021
Turning wastewater from coffee production into electricity
Professor Claudio Avignone Rossa identified a way to process the waste differently by feeding it to a community of electrogenic microbes.
Joshua Shavit
- Oct 27, 2021
Irish scientists discover tap water produces a protective shield against microplastics
Tap water produces a natural protective shield against harmful microplastics, which can help prevent household products from releasing them.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 22, 2021
New device just cleaned up 20,000 pounds of trash out of the Pacific ocean's Garbage Patch
Non-profit that wants to remove 90% of the floating ocean plastic by 2040 recently introduced a new large-scale cleanup system called Jenny.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 16, 2021
Harvesting water from the air, 24 hours a day, with no energy input
Fresh water is scarce in many parts of the world and must be obtained at great expense. Communities near the ocean can desalinate sea water.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 12, 2021
Solar-powered desalination device will provide clean water to 400,000 Kenyans
Converting seawater into safe drinking water takes an enormous amount of energy, which makes it a costly and polluting process.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 7, 2021
These robots can clean the oceans, but they need help
Robots are cleaning our oceans, harbours and rivers. No matter how much they clean, it’s only politicians who can make a real change.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 6, 2021
This hydrogel tablet can purify a liter of river water in an hour
As much as a third of the world's population does not have access to clean drinking water, according to some estimates.
Joshua Shavit
- Sep 30, 2021
New innovation inexpensively filters wastewater to create new source of fresh drinking
New membrane could also be used to remove salt from wastewater to provide a new source of fresh water.