Mastodawn

Sprig 🌱4d ago

Matt Ferrell 4d ago

Have you personally busted any heat pump myths?

Check out our video on it, here: https://youtu.be/K2c6Rucbi84

Or check out the page on our website, here: https://undecidedmf.com/why-everyone-gets-heat-pumps-wrong/

Sprig 🌱5d ago

📰 "Fungus could be the insecticide of the future"

🗒 "Exterminators keep getting calls for a reason. Wood-devouring insects, such as beetles, termites, and carpenter ants, are constantly chewing through walls or infecting trees and breaking them down. The fight against these insects usually involved noxious insecticides; but now, at least some of them can be eliminated using a certain species of fungus."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/02/fungus-could-be-the-insecticide-of-the-future/

#insecticide #fungus

Fungus could be the insecticide of the future

Plant chemicals made more potent by insect pests are detoxified by the fungus.

Ars Technica

Sprig 🌱6d ago

📰 "UK’s first rapid-charging battery train ready for boarding this weekend"

🗒 "The battery will recharge in just three and a half minutes back at West Ealing station between trips, using a 2,000kW charger connected to a few metres of rail that only becomes live when the train stops directly overhead."

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/30/uk-first-rapid-charging-battery-train

#train #greenenergy #UK #UnitedKingdom
#technews #transportation #trains #goodnews #solarpunk

Sprig 🌱Jan 26

📰 "Help Our Feathered Friends: Volunteer For the Great Backyard Bird Count Worldwide" 🦜🦉

🗒 "The annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) runs through Valentine’s Day, from February 13 through February 16, 2026."
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/help-our-feathered-friends-volunteer-for-the-great-backyard-bird-count-worldwide/

Learn More: https://www.birdcount.org/

#birds #birdwatching #wildlife #nature #outdoors #citizenscience #science

Sprig 🌱Jan 21

📰 "Scientists find a natural sunscreen hidden in hot springs bacteria"
🗒 "Researchers studying cyanobacteria from hot springs in Thailand have discovered a new natural UV-blocking compound with impressive antioxidant power."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260112214315.htm

📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQYxlUopZwk&t=193

#nature #hotsprings #goodnews #happynews #sciencenews #science #health #healthnews

Scientists find a natural sunscreen hidden in hot springs bacteria

Researchers studying cyanobacteria from hot springs in Thailand have discovered a new natural UV-blocking compound with impressive antioxidant power. Unlike conventional sunscreens, it’s biocompatible and potentially safer for both people and the environment. The molecule is produced only under UV and salt stress and uses a unique biosynthetic pathway never seen before. This could help drive a new generation of eco-friendly sunscreens and skincare products.

ScienceDaily

Sprig 🌱Jan 19

📰 "MIT’s Energy-Storing Concrete could Turn Buildings into Giant Batteries"

🗒 "The magic lies in a clever mix of cement, water, ultra-fine carbon black, and electrolytes. Together, these ingredients form a conductive network within the concrete, enabling it to both hold and release electricity."

https://happyeconews.com/mits-energy-storing-concrete/

#technology #construction #energy #Batteries #energystorage #greenenergy #MIT

MIT’s Energy-Storing Concrete could Turn Buildings into Giant Batteries | Happy Eco News

Energy-storing concrete from MIT can store electricity within building materials, offering a new option for renewable energy storage without the need for separate batteries.

Happy Eco News

Sprig 🌱Jan 7

📺 The “Butterfly Farmers” Saving Zanzibar’s Forests

🗒 "By creating an incentive to leave the forest intact so butterflies can flourish, this practice effectively creating a buffer zone of habitat around Jozani. Just as important, the Centre offers residents a sustainable source of income and has brought electricity, water, and schools to the island."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58GcGu8V-Jo&t=198

#Zanzibar #butterflies #rewilding #Jozani

The “Butterfly Farmers” Saving Zanzibar’s Forests | WILD HOPE

YouTube

"High-strength, multi-mode processable bamboo molecular bioplastic enabled by solvent-shaping regulation", Tang et al. 2025 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63904-2

"The ubiquity of petrochemical plastics in modern society, evident in packaging, construction, and electronics, is underpinned by their low cost, durability, and processability. Since the 1950s, global plastic production has surged exponentially, with projections indicating a staggering output of 1.23 billion tons by 2060 (Fig. 1a). Yet, the environmental toll of this reliance is catastrophic: less than 10% of plastics are recycled, while the remainder accumulates in landfills and oceans, fragmenting into persistent microplastics that infiltrate ecosystems and food chains. This crisis underscores an urgent need for sustainable materials that reconcile industrial utility with environmental safety."

"we propose a solvent-mediated molecular engineering strategy to fabricate high-performance bamboo molecular plastics (BM-plastics) with tunable H-bond networks. [...] it is fully biodegradable in soil within 50 days and retain 90% of their mechanical properties after recycling."

#plastics #BiodegradablePlastic #biodegradable_packaging #bamboo

High-strength, multi-mode processable bamboo molecular bioplastic enabled by solvent-shaping regulation - Nature Communications

Bioplastics derived from biomass show promise as sustainable alternatives to petrochemical plastics, but their adoption is hindered by their inferior mechanical properties and processability. Here, the authors report a deep eutectic solvent treatment process which yields bamboo plastics with high mechanical properties and processability.

Nature

Sprig 🌱Dec 31

📰 "These drone installed "magic balls" could transform the grid"

🗒 "It promises to unlock additional capacity in the existing power grid by utilizing an array of sensors to take constant measurements of the operating conditions of power lines. In turn, this allows operators to boost the amount of power they send down a certain line."

📰 https://www.slashgear.com/2059491/heimdall-power-magic-balls-power-grid-study/

📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbJFVhM9PXg&t=686

🖼 https://www.heimdallpower.com/

#tech #technology #greenenergy #goodnews #happynews #technews