Photo: Andre Mouton/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition, we’re exploring how fungi are gaining traction as sustainable alternatives to common materials like leather or plastic, how researchers managed to create human eggs from skin cells regardless of gender, and the world’s first sunscreen that’s made of pollen.
From 14-feet kayaks and boutique furniture to designer handbags and heels, plastics and leathers are gradually being replaced by mycelium: the eco-friendly fungi infiltrating global supply chains. Even NASA is interested in developing a mycotexture programme for Mars and lunar habitation.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
Slimy extracts from okra pods and fenugreek seeds are able to trap up to 90% of plastics floating in water – even better than the synthetic chemicals currently on offer in water treatment plants, and without the toxic substances.
Source: Happy Eco News
Researchers have created human eggs from skin cells, potentially transforming IVF treatment for couples who have no other options. The process could provide genetically related eggs for women who are infertile because of older age, illness or medical treatment or for same-sex male couples.
Source: The Guardian
Scientists have invented a pollen-based sunscreen, which their results suggest is as effective in blocking harmful ultraviolet rays as sunscreens containing chemicals that contribute to coral bleaching and pollution in oceans.
Source: Good Good Good
The referendum saw 61% of the Swiss capital’s residents vote in favour of banning the tools, which contribute to both noise and air pollution. Only electric devices will now be used to blow away dirt and debris.
Source: Deutsche Welle
In Kentucky’s largest school district, library books are flying off the shelves. At Ballard High School in Louisville, where just 31% of students meet state reading proficiency standards, 891 books were checked out in August 2025, compared to 533 at the same time last year: an increase of 67%.
Source: Newsweek
With housing values increasing by up to 35% in some districts, the The Douglass Community Land Trust of Washington D.C. has created an equitable development plan that puts the rights of local, long-term residents front and centre.
Source: Next City
Lauren Choi wanted to give plastic a second life. Her experiment with the notorious and ubiquitous single-use party cups at John Hopkins University turned into The New Norm, a sustainable textile startup that transforms a variety of post-consumer recycled plastic into comfy knitwear.
Source: The Guardian
The concept of “sponge cities”, in which urban developments use water features and greenery to absorb rain and floodwater to slow its entry into the drainage system, is gaining traction – and having real-world, tangible effects on at-risk regions.
Source: Good News Network
Adding to the previously established science that finding purpose in life helps one live longer, researchers at University of California Davis conducted a huge study with results indicating that such feeling of purpose also protects the brain from dementia.
Source: Good News Network
