Today on Squirrel News, we learn about a brain implant giving unprecedented speech capability to an ALS patient, how zigzag walls can help cool down buildings in a sustainable way, and the impact bicycles have had on schoolgirls in India.
Breakthrough in ALS: Patient can speak again after brain implant
The incurable disease often leads to the loss of speech. Thanks to a brain implant, a patient in the US is speaking again, assisted by AI that translates his thoughts in real time.
Zigzag patterns on walls could help cool overheated buildings, new study shows
A research team at Columbia University has demonstrated that an architectural zigzag design can reflect heat back to space and reduce the surface temperature of a building by 3 ºC .
Bike use has increased in India and the highest increase is among schoolgirls. A government-run free bicycle distribution scheme targeting high school girls is bringing them more independence and cutting down their commuting time.
New device stops gunshot wound bleeding in seconds
The FDA has approved Traumagel, a syringe delivering an innovative algae- and fungi-based gel that stops bleeding from wounds in seconds. Already in use by veterinarians, the gel also helps with small cuts.
Fake online reviews and inflated follower counts banned in US
Bots that inflate follower counts on social media and inauthentic reviews are in rampantly use by marketers. The FTC has now ruled unanimously to ban them, with the new rule taking effect in October.
Former confederate monument to be replaced with statue honouring civil rights icon
A confederate statue in Decatur, Georgia was removed in the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd. A new statue of civil rights hero John Lewis will be unveiled next Saturday.
New American Climate Corps to help transition to a greener future
GRID Alternatives, a non-profit that brings renewable energy solutions to low-income neighbourhoods, is partnering with AmeriCorps in a US government initiative to train and deploy a diverse workforce and support the green transition.
Students on treadmills are keeping the lights on at Brown University gym
Brown University students started a project to help the climate with their exercise. Now the treadmills feed into the power system, helping light the building and heat the pool.
Brazil: Grassroots agroforestry project feeds the community as well as birds and bees
Some residents of Rio de Janeiro have transformed a former neglected garden left over from an event into a place of fruit trees, vegetables, and medicinal plants.
How descendants of slaves took over Brazil’s largest coffee plantation
400 acres of what was the largest plantation in Brazil, a country where most of kidnapped Africans arrived, was returned to the ownership of their descendents. Now a town of 24,000, they have received a grant to turn the former palace on site into a museum and school of Afro-Brazilian tradition.
