California’s porpoise population rebounds, tiny forest boom, Calabria’s anti-mafia cooking school

| Posted on February 3, 2021 |

Photo: Marcus Wernicke / Porpoise Conservation Society (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re looking at the successful banning of dangerous gill nets in the Gulf of California, an initiative to plant tiny forests in UK cities, and an Italian cooking academy looking to lure young people away from a life of crime.

Porpoise population returns after banning of gill nets in California

27 years after the ban was put in place, the number of porpoises returning to the area is at unprecedented levels – with a host of other marine species also benefiting from the legislation.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Tiny forest in Bristol marks the start of nationwide initiative in UK

In order to bring nature back into urban areas, a 600-tree-forest the size of a tennis court will be planted in the Southmead district of Bristol, with many other cities set to follow suit.

Source: The Guardian

Non-profit assembles volunteers to build medical ventilators in South Africa

Since the start of the pandemic, the non-profit organisation SAVE-P has contributed 2000 ventilators to the fight against COVID-19.

Source: CNN

Artificial intelligence predicts Alzheimer’s disease through writing tests

The AI developed by IBM has seen success in estimating the likelihood of Alzheimer’s in patients by analysing their use of words over time.

Source: The New York Times

Spinach sends e-mails to researchers via nanotechnology

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are using nanobiotics to receive information on groundwater composition, hoping to identify possible explosives in the area.

Source: Euronews

Transparent wood in windows offers a more sustainable alternative to glass

The see-through material aims to reduce energy consumption of buildings, and is able to act as a stronger load-bearing wall in comparison to traditional glass windows.

Source: Fast Company

Walking historical buildings evade demolition in China

Engineers in Shanghai are using an unusual technique to relocate buildings which otherwise might have been demolished.

Source: CNN

Green party candidate hopes to become first Syrian refugee in German parliament

Six years after seeking refuge in Germany in 2015, Tareq Alaows has launched his bid to join the German parliament in September’s election.

Source: Deutsche Welle

Chefs With Compassion fight food waste and hunger in South Africa

The collaborative network of chefs aims to prevent food from being incinerated, using it as a base for meals for those most in need instead.

Source: BBC News

French capital combats throwaway culture with free repair cafés

The cafés are run by volunteers on a monthly basis, repairing household objects and electronics in an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of disposable lifestyles.

Source: BBC

Calabrian cooking school offers alternative to the mafia

Arturo Pratticò’s cooking academy offers alternative employment opportunities for young people in Calabria, a region known for the crime syndicate Ndrangheta.

Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful