This week in Squirrel News, San Diego homeless shelter residents can own a bike after 100 miles of cycling, London air is much healthier since the expansion of a low emission zone, and a common surgery is helping long Covid patients get back their sense of smell.
“Earn-a-bike” programme gives San Diego’s homeless their own ride after 100 miles
Every Thursday morning in downtown San Diego, Deacon John Roberts leads a cycling club through Father Joe’s Villages, a nonprofit homeless shelter. Operational for the last 10 years, he credits the programme with helping unhoused community members improve their mental and physical health — while gaining crucial independence.
Dramatic fall in London’s levels of deadly pollutants after Ulez expansion
Since the expansion of the ultra low emissions zone in the capital, Londoners are breathing much cleaner air with fewer health-damaging and cancer-causing pollutants, according to a Greater London Authority report reviewed by experts. Some of the biggest improvements are in the most deprived areas.
Ozone layer is recovering due to reduced CFCs, new study shows
MIT scientists have shown with 95% confidence that the observed healing of the ozone layer is linked to a global reduction in chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting substances. The study is the first to quantify this link and identify the ban and subsequent reduction of such compounds in the environment as the primary factor in recovery.
Long Covid patients regain sense of smell with common surgery repurposed
Doctors in London found that increasing the size of nasal passageways, with a surgery typically used to correct a deviated septum, “kickstarts” the recovery of smell for long Covid patients when other methods have failed.
The number of women in the workforce in Ireland more than doubled since 1998
New numbers from the Central Statistics Office in Ireland show not only far more women in the labour market, but also that pay for women has risen faster than that for men between 2013 and 2023. The proportion of women in higher income categories, though still low relative to men, also increased in recent years.
Lowest income UK workers to become eligible for sick pay under new plan
1.3 million workers in lower-paying jobs formerly ineligible for sick pay will be able to take paid sick days under a new government plan. The employment rights bill is a package with a number of tweaks to the system and the government predicts it will mean about £100 more per week for the lowest earners.
Teen with tick-borne illness wins award for developing tick-scanning app
Anotiona Kolb of Connecticut was ill for years before being diagnosed. In 11th grade she invented DETICKT IT, an app that analyses user tick photos using geographical and public health data to help people get care sooner.
Dog noses trained to help science and conservation efforts
A dog’s nose is its superpower. From helping relocate turtle eggs to sniffing out beetle-infested wood, conservation dogs help biologists in their search for particularly tough-to-find targets.
“Peecycling” Vermonters are donating urine to make sustainable fertiliser
Rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, urine makes a powerful, freely available fertiliser that can double the yield of certain crops. Careful timing of application prevents runoff and the process diverts nutrients from waterways where they can cause algae bloom. Vermont is leading the way in the US but peecycling projects are springing up worldwide.
Now in their 90s, these nuns are still empowering immigrants after 40 years
Two Catholic nuns, at 90 and 95 respectively, have been housing, protecting, and advocating for immigrant families for more than four decades. With the sanctuary of churches challenged and resettlement funding halted, they are still called to action.
