Photo: Kéré Architecture
In today’s edition: a vertical playground in Munich is rethinking childcare through active, space-efficient design, an experimental therapy offers a potential new way to fight glioblastoma, and African nations secure $900 million to expand access to clean cooking technologies.
On the Technical University of Munich campus, a kindergarten known as Kinderoase is an on-site childcare facility to support young professionals, particularly women, at the university in balancing work and family responsibilities. Studio founder Diébédo Francis Kéré explains that “play is the core of this design.”
Source: Dezeen
Researchers have developed an experimental therapy that they believe could provide a new approach to treating glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. The therapy is designed to exploit what the team has identified as a key vulnerability in the disease, potentially opening the door to more effective treatments.
Source: Deutsche Welle
In preclinical studies, the experimental therapy slowed tumour growth and prevented the spread of cancer by targeting the disease through a novel mechanism. Because the antibody is made entirely from human proteins, the researchers believe it may also have the potential to reduce the risk of side effects compared with some existing treatments.
Source: Medical Xpress
Vietnam benefited from strong export growth, the Philippines posted broad-based gains across major industries, Micronesia maintained steady post-pandemic expansion, Sri Lanka recovered from its 2022 economic crisis, and Jordan’s economy was revised upward following a statistical rebasing exercise.
Source: World Bank
According to the International Energy Agency, the investments are intended to help replace polluting cooking fuels with cleaner alternatives, improving public health while reducing environmental impacts.
Source: AP News
Researchers in Scotland have developed a skin sensor based on technology originally designed for children’s toys that could help improve the treatment of eczema and psoriasis. The device is designed to monitor the skin more effectively, potentially giving ical teams the chance to to track disease progression and make treatment more personalised.
Source: Reuters
New tools are vital in the fight against malaria, the disease spread by mosquitoes that infects about 282 million people a year. There are concerns about rising resistance to insecticides, as well as the frontline drugs used to treat the disease. Now, new data suggest mosquitoes seeking a blood meal were less likely to land on people wearing lotions made from catnip.
Source: The Guardian
From the hairdresser who is building a salon-on-wheels for her best friend to the travel agent who is making a “Trip Advisor for the senses”, a search for the next great business idea in the north of England is helping people turn life experiences into income.
Source: BBC News
In the twentieth century, whaling killed an estimated 725,000 fin whales and 325,000 blue whale. Off the coast of Namibia and South Africa, only four blue whale sighting were logged between 1973 and 2014. However, since 2012, an increasing number of whales have been spotted, suggesting the population is bouncing back.
Source: Mongabay
A traditional wrestling-based martial art known as Khomlainai is bringing together children from Assam’s Bodo and Santhal communities after decades of conflict strained relations between the two groups. The scheme uses sport and shared cultural traditions to build trust and encourage reconciliation among the younger generations.
Source: Deutsche Welle
