Latest Stories from Jessica
Could artificial reefs provide island nations with hurricane protection?
As hurricane season becomes more of a threat due to increasingly warmer ocean temperatures, one island is launching an artificial reef project to protect their coastlines from large storm waves. For many, the arrival of summer brings the promise of days spent relishing in the sun, but if you live on an island within the Atlantic ocean, it also ushers in five months of hurricane season. Running from June 1st to...
Starbucks hit with lawsuit over false ‘ethical’ claims
Starbucks becomes the latest global corporation to be legally challenged for making unsubstantiated and completely false claims about its ‘ethically sourced’ products. The global coffee giant Starbucks is under fire from a U.S. consumer group, which alleges that the company's claims of ethically sourced coffee are deceptive and untrue. The National Consumers League filed legal action in court in Washington DC. It cited several media reports which detail human rights and...
South Africa accuses Israel of genocide in international court
Providng a compelling case in the International Court of Justice, South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people. What is the goal and what could the outcome be? Today marks the start of a two-day hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in which Israel is accused of committing genocidal acts against the Palestinian people of Gaza. South Africa filed the motion on December 29th, prompting...
Why is Norway’s deep-sea mining plan so controversial?
This week, Norway became the world’s first country to give commercial-scale deep-sea mining the green light. Although some purport the practice will be essential to bolstering clean energy in the future, is this a major environmental disaster waiting to happen? On Tuesday, Norway’s parliament voted to open its waters for deep-sea-mining exploration. The goal is to obtain precious metals and mineral reserves from the ocean floor, including lithium, scandium, and cobalt,...
Bottled water contains as many as 250,000 plastic nanoparticles
Scanning bottled water with a newly invented electron microscope, scientists have discovered an alarming number of plastic nanoparticles floating inside. These virtually invisible particles pose a risk to human health once ingested. Plastic is here, plastic is there, plastic is everywhere. Yep, even inside you. Those startled by the recent news that Britain’s tap water contains carcinogenic PFAs and other toxic ‘forever chemicals’ may have promptly started swapping a quick...
Camera manufacturer Canon donates equipment to coral reef lab
Leveraging the mission to save coral reef species, Canon has donated high-end image capturing equipment to London-based Coral Spawning Lab. Though virtually all life on Earth is under threat from climate change, the most fragile ecosystems by far are coral reefs. Hoping to ensure their future survival, laboratories around the world are growing and breeding a diverse range of heat-resistant corals inside environmentally controlled tanks. In these labs, scientists closely monitor and...
The implications of a male-dominated fashion industry
Hyper-femininity is one of the dominating forces in fashion right now. But women are not well-represented in top positions at most major brands – meaning that those dictating trends in women’s fashion are ultimately men. Considering that the fashion industry has long been viewed as catering significantly more to the female portion of the population, its offices are surprisingly void of women employees. In 2018, it was reported that there...
Scientists believe they have discovered the age ceiling for humans
Though human life expectancy has risen – and some people are attempting to ‘live forever’ – Dutch scientists believe they have figured out the ultimate ‘ceiling’ of the human lifespan. Radical improvements to medical care, nutrition, and overall living conditions have all contributed to lengthening the average human lifespan. During the 1950s, humans in North America and Europe who lived beyond 70 years of age were considered lucky. In Latin America...
X launches new AI tool called ‘Grok’ for US-based users
Allegedly modelled after the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it is designed to answer questions and help content creators generate creative and engaging tweets. With the turn of the new year, Elon Musk has introduced a new feature to the platform he acquired a little over a year ago. You know, the one formerly known (and still often referred to) as Twitter, but is officially known as X. GrokBot, or Grok...
Is Coca-Cola finally about to realise its plastic reduction goals?
For the world’s largest plastic-producing company, a transition to using environmentally friendlier packaging materials is long overdue. Is Coca-Cola finally getting serious about its 2030 targets? In the global fight against plastic pollution, a problem which wreaks havoc on marine life and our planet's overall well-being, Coca-Cola stands as the biggest obstacle, according to a report by the Sierra Club. The company produces over 100 billion plastic bottles every...
