Latest Stories from Jessica
Research says nighttime blue light exposure stifles mental wellbeing
In honour of World Mental Health Day, many of us will be checking in with ourselves and our loved ones with help from our smartphones. But new research suggests waiting until the evening to send that text could see us worse off. Making time to acknowledge how we’re doing mentally isn’t always easy in our modern world. Around 60 percent of the human population now lives in densely populated urban...
New report says climate crisis costs $16 million in damages per hour
According to new research published in the science journal Nature Communications, the world’s economies are paying a hefty price in the battle against climate change. A new study published by two scientists at the Victoria University of Wellington marks the first attempt to quantify the global economic toll directly attributed to human-induced climate change. Its findings are nothing short of alarming, with the average annual cost from 2000 to 2019 amounting...
Ecologists say reforestation must utilise numerous tree species
Biodiversity could be at risk if tree-planting schemes only make use of one type of tree, experts say. It’s a common saying that variety is the spice of life. If true anywhere, it’s in nature. While tree-planting schemes are great initiatives for developing new carbon sinks and reforesting diminished green spaces, experts say we risk losing biodiversity if only one or two types of trees are being planted across wide...
This digital app makes banned books freely available to everyone
With bans on important literary genres on the rise across America, an app called The Banned Book Club is a digital library that makes banned books available for everyone, regardless of where they are located. Across America, libraries are being forced to pull highly acclaimed books from their shelves. State-wide bans on certain types of literature are being implemented by local governments at the request of organisations that believe children...
Dubai firm seals carbon credit deal with Zimbabwe ahead of COP28
Ahead of hosting the world’s biggest climate summit, COP28, it looks like Dubai’s royals are attempting to clean up the UAE’s oil-rich image. But is setting up carbon credit schemes across Africa the way to go? Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, a leading member of the royal family of Dubai, is on a mission to help major companies and national governments reduce their carbon footprint. If you thought this meant...
NASA is gearing up to build houses on the moon
Humans may have only made their first visit to the moon a little over fifty years ago, but by 2040 some of us could be living there. If building homes on the moon is successful, NASA says homes on Mars could be next. Living on the moon might sound far-fetched, but the big brains at NASA aren’t being shy about their desire to give it a shot. Discussions about long-term stays...
The ‘Future Library’ is humanity’s sustainable literary time capsule
In 2014, a project was set underway to plant one thousand tree saplings in Norway. Their destiny? To be turned into books a century from now, as part of the Future Library project. When you imagine what the world will look like one hundred years from now, you probably don’t think about which books humans will be reading. Perhaps after reading this, you will. Deep in Norway’s Nordmarka forest sits...
Japanese scientists find microplastics in Earth’s clouds
Tiny particles of plastic have been found in clouds for the first time. Scientists in Japan say their presence risks exacerbating climate change and contaminating ‘everything we eat and drink’. Is nowhere on Earth sacred anymore? Nope, not even the clouds above us. When surveying cloud water near Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama, scientists found the presence of several types of polymers and rubber. Published in the journal Environmental Chemical Letters,...
The benefits and challenges of pedestrianizing Central London
Around the world, people are expressing the desire to live in a ‘walkable city’. Let’s look at some of the challenges of pedestrianizing inner-city streets, with London as an example, as well as some of the challenges to doing so. Whether or not a city is walkable greatly impacts the quality of life of those who live there. While many cities in the US are lagging behind on this feature,...
Ulta Beauty launches new project to help silence our inner critic
After hearing that its sales associates felt ‘like therapists’ while working the shop floor, the US beauty supplier has set out on a mission to help its customers embrace their inner joy by eradicating negative self-talk. Upon stepping inside a beauty store, customers are greeted by an array of products that promise eternally youthful skin, a luscious head of hair, and the ability to smell like a freshly plucked Madagascan...
