Current in People

swipe
France officially bans short-haul domestic flights

France officially bans short-haul domestic flights

In a promising turn of events, the European Commission has approved a bill abolishing flights between cities in France. Any journey under 2.5 hours will be scrapped for the next three years, and train travel is being incentivised. It’s taken ages to get here, but finally ink is dry on the paper. Ending close to a two-year stalemate, the European Commission has approved bans to short-haul flights between cities in France....

By London, UK
Lab-grown blood cells administered to humans for the first time

Lab-grown blood cells administered to humans for the first time

In a world-first clinical trial, lab-grown red blood cells have been transfused into humans. If successful, its continuation will bolster supplies for those with rare blood types and improve treatment for people who require regular transfusions. You’ve heard of lab-grown meat, but what about lab-grown human blood? For the very first time, a couple of spoonfuls (5-10ml) of lab-grown blood have been injected into volunteers participating in the RESTORE randomised controlled...

By London, UK
How will nations at COP27 discuss climate change recovery funding?

How will nations at COP27 discuss climate change recovery funding?

Funding for loss and damage will take centre stage at COP27, the UN Climate Change Conference. In the past year, catastrophic flooding overwhelmed both Pakistan and Nigeria, wildfires scorched dozens of countries, and extreme heat waves blanketed large parts of the planet. These events killed thousands of people, destroyed essential infrastructure, and destabilized entire economic sectors. In many cases, the costs of recovering and rebuilding from these disasters far exceed the financial capacity of governments, which both...

By London, UK
New strategy for tackling homelessness trialling in UK

New strategy for tackling homelessness trialling in UK

After notable success in the US and Europe, a surprisingly simple model for getting rough sleepers into safe housing is being tested in the UK. The approach was put forward by a psychologist in the 90s but has taken two decades to be implemented. According to Occam’s Razor, the most obvious answer is usually the correct one. Applying this to the homelessness crisis, the clearest solution would be to provide...

By London, UK