Squat lobsters and filtering fungi: Discoveries from the ocean deep to an African lab
Barcelona’s subway system is the latest to salvage energy from its trains as they come to a stop
Using regenerative braking, a train’s motor runs in reverse to slow the car and generate energy. Barcelona, Spain, is now using that energy – which would otherwise be lost as heat – as power for the trains and in the stations. Some regenerative braking technology has been in limited use since the early 1900s, but Barcelona’s system powers nearby electric vehicle chargers, too.
When all 16 inverters are installed, regenerative braking is expected to supply 41% of the energy needed to run the city’s subway trains. The city’s transit operator says it will recover the $8.6 million spent on the project within five years, thanks to energy savings and income from the charging stations.
Why We Wrote This
In our progress roundup, polluted South African rivers spurred research in a cleanup strategy using mushrooms, while a deep dive in the Southern Pacific Ocean yields pristine new species.
Last year, electrifying transportation became the largest area of energy transition investment, with around $634 billion spent worldwide.
Source: Grist
Scientists discovered an underwater mountain and over 100 potentially new species
The seamount in the Southern Pacific Ocean rises nearly 2 miles from the seafloor, some 900 miles off the coast of Chile.
On an expedition to the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges, the exploratory dives revealed a host of rare finds, including two flying spaghetti monsters, a pristine coral reef, squat lobsters, and a Casper octopus – the first spotted in the South Pacific. Using the ship’s multibeam sonar system, researchers also created detailed 3D maps of the seafloor.
Before this year, around 1,000 already known species had been recorded in the southeast Pacific region. The recent expeditions to previously unexplored areas, led by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, have added over 300.
Source: Mongabay
South African researchers designed a water filter made from fungi
Less than 3% of municipal wastewater systems meet national standards in South Africa, and both treatment plants and communities that dispose of waste into waterways contribute to contamination.
At the University of the Free State, a research team created a “mycofilter” made from the rootlike structures of the oyster mushroom, species Pleurotus ostreatus, which can remove contaminants from water: 94% of ferric oxide and 31% of the insecticide imidacloprid. The scientists are exploring ways to upscale the filter for use in rivers.
Mycofiltration is a “viable and affordable option for water remediation, which can find a wide range of applications in South Africa,” said Professor Patricks Voua Otomo. Other studies have shown that mushrooms can filter microbial pathogens, heavy metals, and nitrogen and phosphorus.
Sources: University of the Free State, The Progress Playbook
In Laos, malaria cases have fallen dramatically in recent decades
There were 809 cases of malaria recorded in Laos in 2023, down from an estimated 462,000 in 1997. Laos is on track next year to eliminate what is considered the most dangerous malaria parasite.
The government’s efforts have been supported by funding and supplies such as microscopes and mosquito nets from the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as lab technician training from the World Health Organization. “I am proud to be a technician so that I can take care of people,” said Somphan Sorvalin, a microscopist at Xanxay District Hospital in Attapeu province.
Although malaria has become rarer, cases remain in remote and forested areas that are harder to reach. Health workers have begun traveling to villages and informal settlements to help residents prevent malaria.
Sources: U.S. Agency for International Development, World Health Organization
Legal protections against domestic violence now cover the vast majority of the world
Until the 1990s, only Canada, Sweden, and Ireland provided legal safeguards, benefiting less than 1% of the global population. Today, 9 in 10 people live in countries with legal measures against domestic violence.
Intimate partner violence is the most common form of abuse against women, affecting a third of women worldwide. Still, many women do not report cases of abuse. A 2013 study of women across 24 countries found that 40% had shared their experience of domestic violence with another person, but just 7% reported it to a formal source.
Research shows that domestic violence cases often decrease after laws are passed, but legal measures alone can’t solve the problem. “There’s an urgent need to reduce stigma around this issue, train health professionals to interview survivors with compassion, and dismantle the foundations of gender inequality,” said Dr. Claudia García-Moreno of the World Health Organization.
Sources: Our World in Data, World Health Organization, World Bank
