All Points of Progress
Why can't renewable jet fuels take off?Alaska Airlines on Monday fueled one of its commercial flights from Seattle to Washington, D.C., partly with jet fuel made of wood scraps. The widespread use of renewable fuel in the airline industry faces significant obstacles, however.
Is the cash bail system rigged against the poor? Reform movement swells.Officials in San Francisco have backed a lawsuit against their own city that claims its cash bail system is discriminatory. As the bail reform movement grows, advocates are seeking to eradicate the monetary system entirely.
Will Argentina's 'Not one less' protests make change in Latin America?After 16-year-old Lucia Perez was killed in Argentina early this month, anti-violence advocates took to the streets on Wednesday to protest violence against women.
HFC greenhouse gas agreement adopted by nearly 200 nationsThe historic Kigali agreement provides an international plan that phases out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), gases used in air conditioners and refrigerators, which contribute to global warming.
Swim with dolphins? Travel companies shift away from wild animal attractionsWhy TripAdvisor, one of the world's largest online travel agencies, will no longer sell tickets to attractions that invite tourists to interact with wild animals. Will this help or hurt conservation efforts?
In African nations, will growing female political muscle drive change?When it comes to gender parity in legislatures, Africa as a region has more than doubled the percentage of women in the past 20 years, to about one quarter.
Why coal-dependent Poland signed the Paris climate agreementCould Poland, whose reliance on coal had previously threatened the deal, lead the way for less-developed nations to curb emissions?
Is California's new law a model for curbing prosecutorial misconduct?Prosecutors in California who intentionally withhold or tamper with evidence may now face felony charges as a result of a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last week.
How the Endangered Species Act sets species on paths to recoveryPlans set in motion decades ago to save US species are seeing results, with more delistings from the 1973 Endangered Species Act under the Obama administration than under all previous administrations since the act's inauguration.
Why tech giants are forming an AI coalitionAmazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and IBM have partnered to counter fears about AI and develop industry-wide ethics for the emerging technology.
From Estonia, lessons for the Age of CyberwarAttackers crippled Estonia's digital networks in 2007. Since then, it has shored up cyberdefenses while expanding connectivity to every corner of daily life.
At last, hope that US economy has turned a cornerNew Census data show that household incomes for middle- and low-wage Americans surged in 2015, along with a steep decline in the poverty rate. It raises the prospect that the economy is starting to work for everyone.
Want preschoolers to succeed? Help their teachers.Connecticut offers free mental health services to all preschool programs that request them. As concerns grow about suspensions of young children, the approach greatly reduces troubling behaviors, a new study finds.
How the tides could fuel a greener futureThe Shetland coast of Britain now hosts an array of tidal energy gathering turbines that are connected to the grid. Yet experts say there is a long way to go before hydrokinetic energy can really take off.
New software can track global poverty...from spaceA team of Stanford researchers have created a program that uses only publicly available satellite imagery to cheaply and efficiently find poverty indicators. The program could be a cheap and accurate new method of poverty data collection.
Private prisons to be phased out, Obama administration seeks higher goalThe Justice Department's turn away from private prisons points to a broader effort to hold the criminal justice system to better standards.
US veteran homelessness slashed in half: What's behind the decline?In the past six years, the number of unsheltered veterans has been slashed by more than half, according to a report released Monday by the Obama administration.
First LookDespite recent surge, overall police officer fatalities show sharp declineMore police have been shot to death so far this year than during the same time span last year. But officer deaths are far below what they once were.
How Canada's Blood Tribe brought opiate overdose deaths down to zeroAfter a year which saw 35 people die from using opiates, the Albertan reserve has shown how a community can rally against drug abuse in the face of immense hurdles and historical trauma.
Ozone hole on the mend, say scientistsA new study suggests that the Montreal Protocol is working, nearly 30 years later. What strategies have brought this progress?
