Biodegradable silk food wrap could replace plastic packaging
Biomedical engineers at Tufts University in the United States have invented a cling film-like biodegradable food wrap, made from silk, which can preserve fruit and other produce for more than a week. The material is viewed as a potential alternative to plastic packaging. The technique coats food with an almost invisible layer of a protein […]
The Science Museum is free – so what is BP buying?
A new report shines a light on the links that BP has developed with leading cultural institutions. Does this limit their ability to speak out on climate change? “I’d prefer the wording not to focus on environmental damage” – those were the words used in an email by the company Shell, as it attempted to […]
Can America learn to love the big bad wolf? There are signs of change
They’ve been called ‘the beast of destruction’ and ‘the abortion issue of wildlife’, but efforts to save the wolf’s population – and perception – are worth celebrating Some species are eliminated through sheer human carelessness, as we clumsily attempt to mould the world in our image. America’s gray wolf, on the other hand, was almost […]
Fracking protesters gather in North Yorkshire as crucial planning meeting begins
Ryedale residents tell councillors they do not want to be the first place in the UK to allow fracking People living close to a proposed fracking operation in North Yorkshire have told councillors they do not want to be the first community in the UK to allow the controversial gas extraction technique. A meeting has […]
Open thread: 'redefine nothing' – what are your tips for reducing food waste?
Radish tops can be used in soups and pretty much any sad vegetable or fruit can be rescued by pureeing – submit your tips for ‘zero waste’ cooking In the never-ending string of “days attached to apparent causes”, Friday is Food Revolution Day, pioneered by the high-profile happy chappy Jamie Oliver, friend to all but […]
Canada's Trans Mountain oil pipeline clears hurdle despite fears for seaway
Regulator admits risks but recommends Trudeau government approve project to ramp up shipping of tar sands crude via Salish Sea tribal fishing grounds Canada’s energy regulators have recommended the approval of the Trans Mountain oil sands pipeline, which has drawn environmental and tribal protests over the dramatic increase it would mean to the number of […]
Energy schemes to add £100 to UK household bills within five years
Energy subsidies designed to keep lights on and support low-carbon electricity will have risen 124% by 2020-21, review finds Households will be paying £100 more for their annual bills within five years to fund four government policies designed to keep the lights on and support low-carbon electricity, according to a review. Independent consultancy Cornwall Energy […]
Canada approves sale of genetically modified salmon
Agencies: modified fish as safe and nutritious as conventional salmon Growth hormone genes from two fish allow it to grow twice as fast Health authorities in Canada have approved a fast-growing, genetically altered salmon as safe for consumption, paving the way for it to become the first genetically modified animal to be allowed on Canadian […]
The Bank of England’s governor should be feeling hot | Brief letters
Baby death statistics | House prices surge | Spending a penny | How to greet a hare Dividing a small rate of deaths in the worst area by the even smaller rate in the best areas makes the worst look twice as bad (UK baby deaths ‘still influenced by where you live’, 17 May). But […]
Humans damaging the environment faster than it can recover, UN finds
Radical action is needed to combat increasing rate of environmental damage to water sources, land, biodiversity and marine life, report shows Degradation of the world’s natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet’s ability to absorb the damage, meaning the rate of deterioration is increasing globally, the most comprehensive environmental study ever undertaken by […]