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Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles

Daniel Gordon

April 06, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Indonesia, Java

As human infrastructure continues to threaten animal habitats, researchers are coming up with ways to use artificial structures as bridges for these creatures to get where they need to go. In Indonesia, irrigation pipes help farmers water their crops, but they’re also used by slow lorises to cross over the farmlands. In Brazil, a bridge crossing a major highway will be used by golden lion tamarins to avoid the busy traffic.

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Planting trees can create plastic waste. One teenager is changing that.

Kanchan Srivastava

April 05, 2021 |

Footprint |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Chintalkunta, Telangana

A teenager in India came up with a solution to combat the plastic waste crisis that usually comes with planting trees. Srija created a biodegradable pot made out of groundnut shells that decomposes in the soil after 20 days. She’s working with an organization to scale her product, which costs just 27 cents to make.

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Can California's Organic Vegetable Farmers Unlock the Secrets of No-Till Farming?

Gosia Wozniacka

March 30, 2021 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

A trial experiment with three farmers and several California universities is looking to better understand how to farm with little or no chemicals. No-till farming can boost soil health and better store carbon, but it’s not a perfect system. These farmers are testing how to reduce soil disturbance, use cover crops, and diversify their species of crops, yet so far, they haven’t found much success. “Figuring this all out has been ‘a school of hard knocks,’” says one of the farmers.

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Gambia's United Effort to Tackle COVID-19

Mustapha K. Darboe

March 30, 2021 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Gambia

In an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus variants throughout the country, Gambia has launched a genome sequence initiative that to monitor active strains. For a country that has received very few doses of the vaccine, this effort is important for identifying potential outbreaks before they become unmanageable.

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The resistance: can viruses save us from drug-defying superbugs?

Rosa Ellis

March 28, 2021 |

The Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that kill bacteria by latching on to and entering target cells and then multiplying and killing the host cell. Phages only attack bacteria, they can’t enter human cells, but the phage must be specific to the bacteria's DNA, which presents an obstacle because most health systems lack the capacity for such testing. To overcome this, researchers are developing phage cocktails that could be applied more widely, similar to antibiotics. A few locations around the world currently use phage treatment, particularly to treat the six most virulent antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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‘Our biggest challenge? Lack of imagination': the scientists turning the desert green

Steve Rose

March 20, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, s’-Hertogenbosch

A Dutch group of engineers known as the Weather Makers has an ambitious plan to regreen the Sinai Peninsula — the stretch of desert connecting Egypt to the rest of Asia. Their efforts would restore forests, wetlands, and even adjust the weather for the region. This form of ecosystems regeneration could help with food security and mitigate the effects of climate change. Their process of changing an entire ecosystem can be controversial, but initial tests have shown how this could work on a large scale.

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How Do You Kill an Invasive Species? Bring in a Bigger, Meaner Species to Eat It

Moira Donovan

March 16, 2021 |

The Walrus |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

An insect that makes its home on eastern hemlocks in Nova Scotia has the power to wipe out the tree species if left unchecked. Scientists are looking to a strategy called biological control — a historically controversial approach — that would introduce a new predatory species to kill the insect. After rigorous lab testing showed a small black beetle only attacked their targets and didn’t disrupt other ecosystems, they released them in 2003 at an orchard on Vancouver Island. Results show they have been somewhat effective, but it’s unclear if it will completely solve the problem.

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This seaweed can fight climate change

Cory Zapatka Mariya Abdulkaf

February 25, 2021 |

The Verge |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Dover Plains, New York

Symbrosia, a clean-tech startup in Hawaii, is taking seaweed from the ocean and turning it into a powder that can be used to feed livestock to reduce the amount of methane they produce — a key contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. The company worked with an organic farm in Upstate New York to test the product and found that sheep given a high dosage of the supplement had up to 70 percent reduction in methane emission. Creating the powder takes weeks and a lot of steps, but the startup is hopeful the product can become a mass-produced commodity.

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A Booster Shot For Detecting COVID-19 Mutations

Thomas K. Grose

February 24, 2021 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

When the SARS-CoV-2 variant emerged in the United Kingdom, scientists in Britain were able to quickly identify it and warn other countries thanks to the use of genome sequencing. Now other countries, such as Denmark, are investing in genome sequencing to get ahead of the next potential outbreak.

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From Reviled to Adored

Emily Sohn Carla Rhodes

February 23, 2021 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: India, Assam

Purnima Devi Barman has been building trust and working with various community members to save a stork species called the greater adjutant in India. Because of her work, she has inspired more than 10,000 women and their families to help in bird conservation activities and the number of storks in the region has increased to as many as 1,200. This type of community approach could be used in other places as a model for wildlife conservation efforts.

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