Singapore makes history as the first country ever to approve sales of lab-grown meat. — In the past years, several problems have been raised with the animal farming industry. To begin with, we have become increasingly aware of its large environmental impact. According to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the livestock sector is responsible for an estimate of 14.5% of human-induced greenhouse…

The lawsuit comes despite Moderna’s pledge not to enforce its vaccine-related patents. — Moderna has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer and BioNTech on August 26th, both in the United States and Germany, where the companies are headquartered, claiming they have copied its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts (US), Moderna came to the public’s attention in early 2020 for…

The smallpox vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic was approved against monkeypox in Europe. — On July 25th, the European Commission has approved the use of Bavarian Nordic’s smallpox vaccine against monkeypox. The approval came two days after the World Health Organization announced the disease has become a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Imvanex is a third-generation smallpox vaccine produced by Danish biotechnology firm…

“How bad is Monkeypox?” in 4 minutes. — On July 23rd, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ongoing monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, following the unprecedented spread of the disease on a global scale. As of today, over 21 thousand cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide— according to the Global.health initiative. The…

New law pushes car manufacturers to make emission-free cars more accessible for consumers — On June 8th, the European Parliament approved a bill which requires new vehicles sold as of 2035 to be 100% carbon-emission free, effectively banning the sale of gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas cars. The transport sector is responsible for 16.2% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and road transport is…

Greens and Socialists rejected ETS Reform Bill after it was watered down by the Right. — On June 8th, the European Parliament rejected a climate bill, which sought to reform the EU’s Emission Trading System (ETS), due to last-minute disagreements between political groups. The new bill aimed to limit the emissions produced by road transport and buildings. Established in 2005, the EU’s Emission Trading System is…

“How Bad is Ebola?” in 4 Minutes — On April 23rd, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a new Ebola outbreak in the Mbandaka city of the Equateur Province. There have been only three reported deaths so far, but already over four hundred contacts were identified and are being monitored by local responders. …

How the Iberian Lynx is clawing its way back from the brink of extinction. — In 1984, there was an outbreak of a new infectious disease among domestic rabbits in the Jiangsu Province of China. It was something never seen before; infected animals succumbed in the span of three days of the onset of fever with liver failure…

Who will be the largest lithium producer in the European Union? — Mining lithium in Europe has been a controversial topic over the past few years, with the European Union pushing to expand the industry and the public fighting against it. Lithium is a soft silver metal with multiple applications, which can be extracted from brine waters and mines of lithium ore…