Scientists have figured out how to turn Earth’s most abundant mineral into zero-waste battery metals. The most abundant mineral in earth’s crust is something called olivine: pretty in the gemstone peridot, but otherwise pretty useless. Now, New Zealand engineers have figured out how to dissolve olivine to yield silica (50%), magnesium (40%) and nickel-manganese-cobalt hydroxide (10%) for lithium-ion cathodes, leaving only brine. IEEE Spectrum https://spectrum.ieee.org/nmc-battery-aspiring-materials?ref=fixthenews.com #ShareGoodNewsToo

Solar overtakes fossil gas as California's largest source of electricity. Gas is also struggling in the world’s fifth-largest economy. A decade ago, fossil gas supplied nearly 60% of California’s power; today two-thirds of the state’s electricity is emissions-free. PV Magazine

pv magazine USA

Solar becomes top source of electricity in California

Over the past 12 months, solar power has become California’s largest source of electricity, a trend likely to continue.

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The number of people without access to electricity has been cut by 292 million in the last decade - despite the global population increasing by around 760 million during the same period. That means 92% of humanity now has electricity, up from 87% in 2010. Increasingly, that electrification is being driven by renewables, and hundreds of millions more people are no longer cooking over open stoves. SDG 7 Progress Report 📄.pdf #ShareGoodNewsToo

Psilocybin shows strong results treating major depression in cancer patients. Being diagnosed with a hard-to-treat cancer has major mental health implications. Now researchers in palliative care have shown that a small dose of psilocybin, combined with therapy, could treat depression in cancer patients more durably than treatment with long-term antidepressants – one psilocybin trip kept half of cancer patients depression-free for two years. Science Daily

ScienceDaily

Single psilocybin trip delivers two years of depression relief for cancer patients

Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, might just revolutionize how depression and anxiety are treated in cancer patients. In a grou...

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Ireland shuts last coal plant, becomes Europe’s 15th coal-free nation Following wind’s rise to 37% of generation last year, the 915MW Moneypoint plant has just been switched off, ending four decades of Irish coal-fired electricity. The station will serve only as an emergency backup until 2029, underscoring how rapid renewables growth and grid reforms are wiping coal from one of Europe’s last hold-outs. PV Magazine

pv magazine International

Ireland shuts last coal plant, becomes 15th coal-free country in Europe

Moneypoint in County Clare, Ireland, joins the ranks of other European nations exiting coal by shutting off power generation at its sole remaining ...

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Amazonian scorpion molecule wipes out breast-cancer cells in lab tests. Brazilian scientists isolated a peptide from Brotheas amazonicus venom and, using yeast ‘factories’, mass-produced it to screen against tumour lines. In vitro, the compound triggered necrosis in breast-cancer cells within 24 hours, achieving effects comparable to chemotherapy without damaging surrounding tissue.

ScienceAlert

Amazonian Scorpion Venom Can Kill Breast Cancer Cells, Scientists Say

Preliminary results presented at the FAPESP Week France health conference suggest the venom from an Amazon rainforest scorpion (Brotheas amazonicus...

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Fog nets turn Chile’s Atacama Desert into a salad bowl. In Chañaral, growers are using mesh 'fog catchers' to harvest up to 1,400 litres of water daily from coastal mist, enough to raise lettuce and lemon trees in the planet’s driest desert. Researchers will publish a national fog-water map to replicate the method across arid zones, reframing atmospheric moisture as a viable irrigation source. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/chiles-atacama-worlds-driest-desert-growing-lettuces-with-fog-2025-06-24/?ref=fixthenews.com #ShareGoodNewsToo

Batteries are so cheap, solar doesn’t sleep. Thanks to plummeting prices, analysts say that solar plus batteries can now provide round-the-clock power in the sunniest parts of the world, undercutting fossil gas and reshaping grid planning. Cities like Muscat, Oman, and Las Vegas can already hit that steady power mark for up to 99% of the hours in a year, while Hyderabad, Madrid, and Buenos Aires can get 80-95% of the way there using the same setup. Ember https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/solar-electricity-every-hour-of-every-day-is-here-and-it-changes-everything/ #ShareGoodNewsToo

Lab-grown salmon cleared for sale in the United States. Wildtype’s 'cultured' salmon is made in a lab from a few cells, meaning no farmed or wild salmon need die to fill out your sashimi. In May 2025, the FDA approved Wildtype’s salmon for commercial sale, paving the way for the world’s first commercial sales of cell-based seafood. The company says its sushi-grade product will debut in restaurants this year. AgFunder https://buff.ly/yJiHfus #ShareGoodNewsToo

Luxembourg has passed new legislation extending full adoption rights to people in registered partnerships, cohabiting couples, and single individuals. Previously, full adoption, which legally severs ties with the child's biological family, was only available to married couples. The law was also recently updated to allow same-sex married couples to adopt on equal terms with heterosexual couples. RTL

First change since 1989: Government aligns adoption rights with modern family dynamics

On Wednesday, Luxembourg passed a landmark reform to its adoption law, expanding rights to single individuals, unmarried and registered couples –...

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