Dirty Metals for a Clean Future

We can decarbonize buildings, which account for one-third of global carbon emissions, with 4 key strategies: improving energy efficiency, electrifying appliances, smart tech for flexible power demand, and cleaner construction materials. (Canary Media)

🌎 Arctic sea ice reached a record winter low!! ✨ 😍 🦄 🌈 💘 (do the emojis make this any less terrifying?) (Bloomberg)

🌍But the AMOC ocean current system will likely survive until at least the end of the century (you can breathe out now) (Nature)

🌎 The UK is investing millions into solar geoengineering field trials (injecting pollutants into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight), which climate scientists are calling a dangerous distraction from achieving net-zero emissions, and investing in, you know, real solutions (The Guardian)

What are the pathways to climate action? It will take a collaborative effort from our entire “global village” (Project Drawdown)

🌍 Mysterious ALS hot spots have been documented worldwide, suggesting environmental factors may play a role alongside genetics in causing the disease (The Atlantic)

Funding for dozens of vaccine and treatment studies aimed at preventing future pandemics has been cancelled, and some researchers are considering moving their work abroad (The New York Times)

Research on women’s health has also lost funding, reversing decades of progress in understanding gender-based health differences (the 19th)

Public health in America is facing challenges from multiple angles, leaving the public vulnerable to future health crises and forced to crowdsource health advice on social media (Your Local Epidemiologist)

A DNA data storage technology could revolutionize digital archiving, potentially enabling everything from searchable DNA archives to cellular “"fight recorders” and information preservation lasting millennia (The New Yorker)

RFK Jr is leading a cultural and political shift away from plant-forward dietary guidelines (The Atlantic)

He has also launched “Operation Stork Speed” to review nutrients and increase testing for heavy metals in baby formula — which great, let’s improve quality, but that might be hard to implement following significant staff cuts at the FDA (the 19th)

The USDA is releasing frozen funds for farmers for renewable energy projects, as long as they remove any DEI features (Civil Eats)

Heavy metals have been found at levels two to ten times higher than legal safety thresholds in coastal waters after January’s LA fires (LA Times)

Climate solutions like reducing food waste, promoting healthier diets and enhancing water efficiency all have the added benefit of improving biodiversity and human well-being (Project Drawdown)

23andMe has filed for bankruptcy after a data breach in 2023 exposed millions of customers’ information, leaving the genetic data of millions more potentially up for sale to unknown buyers (404 Media)

🌏Africa is building its first AI factory in South Africa, a facility that will use Nvidia’s supercomputers to deliver “AI as a service” across the continent (Rest of World)

Ok, I couldn’t not post one story about Signal this week, so here’s a story about why Signal is all the rage with government workers and military planners (The Washington Post)

🌍 Border security for international travelers entering the US has become increasingly invasive regarding digital privacy, so understand your rights and take the appropriate precautions (WIRED)

A new social media app, Sez Us, aims to counter X and Truth Social by rating users on approval, influence, insightfulness, relevance, and politeness, while penalizing the trolls (WIRED)