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☆ Meet nuclear power's newest fans: data centers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Daniel Geiger | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The deal illustrates data centers' new-found interest in nuclear power. Joe Dominguez, the CEO of Constellation, the nation's largest operator of nuclear plants, said in a March earnings call that powering data centers with nuclear energy was "kind of a perfect marriage." AdvertisementVistra, another nuclear owner, also indicated it was arranging data center deals for a nuclear plant it owns in Ohio and one in Texas. Greg Poulos, the executive director of a PJM watchdog group, said that "one of my highest priority, highest radar items" is how data centers could push costs onto consumers and also whether nuclear data centers deals could reduce grid reliability. Beyond the nuclear optionNot all data centers, of course, are seeking out nuclear power to seize their energy independence.

Persons: —, Wes Swenson, Swenson, Joe Dominguez, Jim Burke, Ralph La Rossa, La Rossa, Steve Helber, Burke, Dominguez, PJM, Michael Jacobs, Brian Janous, Greg Poulos, Poulos, Biden Organizations: Service, Susquehanna, Amazon, Business, US Energy Information Administration, Nuclear, Constellation, Public Service Enterprise Group, Microsoft, International Energy Agency, Dominion Energy, Talen Energy, Energy, Union of Concerned Locations: Pennsylvania, Salt Lake City, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, Our, Jersey, Virginia, Chester , Va, Susquehanna, Chicago, New York City

☆ Microsoft signs deal with Swedish partner to remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft signed a deal to remove to permanently remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide with Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi, the companies announced on Monday. The contract with Microsoft is the world's largest carbon removal deal to date, Stockholm Exergi said in a statement. Carbon dioxide released from those materials during incineration will be removed from the gas emitted from the plant, liquified for transport and permanently stored underground. Stockholm Exergi is selling carbon removal certificates, equivalent to 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, to help companies achieve their net-zero emissions goals. "Leveraging existing biomass power plants is a crucial first step to building worldwide carbon removal capacity," said Brian Marrs, Microsoft's senior director of energy and carbon removal, in a statement.

Persons: Stockholm Exergi, Anders Egelrud, Brian Marrs, Microsoft's Organizations: Microsoft, Stockholm Exergi Locations: Stockholm, Swedish, Europe

☆ 5 Dead After Inhaling Hazardous Gas at a Water Plant in Sicily
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | More About Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Five workers died on Monday afternoon while working in a sewer connected to a water treatment plant in the town of Casteldaccia near Palermo, Sicily, according to firefighters who recovered the bodies. A sixth worker was seriously injured and in intensive care, local officials said. Girolamo Bentivoglio, chief of firefighters in Palermo, said the workers had breathed in hydrogen sulfide, a gas often present at waste treatment plants that is toxic in high concentrations. The accident raised a new round of outrage over the incidence of workplace deaths in Italy. In April, seven workers were killed in an explosion in a hydroelectric plant near Bologna, while five died in Florence during the construction of a supermarket in February.

Persons: Girolamo Bentivoglio, Mr, Bentivoglio Organizations: Eurostat, European Union Locations: Casteldaccia, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Bologna, Florence

☆ Elon Musk is tightening his grip on Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Top Tesla exec Tom Zhu has been redeployed to China, Electrek reports. Several other top execs have left Elon Musk's company. Musk is consolidating power at Tesla as a vote over his $47 billion pay package looms. AdvertisementOne of Tesla's top executives has been reassigned to China in another sign that Elon Musk is tightening his grip on the electric carmaker. Prior to the move, Zhu had assumed more responsibilities at Tesla as Musk was increasingly occupied by X, according to Electrek.

Persons: Tom Zhu, —, Elon, Elon Musk —, Zhu, Musk, Zhu —, Tesla, Drew Baglino, Rohan Patel, That's Organizations: Elon Musk's, Service, China, X, Reuters, North, Business, Street Locations: China, Shanghai, Delaware

☆ AI could drive a natural gas boom as power companies face surging electricity demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

AI data centers alone are expected to add about 323 terawatt hours of electricity demand in the U.S. by 2030, according to Wells Fargo. The forecast power demand from AI alone is seven times greater than New York City's current annual electricity consumption of 48 terawatt hours. The natural gas industry is betting gas will serve as the preferred choice. Coal plant retirements and data centers could result in 6 bcf/d of new natural gas demand in EQT's backyard by 2030, the CEO said. The level of electricity demand could help lift natural gas prices out of the doldrums.

Persons: Kena, Goldman Sachs, Robert, Richard Kinder, Kinder Morgan, Kinder, Roger Read, Wells, Goldman, Toby Rice, Rice, CNBC's, Christopher Womack, Robert Blue, EQT, Jeremy Knop, Knop, Blue, Read, Lynn, Zack Van Everen, Robert Kinder Organizations: Linden, View Press, Getty, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Rystad Energy, Robert Blue Dominion Energy, Gas, Holt, Co, EQT Corp, U.S ., Dominion Energy, Georgia Power, Southern Company, Dominion, Renewables, CNBC, Lynn Good, Energy Locations: Linden New Jersey, U.S, Wells, Wells Fargo, New York, Houston, Pickering, Northern Virginia, Georgia, Appalachian, Virginia, Gulf

☆ Thousands of Ukrainians have been sent to Russian prisons. Ukraine says they’re being held as bargaining chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

The Ukrainian government says there are thousands of people like Dima, civilians arrested by Russia who have been held in arbitrary detention for years. In the early weeks of the war, Russian troops took over their home, parking their tank in the garden and stealing anything of value. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia opened a second pre-trial detention facility in Simferopol, SIZO No. Detained civilians, however, are stuck in limbo. Mariana Checheliuk's photos were among those displayed by relatives of detained civilians at a recent protest in Kyiv.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — “, ”, Vasyl Khyliuk, Dmytro Khyliuk, Dima, –, Ivana Kottasova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, ” Achille Després, Cross, it’s, Vasyl, ” Vasyl, Halyna, “, Dmytro Khyliuk’s, Russia —, Khyliuk, Anastasiia, MIHR, Pantielieieva, CNN “ We’ve, ” Pantielieieva, Yulia Khrypun, Serhii, ’, Serhii Khrypun, Yulia, ” Yulia, Mariana Checheliuk, Mariana, Natalia Checheliuk, ” Natalia, ’ ” Natalia, Alexander Ermochenko, Mariana –, Mila, Natalia, Volodymyr, Zelensky, Mariana Checheliuk's Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Ukrainian Independent, Agency, Kyiv, CNN, Russian Federation, International Committee, Ukrainian, Organization for Security, Getty, Media Initiative, Human Rights, Penal, Russian Investigative Committee, Russian Prison Service, ICRC, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian National Guard, Directorate, General Staff, Serhii, Crimean Human Rights, Maxar Technologies, Volunteers, Russia, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Information Bureau, Ministry, “, Headquarters Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Dima, Ukrainian, Kozarovychi, Russia, Geneva, Europe, Novozybkov, Russia’s Bryansk, Russia’s Vladimir, Mordovia, Russian, Moscow, Bryansk, Nove, Tokmak, Melitopol, Olenivka, Kursk, Crimea, Kamensk, Russia’s Rostov, Yulia Khrypun Russia, Chonhar, Kherson, Crimean, Crimean Tatars, Simferopol, SIZO, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, ‘, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Bezimenne, Donetsk People’s Republic, Azovstal, Donetsk, Taganrog, Kamyshin, Russia’s Volgograd, Qatar

☆ I shopped at Whole Foods for the first time in 12 years, and it reminded me why I stopped going in the first place
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Jamie Davis Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I stopped shopping at Whole Foods in 2012, but recently went back to see if anything had changed. I eventually realized that other supermarkets better supported my shopping habits and lifestyle, and I stopped going to Whole Foods in 2012. Now, I can easily visit Wegmans for plant-based foods and shop at Safeway for milk alternatives or locally-produced ice cream, so Whole Foods no longer stands out. I found the prices at Whole Foods to be expensiveSmall snacks and produce at Whole Foods are usually more expensive than at other supermarkets. AdvertisementI did see products from the 365 label, Whole Foods' house brand, that were cheaper than similar items at the store.

Persons: —, I've, Jamie Davis Smith, gelato, what's, I'm Organizations: Foods, Service, Amazon, Safeway, Whole Foods Locations: Washington ,

☆ There’s actually no such thing as vegetables. But here’s why you should eat them anyway
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Carrots, beets and other vegetables that grow in the ground are actually the true roots of plants. While vegetables are really just the roots, stems and leaves of plants, experts don’t recommend eating just any roots, stems and leaves. “We know (vegetables) are healthy. It is important to eat a variety of vegetables since each one will have varying beneficial nutrients, she added. “If you introduce children to vegetables at a younger age … they’re more likely to eat vegetables throughout their lifespan and therefore decrease the risk of chronic disease.”

Persons: Steve Reiners, Tatiana Maksimova, Reiners, United States —, ” Reiners, “, ”, Sherri Stastny, Stastny, ” Stastny, … Organizations: CNN, Cornell University’s College of Agriculture, Life Sciences, Food Information, North Dakota State University Locations: United States

☆ New mission could reveal secrets of the moon’s ‘hidden side’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In one lunar region, Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has beaten the odds and survived three long, frigid lunar nights since its sideways landing on January 19. The Tianwen-2 mission will visit the space rock later this decade. But first, China has set its sights on returning to the moon’s “hidden side.”An illustration depicts the far side of the moon, with Earth behind it. Since the Chang’e 4 mission in 2019, China remains the only country to have landed on the moon’s far side, sometimes called the “dark side” of the moon. Scientists hope that returning samples from the far side could solve some of the biggest remaining lunar mysteries, including the moon’s true origin.

Persons: Graziano Ranocchia, Ranocchia, Plato, Emma Pomeroy, “ She’s, ”, Pomeroy, Armas Rakus, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Kevin Bacon, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Engineers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, Apollo, Platonic Academy of Athens, University of Pisa, Netflix, University of Cambridge, Norton Disney, Archaeology Group, Roman, International Space, CNN Space, Science Locations: China, Kurdistan, Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Morocco

☆ I left San Francisco and moved to LA. Here are the 5 worst things about leaving the Bay Area.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementEven though LA is much larger than San Francisco, LA doesn't feel urban, while San Francisco does. Here's what I felt were the five worst things about leaving the San Francisco Bay Area and moving to LA. AdvertisementAs an artist and business owner, I founded my eco-friendly textile and wallpaper collection business in San Francisco in 2013. I miss San Francisco's culture and philanthropic spiritLiving in San Francisco, I found that many of its businesses have a good environmental or social mission. But I believe, for the most part, San Francisco still has the same caring heart and soul it's had for years.

Persons: —, Stevie Howell, It's, I've, Francisco —, Jessica Silverman, Rebecca Camacho, would've, it's, Crissy, I, Manseen Logan Organizations: Service, Business, San, San Francisco Bay Area, Minnesota, National Parks Conservancy, Area Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, LA, It's, San Francisco , LA, San Francisco Bay, Mandalay, Francisco, Bernal Heights Hill, Dolores Park, Ocean, Stinson Beach, Angel, mlogan@businessinsider.com

☆ While Boeing's passenger planes glitch, NASA is entrusting the company's spaceship with 2 astronauts' lives
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Boeing is about to fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time. Still, the FAA, NASA, and other aerospace experts have questioned Boeing's overall safety culture. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams conduct suited operations in the Boeing Starliner simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center. This Crew Flight Test mission is over a decade in the making. He added that those calculations are for a full 210-day mission, while Whilmore's and Williams's test flight lasts just one week.

Persons: —, NASA's Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Robert Markowitz They're, jetliner, AeroSystems, Bill Nelson, Kim Shiflett, George Nield, Bjorn Fehrm, Fehrm, KPIs, Doug Loverro, Baz Ratner, Bill Ingalls, Steve Stich, Nield, We've, Wilmore, Starliner, Whitmore, Williams Organizations: Boeing, NASA, International Space Station, FAA, Service, Defense, Boeing's, International Space, Space Center, ISS, Max, NTSB, AP, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Justice, Atlas, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Space Transportation, New York Times, Leeham, Business, Ethiopian, Ethiopian Airlines, Aerospace, Committee, White, Bill Ingalls NASA, US, Spaceflight Locations: Portland, Florida, It's, New Mexico

☆ I’m a nutritionist from a small California city that's home to America’s longest living people: Here's what I eat every day
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Eliza Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

I was born and raised, and currently live, in a small city in California called Loma Linda. As a dietitian and nutritionist here, I think a lot about how the foods we eat can help us feel better and thrive into our old age. Here is everything I eat in a day to help promote longevity and overall well-being. Whole grains can help keep your blood sugar levels stable because they are absorbed more slowly into the body. If I opt for soft tofu, I'll cut it into cubes, drizzle it with Vietnamese Hoisin sauce, and sprinkle it with furikake, a seasoning made from nori seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar and salt.

Persons: Stanley, bok choy Organizations: Linda, Studies Locations: California, U.S, America

☆ I'm a 63-year-old ultra-runner. I eat gut-friendly foods and wake up between 4 and 5 a.m.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Melissa Noble | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with John Salton, a 63-year-old vegan ultra-runner from Bright, Australia. I took up running 10 years ago, and now, at 63 years old, I'm an ultra-runner. I start being more intentional about the way I breathe, the water I'm drinking, and the food I'm eating. When I'm running in the mountains, it feels like a meditation. I look for a really good miso that's been fermented for several years.

Persons: —, John Salton, I've, Brett Haynes, that's, John Salton I'm Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Bright, Australia, miso

☆ Scientists witnessed an orangutan treating his wounds with medicinal plants, showing human-like behavior
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They believe it was caused by a neighboring male in what's known as a "long call battle," Laumer told Business Insider. Adult male orangutans like Rakus shout out "long calls" to attract females and let rival males know that this is their territory. Rakus may have unintentionally touched his leaf-mush-covered finger to his face, and instantly felt the pain-relieving properties of the plant, Laumer explained. But, because this is the first time this behavior has ever been observed in orangutans, scientists can't say for sure why or how Rakus did it. More alike than we are differentRakus's behavior reminds us a lot of our own behavior with medicinal plants, which could help us understand where our knack for medicinal treatment first evolved.

Persons: —, Caroline Schuppli, Isabelle Laumer, Laumer, Rakus, liana, Akar, Saidi, seng chye teo Organizations: Service, Institute of Animal, Business, Suaq Locations: Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Gabon

Those quiet times, less than three years ago, soon became a whirlwind. The flurry of activity reflects new investments in a region of North Carolina that has lagged behind: the Triad. The average income in Randolph County, which includes Liberty, is $47,000, and some jobs at Toyota will offer an hourly wage comfortably above that. More people moving into the area could breathe life into Liberty’s downtown. Mr. Kidd worried that many local workers lacked the education and skills to work at the plant.

Persons: Scott Kidd didn’t, Kidd Organizations: Liberty, Toyota Locations: N.C, North Carolina, Randolph County, Liberty, Liberty’s, Greensboro, Winston, Salem

☆ ‘Ping pong-sized’ hailstones ravage famous French wine region
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Julen Chavin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A violent hailstorm wreaked havoc on vineyards in Chablis in the famous French wine region of Burgundy Wednesday evening, delivering another weather blow to already hard-hit local Chardonnay winemakers. The extent of the damage was still unclear as winegrowers checked over their plots on Thursday, a representative for the Burgundy wine association told CNN. “We’ve never seen anything like this, it’s dramatic,” Julie Fèvre, a winemaker, told BFM. Some 38 million bottles of Chablis Chardonnay wine are sold every year, generating an estimated $340 million turnover, according to the Burgundy wine association. Around 67% of Chablis wine is exported to foreign markets, the association said.

Persons: “ We’ve, Julie Fèvre, BFM, ” Paul, Étienne, we’ve, Vincent Laroche, Marc Fesneau, ”, Chablis, ” Louis Poitout, we’ll, CNN’s Laura Paddison Organizations: CNN, Chablis, BFMTV, International Organisation of Vine Locations: Chablis, Burgundy, France, “

☆ Yen gives up ground vs dollar following surge on suspected intervention
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An attendant holds a sample of newly-designed Japanese 10,000 yen banknote, with three-dimensional holographic technology to prevent forgery, for a photograph at the National Printing Bureau Tokyo plant in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. The yen gave up ground in early trade on Thursday, reversing direction after a sudden surge against the dollar overnight that traders and analysts were quick to attribute to intervention by Japanese authorities. The dollar was 0.9% higher at 155.98 yen as of 0100 GMT, retracing about half of its late Wednesday surge from around 157.55 to exactly 153 over a period of about 30 minutes. "The 'sneak attack' element really is the MOF (Japan's Ministry of Finance) looking to punish speculators and send a warning about shorting the yen." That helped lift the dollar to a 34-year peak of 160.245 yen on Monday and also spurred a sharp reversal which official data suggested was due to Japanese intervention totalling about $35 billion.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Masato Kanda, Kyle Rodda, Sterling, Powell, Jack Mclntyre Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Federal Reserve, Reuters, Capital.com, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Bank of Japan, Brandywine Locations: National Printing Bureau Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Melbourne

☆ Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented. ArmasThe team believe that Rakus intentionally used the plant to treat his wound as he applied it repeatedly in a process that researchers say took several minutes. “This possibly innovative behavior presents the first report of active wound management with a biological active plant in a great ape species,” she said. As for how Rakus would have learned how to treat a wound, one possibility is “accidental individual innovation,” said Laumer. Another possible explanation is that Rakus learned how to treat a wound from other orangutans in the area where he was born, said Laumer.

Persons: Kuning, Rakus, Isabelle Laumer, Armas, Laumer, ” Organizations: CNN, Max Planck, Animal Locations: Indonesia, Gunung Leuser

☆ Making the power grid 'smart' could save us all money and prevent blackouts. Chattanooga made the $280 million investment.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Chattanooga's utility built a $280 million smart grid, creating $2.7 billion in economic value. The local utility, called EPB of Chattanooga, spent $280 million to refurbish its power system with smart technologies to make a "smart grid." The traditional power grid carries electricity from a power plant to homes and commercial buildings. Smart grids can bring huge economic benefitsEven Congress knows the nation needs a smart grid. Though a smart grid requires a big up-front investment, it can save a lot of money down the line.

Persons: —, That's, Tiago Majuelos, Monika Skolimowska, Kevin Schneider, Schneider, Joshua Rhodes, David Wade, EPB, Wade, Taylor, David Swanson, We're Organizations: Infrastructure, Service, Chattanooga Smart, US Department of Energy, Wall Street, Getty, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, American Society of Civil Engineers, University of Texas, Department of Energy, C Electric Company, BI, Reuters, Nationwide Locations: Chattanooga , Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, EPB, California, Austin, Hamilton County, Palm Springs , California, Columbia, Southern California

☆ I switched my vegan restaurants to serving meat after realizing plant-based diets aren't the answer — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She told BI the market is saturated with vegan options, making purely vegan restaurants obsolete. AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mollie Englehart, executive chef at Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery in California. Last month, Englehart announced that her restaurants, which were called Sage Vegan Bistro, would now offer meat, dairy, and eggs to customers. It's almost like everybody adding a vegan option makes the vegan restaurant obsolete because there's no need for it. It's not just an epidemic of vegan restaurants closing; I think for restaurants post-pandemic, it was generally really hard to recover.

Persons: Mollie Englehart, —, Englehart, we're, BJ's, It's, I've Organizations: Service, Regenerative Locations: California, Pasadena, Beverly, Burger

☆ Tesla retreats from next-generation ‘gigacasting’ manufacturing process
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Employees of the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin Brandenburg work on a production line of a Model Y electric vehicle. Tesla has backed away from an ambitious plan for innovations in gigacasting, its pioneering manufacturing process, according to two sources familiar with the matter, in another sign that the electric-vehicle maker is retrenching amid falling sales and rising competition. Tesla has been a leader in gigacasting, a cutting-edge technique that uses huge presses with thousands of tons of clamping pressure to die-cast large sections of the car's underbody. One of the two sources familiar with the automaker's gigacasting operations said the suppliers involved are now adapting Tesla's three-piece process for the next-generation vehicle. Both sources said the automaker decided last autumn to halt work on the more innovative and difficult one-piece casting process.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk Organizations: Tesla, Brandenburg, Reuters Locations: gigacasting

☆ South Africa has one of the world’s largest manganese reserves. So why does it outsource for processing?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jackelyn Prager | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —On delivery day at the Manganese Metal Company’s industrial complex in Mbombela, South Africa, truckloads of manganese ore from the Kalahari Basin in the Northern Cape are ushered inside for processing. South Africa has the world’s largest manganese reserves; however, the International Manganese Institute estimates only 2% of the manganese ore produced within the country is locally processed. The Manganese Metal Company says it receives 80,000 tons of ore every year, with plans to build a $25 million commercial processing plant by the end of 2026. With an abundance of manganese reserves, South Africa has potential to become a leader in high purity manganese sulfate production, but d’Harambure says “issues with the electricity sector in South Africa” and “an increase in electricity prices” have made it difficult to produce manganese chemicals and alloys there. Green potentialThese obstacles are not stopping the Manganese Metal Company from trying to capitalize on the EV boom and expand its processing facilities.

Persons: Louis Nel, ” Nel, Aloys d’Harambure, Nel, ” d’Harambure, ”, d’Harambure, D’Harambure, It’s Organizations: CNN, International Manganese Institute, Metal, International Energy Agency, Metal Company, Employees, Manganese Locations: Mbombela, South Africa, Northern, EVs, China, Mexico, Australia, Europe, Africa

☆ This $119 houseplant is bioengineered to remove harmful air pollution in your home.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Biotech company Neoplants just released the first houseplant grown to reduce indoor air pollution. Neo P1 can remove 30 times more VOC's, harmful indoor pollutants, than a typical houseplant. This week, the France-based biotech company Neoplants released the first houseplant bioengineered to remove harmful chemicals from indoor air. AdvertisementUnpacking the Neo P1 systemThe Neo P1 system comes with a marble queen pothos potted in a specially designed "shell," and a six-month supply of power drops. AdvertisementStriving for sustainabilityEvery part of the Neo P1 air purifying system is manufactured in the US.

Persons: —, you'd, Glenn Morrison, Patrick Torbey, Lionel Mora weren't, Mora, Torbey, Morrison, Neoplants, Jennifer Brophy, " Mora, it's, we'll Organizations: Biotech, Neoplants, Service, American Lung Association, University of North, Business, Stanford University, MIT Tech Locations: France, University of North Carolina, Torbey, VOCs, Neoplants, Paris

☆ How to save a pristine valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As the helicopter lifted off and disappeared into the clouds, the roar of the whirring blades fell away and all that was left was the sound of the rain. I just had been deposited deep inside Cochamó Valley, a remote cathedral of towering granite in central Chile that was at the center of a decade-long conservation battle. I wanted to see this land for myself and hear firsthand from the people who had saved it. An avid backcountry camper, Condeza started a nonprofit organization called Puelo Patagonia in 2013. His goal was to stop a proposed hydroelectric power plant in the area, a project that would have entailed the construction of roads, transmission lines and electric generation facilities.

Persons: Rodrigo Condeza, Condeza Locations: Chile, Patagonia

☆ Stone Age Paleo diet was not rich in meat, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —What did people in the Stone Age eat before the advent of farming around 10,000 years ago? Scientists analyzed chemical signatures preserved in bones and teeth belonging to at least seven different Iberomaurusians and found that plants, not meat, were their primary source of dietary protein. The evidence suggested that the Iberomaurusians consumed “fermentable starchy plants” such as wild cereals or acorns, according to the study. The work undermines the idea that a Stone Age diet was meat heavy — a rigid assumption perpetuated by present-day dietary trends like the Paleo diet. The transition to agriculture was a complex process that occurred at different times and proceeded at different rates, in different ways with different foods, in different places, Pobiner said.

Persons: Heiko Temming, ”, Zineb Moubtahij, Max Planck, Klervia Jaouen, ” Jaouen, Iberomaurusians, ” Moubtahij, —, Briana Pobiner, wasn’t, Jaouen, Pobiner, “ Organizations: CNN, Géosciences Environnement, Max Planck Institute, Stone, Smithsonian National Museum of Locations: what’s, Morocco, Cave, Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, France, Leipzig, Germany, Taforalt, Peru, Levant

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