Lead Story
Bezos Earth Fund and Re:wild launch $200 million Phoenix Species Project to save 100 endangered species
The Bezos Earth Fund and conservation group Re:wild launched the Phoenix Species Project this month, committing $200 million, split evenly between the two organizations, to fund the recovery of 100 critically endangered species across 30 countries. Described as the largest single philanthropic initiative dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species across taxonomic groups, the project spans mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates and plants, with additional support from actor and Re:wild co-founder Leonardo DiCaprio, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation. More than 100 local and international partners, including Indigenous peoples, local communities and governments, will lead the recovery work, with funding structured to guarantee five years of support per species so conservationists can plan beyond short-term grant cycles.
Read more →Lead Story
Bezos Earth Fund and Re:wild launch $200 million Phoenix Species Project to save 100 endangered species
The Bezos Earth Fund and conservation group Re:wild launched the Phoenix Species Project this month, committing $200 million, split evenly between the two organizations, to fund the recovery of 100 critically endangered species across 30 countries. Described as the largest single philanthropic initiative dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species across taxonomic groups, the project spans mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates and plants, with additional support from actor and Re:wild co-founder Leonardo DiCaprio, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation. More than 100 local and international partners, including Indigenous peoples, local communities and governments, will lead the recovery work, with funding structured to guarantee five years of support per species so conservationists can plan beyond short-term grant cycles.
Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level since 2013 as Brazil records 37% annual decline
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research reported on August 9, 2026 that just 2,874 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest were cleared between August 2025 and July 2026, the lowest 12-month deforestation-alert total since the dataset began in 2013, and about 37% lower than the previous year. The total was also 55.6% below the average of the preceding decade, continuing a downward trend that has coincided with stronger environmental enforcement under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2030. Researchers cautioned the Amazon remains vulnerable to logging, drought and fire, but said the sustained decline marks some of the strongest progress against deforestation in over a decade.
Read more →Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level since 2013 as Brazil records 37% annual decline
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research reported on August 9, 2026 that just 2,874 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest were cleared between August 2025 and July 2026, the lowest 12-month deforestation-alert total since the dataset began in 2013, and about 37% lower than the previous year. The total was also 55.6% below the average of the preceding decade, continuing a downward trend that has coincided with stronger environmental enforcement under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2030. Researchers cautioned the Amazon remains vulnerable to logging, drought and fire, but said the sustained decline marks some of the strongest progress against deforestation in over a decade.
Caltech scientists bring fiber-optic-level efficiency to silicon chips for the first time
Caltech researchers reported in mid-August 2026 that they have created ultra-low-loss optical waveguides on standard silicon wafers using germano-silicate, the same glass used in optical fiber, achieving performance that approaches fiber-optic efficiency directly on a chip. The team demonstrated optical quality factors exceeding 180 million, with waveguide losses below 0.1 dB per meter in the telecom band and a 20-fold improvement over previous silicon nitride records at visible wavelengths, by adapting spool-based fiber fabrication techniques to commercial 8- and 12-inch silicon wafers. The breakthrough could enable more powerful and efficient lasers, miniature atomic clocks and sensors, and more energy-efficient photonic chips for AI data centers and quantum computing.
Read more →Caltech scientists bring fiber-optic-level efficiency to silicon chips for the first time
Caltech researchers reported in mid-August 2026 that they have created ultra-low-loss optical waveguides on standard silicon wafers using germano-silicate, the same glass used in optical fiber, achieving performance that approaches fiber-optic efficiency directly on a chip. The team demonstrated optical quality factors exceeding 180 million, with waveguide losses below 0.1 dB per meter in the telecom band and a 20-fold improvement over previous silicon nitride records at visible wavelengths, by adapting spool-based fiber fabrication techniques to commercial 8- and 12-inch silicon wafers. The breakthrough could enable more powerful and efficient lasers, miniature atomic clocks and sensors, and more energy-efficient photonic chips for AI data centers and quantum computing.
New compound blocks a hidden trigger of Alzheimer's, restoring neurons and reducing amyloid in mice
Researchers led by Ursula Quitterer at ETH Zurich reported on August 16, 2026 that an experimental compound, developed to block a little-known protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, prevented damaging protein clumps from forming in the brains of mice, helped nerve cells survive longer, and reduced amyloid buildup. The compound also appeared to improve heart health and slow some signs of aging in the animals, suggesting it works through a mechanism distinct from existing amyloid-targeting drugs. The findings raise hopes for an entirely new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's and related dementias, though the treatment has so far only been tested in mice and will require further studies before human trials.
Read more →New compound blocks a hidden trigger of Alzheimer's, restoring neurons and reducing amyloid in mice
Researchers led by Ursula Quitterer at ETH Zurich reported on August 16, 2026 that an experimental compound, developed to block a little-known protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, prevented damaging protein clumps from forming in the brains of mice, helped nerve cells survive longer, and reduced amyloid buildup. The compound also appeared to improve heart health and slow some signs of aging in the animals, suggesting it works through a mechanism distinct from existing amyloid-targeting drugs. The findings raise hopes for an entirely new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's and related dementias, though the treatment has so far only been tested in mice and will require further studies before human trials.
New nanostructured catalyst slashes platinum needs, boosting hydrogen fuel cells for data centers
A team led by Professor Gang Wu at Washington University in St. Louis reported in Nature Nanotechnology on August 6, 2026 that they have designed a nanostructured carbon catalyst allowing hydrogen fuel cells to use far less platinum while remaining highly stable and efficient. The material consists of porous, hollow carbon spheres lined with orderly radial nanochannels that keep densely packed platinum-cobalt nanoparticles evenly distributed and prevent them from clumping even at high temperatures, addressing a key durability problem that has limited fuel-cell adoption. Researchers, who included collaborators from Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Northeastern University and the University of Pittsburgh, said the breakthrough could make hydrogen fuel cells a more practical, lower-cost way to power energy-hungry data centers, vehicles and other applications.
Read more →New nanostructured catalyst slashes platinum needs, boosting hydrogen fuel cells for data centers
A team led by Professor Gang Wu at Washington University in St. Louis reported in Nature Nanotechnology on August 6, 2026 that they have designed a nanostructured carbon catalyst allowing hydrogen fuel cells to use far less platinum while remaining highly stable and efficient. The material consists of porous, hollow carbon spheres lined with orderly radial nanochannels that keep densely packed platinum-cobalt nanoparticles evenly distributed and prevent them from clumping even at high temperatures, addressing a key durability problem that has limited fuel-cell adoption. Researchers, who included collaborators from Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Northeastern University and the University of Pittsburgh, said the breakthrough could make hydrogen fuel cells a more practical, lower-cost way to power energy-hungry data centers, vehicles and other applications.