Lead Story
Hawaii teen discovers coconut fungi that can break down ocean plastic and sunscreen pollution
Vera Wang, a senior at Honolulu's Kaiser High School, won top honors at the 2026 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair after discovering, in a University of Hawaii at Manoa lab, that fungi naturally found on coconut husks can biodegrade sunscreen and microplastics. Genetic testing revealed some of the fungi did not match any entry in the world's largest genomic database, suggesting she had found entirely new species. During her sophomore year, Wang had already designed and built an ocean filter made entirely from coconut byproducts, inspired by traditional Polynesian weaving, to remove sunscreen and microplastics from surface water; the new findings earned her a Best in Category award, a Best in Fair placement, and a berth at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona next May.
Read more →Lead Story
Hawaii teen discovers coconut fungi that can break down ocean plastic and sunscreen pollution
Vera Wang, a senior at Honolulu's Kaiser High School, won top honors at the 2026 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair after discovering, in a University of Hawaii at Manoa lab, that fungi naturally found on coconut husks can biodegrade sunscreen and microplastics. Genetic testing revealed some of the fungi did not match any entry in the world's largest genomic database, suggesting she had found entirely new species. During her sophomore year, Wang had already designed and built an ocean filter made entirely from coconut byproducts, inspired by traditional Polynesian weaving, to remove sunscreen and microplastics from surface water; the new findings earned her a Best in Category award, a Best in Fair placement, and a berth at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona next May.
Probiotic treatment revives heat-stressed coral in the Red Sea during a live marine heatwave
Researchers reported in the journal Cell Reports in early September 2026 that both live probiotic and inactivated "postbiotic" bacterial treatments improved the health of Acropora cf. valida coral in the central Red Sea while it was under thermal stress during a natural summer heatwave, with seawater temperatures reaching nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It marked the first time such microbial therapies had been tested successfully on wild coral in open water, building on earlier lab and South Florida trials, and the postbiotic treatments in particular offer practical advantages such as longer shelf life and easier storage, raising hopes for a scalable tool to help reefs survive worsening ocean heatwaves.
Read more →Probiotic treatment revives heat-stressed coral in the Red Sea during a live marine heatwave
Researchers reported in the journal Cell Reports in early September 2026 that both live probiotic and inactivated "postbiotic" bacterial treatments improved the health of Acropora cf. valida coral in the central Red Sea while it was under thermal stress during a natural summer heatwave, with seawater temperatures reaching nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It marked the first time such microbial therapies had been tested successfully on wild coral in open water, building on earlier lab and South Florida trials, and the postbiotic treatments in particular offer practical advantages such as longer shelf life and easier storage, raising hopes for a scalable tool to help reefs survive worsening ocean heatwaves.
Kerala home stays cool through Indian summers without air conditioning, using clay and laterite
Architects at Elemental Architects built a family home near Kannur, Kerala, for sisters Renu Krishnadas and Rekha Utham that stays comfortably cool through sweltering summers with no air conditioning at all, relying on clay lattice walls, perforated clay blocks, laterite stone, and angled ceilings designed to accelerate natural airflow. The laterite skeleton has very low thermal transmission, while the perforated clay interior walls let both air and moisture pass through, cooling the structure much as breath cools when blown out to extinguish a candle. The design shows how traditional building techniques can solve a modern climate problem, cutting household energy use and carbon emissions by eliminating the need for air conditioning.
Read more →Kerala home stays cool through Indian summers without air conditioning, using clay and laterite
Architects at Elemental Architects built a family home near Kannur, Kerala, for sisters Renu Krishnadas and Rekha Utham that stays comfortably cool through sweltering summers with no air conditioning at all, relying on clay lattice walls, perforated clay blocks, laterite stone, and angled ceilings designed to accelerate natural airflow. The laterite skeleton has very low thermal transmission, while the perforated clay interior walls let both air and moisture pass through, cooling the structure much as breath cools when blown out to extinguish a candle. The design shows how traditional building techniques can solve a modern climate problem, cutting household energy use and carbon emissions by eliminating the need for air conditioning.
Omega-3 and aspirin combo matches antibiotics for treating severe gum disease in year-long trial
A registered, placebo-controlled trial of 109 people with severe periodontitis, run by Brazil's Sao Paulo Research Foundation, found that a daily combination of 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids and 100 milligrams of low-dose aspirin helped 57.7% of patients reach their treatment goal after one year, nearly matching the 58.6% success rate for antibiotics and far outperforming the 23.1% who improved with standard treatment alone. Researchers said omega-3s promote biochemicals involved in the natural resolution of inflammation and tissue repair, with aspirin enhancing the effect, offering a promising antibiotic-sparing option for gum disease treatment at a time when antibiotic resistance is a growing global health concern.
Read more →Omega-3 and aspirin combo matches antibiotics for treating severe gum disease in year-long trial
A registered, placebo-controlled trial of 109 people with severe periodontitis, run by Brazil's Sao Paulo Research Foundation, found that a daily combination of 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids and 100 milligrams of low-dose aspirin helped 57.7% of patients reach their treatment goal after one year, nearly matching the 58.6% success rate for antibiotics and far outperforming the 23.1% who improved with standard treatment alone. Researchers said omega-3s promote biochemicals involved in the natural resolution of inflammation and tissue repair, with aspirin enhancing the effect, offering a promising antibiotic-sparing option for gum disease treatment at a time when antibiotic resistance is a growing global health concern.
Indian spacetech startup Pixxel raises $100 million to expand Earth-observation satellite fleet
Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based hyperspectral satellite company, closed a $100 million Series C funding round in early September 2026, co-led by Temasek and Seraphim with new backing from 360 ONE Asset and IMM Investment alongside existing investors, marking the largest funding round ever raised by an Indian space-technology company and bringing Pixxel's total funding to $195 million. The company has deployed six Firefly satellites forming the world's highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral constellation, capable of revealing details about the Earth's surface beyond what conventional imagery can capture, and has launched Aurora, an Earth-intelligence software platform, as it expands its role across the space-tech value chain to support applications like agriculture, climate monitoring, and disaster response.
Read more →Indian spacetech startup Pixxel raises $100 million to expand Earth-observation satellite fleet
Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based hyperspectral satellite company, closed a $100 million Series C funding round in early September 2026, co-led by Temasek and Seraphim with new backing from 360 ONE Asset and IMM Investment alongside existing investors, marking the largest funding round ever raised by an Indian space-technology company and bringing Pixxel's total funding to $195 million. The company has deployed six Firefly satellites forming the world's highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral constellation, capable of revealing details about the Earth's surface beyond what conventional imagery can capture, and has launched Aurora, an Earth-intelligence software platform, as it expands its role across the space-tech value chain to support applications like agriculture, climate monitoring, and disaster response.