Low-tech and upside-down: The solutions under our feet
Loading...
Sheep are shearing the land under solar panels to benefit two industries
As solar power’s land needs grow, more ranchers are turning to agrivoltaics.
With solar grazing, livestock feed in places on a solar farm that can’t easily be reached – reducing reliance on gas-powered lawn mowers. In turn, ranchers charge for the services of their livestock on solar farms, land they otherwise would not be able to access.
Why We Wrote This
In our progress roundup, we highlight the pursuit of new science as well as adaptations of older technology. In culture, too, strength begets strength: Witness the growth of the literary ecosystem across Africa that is allowing writers to succeed at home without the support of Western publishers.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory says there are at least 226 solar-grazing sites in the United States, spread across 27 states. Agrivoltaics – which includes other cooperative land uses such as for crop production and pollinator habitat – more than doubled in the U.S. in four years to cover 27,000 acres and produce 10 gigawatts of solar energy.
Sources: The Associated Press, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Do-it-yourself green roofs are cooling Brazil’s favelas
In Rio de Janeiro alone, more than 2 million people live in informal settlements, where temperatures are higher than average and building codes do not apply.
For over a decade, Luis Cassiano has been teaching fellow residents how to build their own green roofs using plants on top of a lightweight geotextile made of recycled drink bottles.
Researchers found as much as a 36 degree Fahrenheit difference between homes with and without green roofs. A different study noted a similar contrast in temperatures between the warmest neighborhoods and nearby vegetated areas.
Green roofs absorb less heat than other low-cost roofing materials common in favelas, such as corrugated steel. For about $1 per square foot, they reduce the effects of urban heat islands, dampen noise pollution, and help prevent flooding. Advocates say the approach needs support beyond the self-reliance of the favela residents themselves.
Sources: NPR, Undark, Agência Brasil
Spain is equalizing parental leave between single- and two-parent households
Drawing on a November constitutional court decision prohibiting discrimination against children in one-parent households, a Spanish regional court ruled that single parents may request the full amount of leave available to couples – six weeks taken together, plus an additional 10 weeks per parent – totaling 32 weeks.
“The need for care and attention of a newborn is the same regardless of the family model into which they were born,” the constitutional court wrote in its previous ruling.
Advocates hailed the move as a win for women. Some 81% of Spain’s roughly 1.9 million single-parent households are headed by mothers. In its decision, the regional court cited 2023 government data that said more than half of single-parent households were at risk of poverty.
The decision brings Spain in line with several European countries, including Germany, Finland, and Sweden, as well as Australia.
Source: The New York Times
More African authors are signing deals with African publishers
From South Africa and Namibia to Senegal, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, growth in publishing marks a shift toward better representation for the continent’s writers and people.
Previously, becoming a successful writer in Africa meant working with a Western publisher. Today, a robust literary ecosystem means that African writers can find success in their own communities.
The author of the 2005 satirical essay “How To Write About Africa,” Binyavanga Wainaina, is credited with inspiring this ecosystem. At Doek Literary Festival in Namibia’s capital of Windhoek, founded in 2022, writers from across the continent gather to discuss and share their work. Authors are using such events, along with self-publishing online, to bypass foreign publishers and promote work for local people – and in local languages. Children’s books, too, have seen a rapid rise in popularity, a significant development in a region where one-fifth of children between 6 and 11 years old are out of school.
“The West is not discovering us,” said Zukiswa Wanner, a South African writer. “We are discovering us and then telling our stories.”
Sources: The New York Times, UNESCO
Zebra fish on China’s space station are teaching scientists about microgravity
In an experiment key to understanding how to sustain human life in space, four zebra fish were sent into orbit and survived for a record 43 days on the Tiangong space station. (The past record was 16 days.)
The aquatic astronauts lived in a 1.2-liter (0.3-gallon) tank with oxygen-producing plants. Researchers fed the fish, and their excrement provided nutrients to the plants. Fish have been used in space research since 1973.
After 20 days in orbit, the fish became disoriented, swimming upside down or in circles, before eventually adapting to microgravity. The fish also successfully laid eggs, marking a breakthrough in studying reproduction in microgravity. The zebra fish eggs, along with water samples collected at three different stages, were brought back to Earth for study.
In 2025, China is sending six other zebra fish to orbit as scientists expand the research.
Sources: Sixth Tone, Xinhuanet, Space.com
