What went right this week: a solution to microplastic pollution, plus more

Could a sponge made from cotton and squid ‘bone’ solve one of humanity’s greatest challenges? Scientists in China think so, after the new material was shown to be highly effective at filtering microplastics from water. 

In a peer-reviewed study published in Science Advances, the sponge was shown to absorb between 98% and 99.9% of microplastics in water samples taken from China. The material is made from cotton cellulose and chitin, which found in the gladius – a bone-like internal structure – of a squid. According to the University of Wuhan, which led the study, it can be manufactured at scale.     

Finding a way to filter microplastics from water is a pressing challenge. Microplastics have been found in the remotest corners of the planet and our bodies, including our brains. 

The academics behind the research said the sponge has “great promise … for microplastic remediation”, and plan to carry out further large-scale tests. It comes a fortnight after scientists in Japan unveiled an “environmentally friendly” plastic that dissolves in the sea, and a week after petrostates scuppered a global deal to halt plastic pollution.  

Image: FlyD

Scientists have created a first-of-its-kind urine test which they say catches lung cancer early, potentially improving outcomes for the millions of people who will go on to develop the disease.

Created by the University of Cambridge, England, the test identifies ‘zombie’ cell proteins in urine. These proteins can be markers of tissue changes that occur long before lung cancer becomes visible through scans or physical symptoms.

Researchers developed an injectable sensor that interacts with the ‘zombie’ cell proteins and releases an easily detectable compound into urine, signalling their presence.

Traditional techniques used for early cancer detection, such as CT scans, are expensive and often inaccessible, especially in lower-income regions. However, those behind the new urine test claim that it can be performed in any hospital lab without the need for high-end equipment.

“We urgently need affordable, simple methods to detect cancer early, particularly for high-risk groups,” said the university’s Prof Ljiljana Fruk. “This test could be a game-changer for detecting lung cancer, and we’re already exploring how it could be adapted for other cancers.”

Image: Rupinder Singh

For the first time in its history, the UK is on course to get more of its electricity from renewables than fossil fuels over an entire year. 

That’s according to analysis by Ember, an energy thinktank, which said the rapid rollout of renewables had led to a large decrease in fossil gas power in 2024. The UK closed its last coal-fired power plant in October, another milestone. 

“The renewables future is here,” said Frankie Mayo, Ember’s senior climate and energy analyst. “This long-awaited milestone is a testament to how much progress the UK has made. With the phase-out of coal power completed this year, reducing gas use is the next big opportunity for the country.”

Greenpeace UK’s policy director, Doug Parr, added: “Renewables producing more of the UK’s electricity than fossil fuels for the first time ever is a real landmark moment in Britain’s transition to being a clean energy superpower. There’s still a long way to go until we meet the government’s 2030 renewable energy target but we’re heading in the right direction.” 

Image: Jesse de Meulenaere

It has taken nearly 50 years to complete, but a mammoth project to encircle China’s largest desert with trees is now finished – and the world barely noticed.

Spanning 1,864 miles, the ‘green wall’ was devised to halt the advancing Taklamakan desert (pictured) and reduce sandstorms in the north-western region of Xinjiang.

More than 30m hectares of trees have been planted since the 1970s. The project has experimented with different species to see which is most effective, leading to inevitable failures at the start of the project.

There’s lively debate as to how effective China’s ‘green wall’ has been. Proponents point to official data showing that the percentage of the country classed as desert has decreased from 26.8% to 27.2% in a decade. Forest cover in Xinjiang has also reportedly risen from 1% to 5% – another marker of success, say supporters.

Critics claim that the survival rate of trees has been low and that the desert shrank because of increased rainfall. One thing most can agree on is that China’s ‘green wall’ takes nature-based solutions to a new level at a time when the world needs to be more ambitious about deploying them.

Image: iStock

Imperilled marine life, including leatherback turtles, blue whales and sea otters, can now find sanctuary in a new marine reserve off the coast of California. 

Covering more than 4,500 square miles, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (pictured) is the first US marine reserve that Indigenous communities have been made co-custodians of. 

Plans for the sanctuary – the third largest marine reserve in the US – were unveiled in October. This week, it became official. It’s a major victory for the Chumash Indigenous community, which has long campaigned to have the waters protected.  

“This recognition is a crucial moment for our community,” said Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council. 

Image: Robert Schwemmer

A crow that went extinct in the wild in 2002 is cawing again in Hawaiian forests. 

Five ‘alalā – also known as the Hawaiian crow – were released in woodlands on the island of Maui last week as part of a project to bring the charismatic birds back.

Habitat loss, disease and predation by invasive species drove the crows to extinction. And while previous attempts to reintroduce the birds to the Island of Hawai’i failed, those projects offered scientists insights that informed the latest release programme, this time on Maui.

“The translocation of ‘alalā to Maui is a monumental step forward in conserving the species,” said Megan Owen, vice president of conservation science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which is leading the project. 

Image: US Fish and Wildlife Service

Those who regularly break a sweat may attest to feeling sharper for the rest of the day. Now, research suggests that moderate exercise boosts brain function well into the following day. 

Researchers at University College London, England, found that people aged 50 to 83 who did moderate to vigorous exercise on a given day performed better in memory tests the day after. 

Their study looked at data from 76 men and women who wore activity trackers for eight days and took cognitive tests daily. It found that less time spent sitting, and six hours or more of sleep, were also linked to better scores.

“Our findings suggest that the short-term memory benefits of physical activity may last longer than previously thought,” said lead author Dr Mikaela Bloomberg. “Getting more sleep, particularly deep sleep, seems to add to this memory improvement.” 

Brisk walking and dancing all count as moderate exercise. “It doesn’t have to be structured exercise,” said Bloomberg, adding that further research is needed. “This was a small study and so it needs to be replicated with a larger sample of participants before we can be certain about the results.”

Image: Mitchell Orr

Commuters in London will soon have a greener way to travel up and down the Thames with the arrival of the UK’s first all-electric river ferry. 

The Orbit Clipper was given a March 2025 launch date this week. The ferry will be able to carry 150 passengers and 100 bikes, and will “provide an accessible, green and fast route across the Thames seven days a week”, said its operator, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers. 

“It’s a real British success story,” said the firm’s CEO Sean Collins. “All of our new boats are proudly built in the UK using the latest green technology at Wight Shipyard Co on the Isle of Wight.”

An all-electric ferry between mainland England and the Isle of Wight is set to launch at the end of 2025. 

Image: UberBoat Thames Clipper

A green travel initiative in Portugal has led to a surge in rail travel, official figures show. 

In October, the Portuguese government launched a €20-(£16.50) a-month ‘green rail pass’ allowing citizens unlimited travel on most services operated by the state-owned rail company Comboios de Portugal. 

The pass, described by the government as an “investment in the environment”, proved immediately popular. Data shows that 30,000 were sold in the first month, with holders making more than 70,000 seat reservations. Some 40% of passes are bought by customers aged 30 or younger.

A similar boom was recorded in Germany, which launched a €49- (£40.50) a-month rail pass in 2023. Questions linger over the viability of the German pass – chiefly whether the government can afford to subsidise it long-term – but it returned this year amid a drive to get more people out of their cars.

Image: Annie Spratt

Celebrating nature’s capacity to make us laugh, the Comedy Wildlife Photography awards revealed its winning snap this week – of a red squirrel getting momentarily stuck in the hollow of a tree.

The picture was taken by Italian photographer Milko Marchetti. “Whenever I show this image at the nature seminars at my local photography club, the audience always explode with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it,” said Marchetti, who won a safari in Kenya as a prize. 

The offbeat competition was founded in 2015 by photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, who wanted to showcase funny images of wildlife while raising awareness about conservation. 

Among the other winning and highly commended shots this year was Artur Stankiewicz’s image of a hippo draped with water plants (main picture) in Mana Pools national park, Zimbabwe. See the other winning shots here.

Image: Milko Marchetti/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Main image: Artur Stankiewicz/Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards