Biochar, a charcoal like material made from plant and organic waste, is often promoted as a climate and soil “wonder solution,” but a new commentary warns that the reality is far more complex and that smarter deployment is urgently needed. The authors argue that biochar will only move from the margins to the mainstream if treated as part of a larger system that links technology, economics, and public policy.

What if the earliest signs of skin cancer could be identified sooner — before a dermatology appointment?

Researchers at the University of Missouri are exploring how artificial intelligence could help detect melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer — by evaluating images of suspicious skin abnormalities.

The University of Bonn has opened its own supermarket, in which pineapples, canned tomatoes, and toast are neatly lined up on black shelves. The space measuring 55 square meters (approx. 600 square feet) has pretty much everything you’d need in everyday life. The ‘clientele’, however, is very special: they are subjects participating in scientific studies. Here, researchers from the fields of food and resource economics, psychology, economics, and behavioral science are investigating how health- and sustainability-oriented purchases can be encouraged, for example, through product placement and other incentives. Robots are also demonstrating their capabilities here. 

According to new research from the University of Delaware, nearly one in three of American adults ages 18 to 64 with arthritis — almost 10 million people — say it is limiting their ability to work. The findings also suggest that too many people are simply living with pain. 

Hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks offer a cleaner alternative to diesel transport, but public support is essential for large-scale adoption. In a new study, researchers surveyed households in South Korea to measure willingness to pay for expanding hydrogen truck deployment. The results show strong public acceptance, with benefits exceeding carbon reduction costs, indicating the policy is socially profitable and supports long-term low-carbon transport transitions under national climate policy goals frameworks.