2023 was a record year for wind energy, with more than 1,051 gigawatts of installed capacity and generating 10% of the world's electricity. This milestone marks a crucial step forward in the transition to a more sustainable future, by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. However, the exponential growth and size of wind turbines, especially those located at sea, also pose new technical challenges. These structures, although solid, are exposed to extreme environmental conditions that generate constant vibrations, putting their structural stability at risk. 

At this event, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science and the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts were conferred upon distinguished leaders in their respective fields, in recognition of their tireless pursuit of the advancement of human culture and well-being. In addition, four young academic leaders from McGill received special recognition at the ceremony for their remarkable performance early in their careers through their groundbreaking and impactful work. 

A study conducted by researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) suggests that species thought to be distributed worldwide probably do not exist in Central and South America. At the same time, a wide array of environments and few specimens from the region point to the likelihood of vast species richness.

The work plan for the next five years was signed by representatives of the two agencies on October 16th in Bologna.

The voluntary carbon market has been extremely slow to take off, partly because each participant must find a way to quantify the amount of carbon offset by their project--and different projects use different methodologies. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is part of GEO-TREES, a partnership of a dozen space- and forest- based research groups who are creating a single, standard method to quantify forest carbon anywhere, anytime: verifying satellite estimates with on the ground estimates. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation just generously contributed $12 million to this effort, which recieved $12 from the Bezos Earth Foundation last year to put LiDAR and other technologies in the hands of botanists who already study forests worldwide.

One of the raw materials studied by the group is cashew nut shell liquid, a by-product of oilseed processing; work was presented during FAPESP Week Italy.

The study was conducted at the Federal University of São and involved 731 over-sixties. It is the first to demonstrate the effects of high blood pressure on lung mechanics. The findings highlight the benefits of regular physical exercise for partial protection of the lungs.