The EU and Europe’s bio-based industries are tapping into the hidden potential of wood to replace fossil resources in the production of high-performance resins with a low carbon footprint. By Ali Jones In one of Europe’s most forested nations, Estonia, a quiet revolution is transforming the way we think about wood. For centuries, timber has … Read more
EU-funded researchers are cultivating fungi on agricultural waste to create smarter and greener construction materials able to adapt and react to their environment, and even repair themselves. By Anthony King In his office in the Netherlands, Professor Han Wösten holds up a hard sponge-like block for show. It is a material he made in 2012 using … Read more
Researchers are testing a new method of capturing CO2 from energy-intensive industries and converting it into valuable chemicals and fuels. By Anthony King In a potential game-changer for heavy industry, a magnesium-oxide mine in Greece received seven special containers in November 2024 with equipment designed to capture CO₂ and transform it into a valuable chemical, … Read more
New EU-funded research, sparked by a 17th-century shipwreck, reveals how centuries of trans-Pacific trade shaped medicine, shipbuilding and geographical knowledge, and built cross-cultural connections still relevant today. By Gareth Willmer In 1609, the Spanish galleon San Francisco sank off Japan after sailing through storms and hurricanes en route from the Philippines to Acapulco in Mexico. The shipwreck … Read more
EU-funded researchers are developing strategies to protect people from rising temperatures, focusing on vulnerable groups and clearer climate-health communication. By Vittoria D’Alessio The environmental impact of climate change – shifting weather patterns or vanishing biodiversity – is widely recognised. But do we truly understand the toll rising temperatures are taking on human health? Members of … Read more
As shipping strives to decarbonise, a new wave of EU-funded innovation is proving that methanol-fuelled vessels could offer a scalable, low-emission alternative to diesel on the high seas. By Tom Cassauwers In the busy Port of Oxelösund, south of Stockholm, a small orange pilot boat braves the waves and the weather to help incoming vessels … Read more