Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Aug 6

Where a women’s tax is canceled, and businesswomen’s decisions valued

Progress roundup: Malta brings free period products to schools, a study in Kenya and Senegal finds women’s decision-making superior to men’s, and more.

In California and in Poland, new laws for who belongs where

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Jul 26

In the largest land-back deal in California history - note that it took the Yurok Tribe and Western Rivers Conservancy more than 20 years of work, including raising millions from a long list of funders to buy the territory. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: A $56 million purchase doubles the Yurok tribe’s holdings along the Klamath River, and Shanghai bus riders create new routes.

Protecting homes from hurricanes, rice crops from heat, and seas from trawling

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Jul 8

In Alabama, hurricane damage prompted voluntary building standards by @ibhs.org and insurance discounts. One key to their success is third-party verification. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Science reveals how rice crops can resist heat for better yields and quality, and how building codes work against hurricanes.

Helpful microbes: For cleaning up oil spills and helping crops grow

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Jul 1

A woman transforms agriculture in Brazil, a Chinese woman in school in Germany discovers how an ocean microbe makes its own surfactant that could break down oil spills, and the women running a hotel in Sri Lanka, a country w. low female workforce participation
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Science enables Brazil to transform its economy, German researchers to find a microbe that makes detergent, and California to filter PFAS.

1 1

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Jun 17

Citizen projects tear up pavement for plants, and keep solar panels going

China, the largest producer and consumer of seafood, signs a safeguard against illegal fishing. And in Colombia, a program eases adoption of renewables.

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Jun 11

The surprising resilience of a smiling salamander and some old buried seeds

Progress roundup: Captive-bred salamander can survive in the wild, and old fynbos seeds will germinate, sowing science’s hope for habitat restoration.

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Jun 4

The benefits of living with bears and letting nature take its course

Progress roundup: Antarctica’s newest research base lowers fossil fuel use, a medieval Italian village welcomes its bears, and more.

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · May 28

How to plant a city tree, and where timber beats steel for buildings

Progress roundup: Art world wakes up to South Asian talent, a Stockholm method of planting keeps trees happy, and clean energy tops fossil fuels in the U.S.

How independence helps caregivers on the job and Indigenous people in Colombia

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · May 25

Two examples of empowerment via autonomy (Bear with me here): In the U.S. a small study found that home health care workers who owned the company reported greater satisfaction (so less turnover). & Greta Garbo, part 2: leaving uncontacted peoples alone in Colombia

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Philippine island boosts incomes and mangrove forests, Colombia protects isolated tribes, and U.S. home care workers thrive in co-ops.

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · May 14

The right to be a society apart, in Ecuador and South Africa

Progress roundup: A startup gets closer to carbon dioxide emissions-free steel, Germany strategizes for pedestrians, and African penguins gain protections.

Grafting for chocolate in Peru, and going after invasive species in New Zealand

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · May 6

Cacao trees can be less productive over time. But a tried-and-true technique – grafting – can rejuvenate a tree and help prevent the deforestation that is practiced when starting a new plantation. #chocolate
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Grafting revives cacao trees, reforms in Fiji strengthen democracy, and New Zealand commits to pest eradication on three islands.

How to reuse exhaust from jets and store energy in sand

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Apr 22

Innovations from Dallas to Finland - Finland news thanks to @katharinehayhoe.com www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Dallas airport captures jet exhaust for electricity, Finland innovates with heating methods, plus rights rulings in Japan and Kenya.

8 23

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Apr 15

Go with the flow: How to squeeze water from fog, and why to remove a dam

Progress roundup: Small dams across the U.S. are being removed for safety, water quality, and wildlife. And a desert in Chile yields water from fog.

When a ‘thumbs-up’ beats 5 stars, and where paralegals aid women’s land rights

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Apr 8

@csmonitor.bsky.social gives you the 180-word version, but also a link to Dr. Rivera's longer article in Nature.

1 1 1

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Apr 8

Do you hesitate to give your rideshare 5 ⭐? @larivera.bsky.social‬ explains studies on job evals: A 6-point scale instead of 10 eliminated gender gaps, maybe because a 6-out-of-6 rating is not as associated with perfection, which is more often attributed to men. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: three equity questions on job performance grades, the worthiness of women as landowners, and Indigenous people’s quality of life.

1 1 1

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Apr 2

How to recycle a building, and school a president on climate

Progress roundup: Chinese scientists develop a method to refresh weak batteries. And in Argentina, a law sends judges and more to climate class.

The rights of animals and the environment, from Mexico to Nepal

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Mar 27

Where a Supreme Court struck down a pro-development law, and a Congress put animal rights into its constitution (OK, I’ll tell you – it’s Nepal and Mexico)
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Nepal’s Supreme Court disallowed development in protected areas. And in Mexico, Congress put animal welfare in the constitution.

Low-tech and upside-down: The solutions under our feet

3 1 2

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Mar 17

Especially in Texas - agrovoltaics on the rise

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Mar 17

We *can* all just get along, said the sheep to the solar panel. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Fish advance science on China’s space station, solar farms host sheep on the ground, and across Africa, new publishers boost writers.

A quiet recognition of Black soldiers in South Africa, and new rights in Ecuador

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Mar 11

School lunch yields up to a tenfold return on investment for the community, according to the World Food Program. Canada now has a national plan. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: School lunch goes nationwide in Canada, overdue honor for Black soldiers in South Africa, and in Ecuador, marine life gain rights

Deserts and dollars: Where news gathering, and fossils, need support

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Mar 3

U.S. researchers, starting with @centerforcooperativemedia.org.web.brid.gy - are mapping local news coverage. It's helping some philanthropic funders know what communities to target for support. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: EU court says binary choices are discriminatory. And in Colombia, two museums hold mother lode of 10 million-year-old fossil history.

How our actions affect others – from driving more safely to making art

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Feb 24

Hang onto this. Americans gave each other a very good year: fewer traffic fatalities, lower homicide rate, less drug use among adolescents. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Studies show that Americans are safer partly because of better driving. And Britons are healthier when they pursue arts and culture.

Income grows in Africa, and solar power soars in Pakistan

Reposted by Points of Progress

former SAHM @formersahm.bsky.social · Feb 15

We count on the balancing power of the courts. In Belgium, a court recognized the harm of colonialism and a crime against humanity: Decades ago, children of Belgian fathers, born to Black mothers in Congo, were abducted and sent to Belgium.
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Colombian women chose fish farms over coca, Africa made income gains, and solar power is surging in Pakistan.

Jordan in a bind: What to offer Trump instead of taking in Gaza refugees?

2 2

Reposted by Points of Progress

Taylor Luck @taylorluck.bsky.social · Feb 12

For a monarch all too accustomed to Middle East crises, King Abdullah's Oval Office meeting with Donald #Trump Tuesday was one of the most pivotal of his 25-year reign.

One challenge: what "concession" to offer the president to make him feel like he got a deal?

www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle...

Jordanian King Abdullah’s meeting with Donald Trump Tuesday was one of the most consequential of his 25-year reign. His mission: to get the U.S. president to walk back his plan to relocate Gaza’s popu...

Bee fences and women taxi drivers to protect people

Points of Progress @pointsofprogress.bsky.social · Feb 10

Puerto Rico is close to a #30x30 goal, by making marine protected areas of 27% of its waters. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Progress roundup: Taxi companies built by women are improving their safety. And fences made of beehives are keeping farmers safer from elephants.