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A study suggests old age increases the risk, as does asthma, excess weight, and being female.

The smooth handfish is the first extinct marine bony fish of modern times. Scientists are now wondering how many more have disappeared unnoticed

In 1802, when French naturalist François Péron slipped a small, chunky Australian fish into a jar of preservative, little did he suspect that his unassuming prize would be the only member of its species ever known to science. The smooth handfish (Sympterichthys unipennis) was declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List earlier this year. This strange and spiny bottom-dweller made history with its passing. It became the first marine bony fish to be listed as extinct in modern times. Today, all that remains of the species is that discoloured specimen in the Natural History Museum in Paris.

Scooped up off the coast of south-east Tasmania, Péron’s catch was one of the 14 handfish species living in southern Australian waters at the time. The relatives of the smooth handfish are a colourful family which crawl around the seafloor using adapted fins as “hands”. They look like grumpy ageing punks, each sporting a dorsal fin over its head like a mohawk, bulging eyes and a cantankerous expression.

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Rick Francis, CEO of network investor Spark Infrastructure, explains why networks are key to the clean energy transition. And it’s not just poles and wires.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Why network companies want to move beyond poles and wires appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Big new renewables fund chaired by a former NSW Premier has billion-dollar plans to install 1.5GW of solar and 1GW of battery storage on C&I sites around Australia.

The post CEP and Marubeni unveil plans for 1GW battery and 1.5GW of solar in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

French energy giant Engie backs Greater Springfield development, aiming to be 'world's greenest city', with zero emissions transport plan.

The post Energy giant Engie supercharges green city development with support for EVs, hydrogen transport appeared first on RenewEconomy.

To keep animals safe from rubbish discarded by tourists, a bag has been devised made from milk cartons and rice bran

The famed deer that roam the city of Nara, in Japan, no longer face discomfort – or far worse – after local companies developed a safe alternative to the plastic packaging discarded by tourists that often ended up in the animals’ stomachs.

Last year several of the 1,300 deer that wander around the ancient capital’s central park were found dead after swallowing plastic bags and food wrappers, prompting calls for tourists not to leave their rubbish behind. One of the dead animals had swallowed more than 4kg of rubbish.

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State of Global Air report says indoor air quality causing two-thirds of the deaths and affecting health in the womb

Air pollution last year caused the premature death of nearly half a million babies in their first month of life, with most of the infants being in the developing world, data shows.

Exposure to airborne pollutants is harmful also for babies in the womb. It can cause a premature birth or low birth weight. Both of these factors are associated with higher infant mortality.

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Snowy Hydro is using unpublished negative price data to boost prospects of Snowy 2.0's commercial success. But the claims raise more questions than answers.

The post Snowy Hydro pumps up its numbers, but do they hold water? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

An "unusual discovery" by Australian researchers claims to have resolved one of the fundamental challenges slowing the progress of perovskite solar cells.

The post Australian researchers say “unusual” breakthrough may solve perovskite solar instability appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Consumers might get paid to have batteries that will "island" from the grid, and EVs that can deliver power when needed, as part of plans to make networks more resilient.

The post No man is an island – even in a future of stand-alone power systems appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Coalition sheds new light on Technology Roadmap: "Don't confuse commitments with projections that are in documents underpinned by a series of assumptions."

The post Coalition says Technology Roadmap emission cuts a ‘projection’, not a ‘commitment’ appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Warren Buffett-owned MidAmerican Energy idles 46 wind turbines at Iowa wind farms after a 50m-long turbine blade snapped and fell into a field last week.

The post Another Vestas wind turbine blade breaks and falls, this time in Iowa appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New Zealand’s NZX and Germany-based EEX have been picked to develop and operate the platform that will handle carbon allowance auctions in New Zealand.

Australian super fund First Sentier makes first purchase in renewables, buying wind portfolio of UK infrastructure group John Laing.

The post Big Australian super fund makes first foray into Australian wind assets appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Millions more jobs will be lost to robots with Covid accelerating the trend, says the World Economic Forum.

In the US, wind overtakes hydro to become the most-consumed source of renewable energy in 2019.

The post Graph of the day – Wind climbs to the top of the renewable mountain in the US appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Wood Mackenzie research predicts solar PV costs will continue to fall through the 2020s, driven by three key improvements to module efficiency.

The post Three innovations that will continue solar’s march down the cost curve appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Third quarter emissions in the Northeast US RGGI cap-and-trade programme rose year-on-year, according to preliminary data, with market participants not anticipating CO2 output to decline significantly due the COVID-19 pandemic.

Osiris-Rex makes brief contact with asteroid Bennu in an effort to pick up fragments of rock.