Could migratory birds provide early tsunami detection?
If you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a tsunami, tornado, or major tropical storm, you may have noticed a curious trend: the lack of birds. Although not fully backed by scientific evidence yet, researchers are investigating the anecdotal evidence that birds seem to be able Read More...
Paris lowers the speed limit on most city streets
Pedestrians and cyclists in Paris are welcoming a new policy that will restrict the speed limit on nearly all streets in the French capital to just 30 kph, down from 50 kph. The law is the latest move by the municipality to advance the city closer to its climate targets and transform people’s Read More...
France will ban the culling of unwanted male chicks by 2022
Each year, about 50 million male chicks — not wanted for meat or eggs — are culled in France, usually by shredding or gassing. That number, however, will soon become zero, thanks to a new law passed by the government, which will ban the killing of male chicks from next year. Billions of male Read More...
Forests as big as France have regenerated in the past 20 years
Good news from our planet’s reforestation endeavor! A new study has found that a forest area the size of France has regrown naturally across the world since 2000. As reported by the BBC, the restored forests have the potential to sequester the equivalent of 5.9 Gt of carbon dioxide — more than Read More...
French drivers will soon be able to exchange their old cars for e-bikes
In recent years, e-bikes have become increasingly popular among commuters and cyclists, as well as people who previously dreaded the thought of cycling uphill for long distances. This interest in e-bikes has exploded during the coronavirus, as many have sought out ways to travel while avoiding Read More...
New French policy mandates more sustainable travel
French travel is about to get a green upgrade as the country’s parliament has voted to ban any domestic flights in which the same destination can be reached by train in less than two and a half hours. After a heated debate in the Assemblée Nationale, the new policy means that greener train Read More...
“Doctor Peyo” demonstrates the healing powers of therapy animals
Many hospitals employ therapy dogs to comfort and uplift patients, but at Calais Hospital in Northern France, a different sort of therapy animal roams the halls. Peyo is a 15-year-old dressage horse who used to compete professionally with his trainer Hassen Bouchakour. Now, he’s soothing patients Read More...
Forgotten conch shell in museum identified as oldest known wind instrument
Archaeologists discovered a treasure hiding in plain sight after a 17,000-year-old conch shell that lay forgotten for more than 80 years in a museum collection has been identified as the oldest known wind instrument of its type. During a recent inventory of items at the Muséum de Toulouse in Read More...
France introduces “repairability index” to bring circularity to electronics
These days it’s all too common to have a drawer of discarded cell phones and other broken electronics in our homes, but if we want our economy to become truly circular, we will have to come up with innovative ways for these electronics to be repaired and reused when they get damaged. To achieve Read More...
Sounds and smells in the French countryside are now protected by law
From the crowing of roosters to the distinctive barnyard whiff, France’s countryside sounds and smells are now officially protected by law. The European country has recently passed a bill that protects the “sensory heritage” of its rural areas. The move came following an increasing number of Read More...