Want to find out if a text conversation is flirty or friendly? A new batch of apps, which use artificial intelligence to evaluate communication patterns, may have the answer. 

Could spraying chemicals into the sky reverse some impacts of global warming? Scientists are considering the possible benefits and risks of solar geoengineering, a controversial concept that could possibly cut global temperature increases in half.  

In the quest to create a sustainable alternative to the disposable paper cups used by most coffee shops, award-winning architect, Safia Qureshi, launched a new business called CupClub. CupClub creates plastic cups that can be used 132 times before being recycled. The business establishes designated cup drop-off points (often at coffee shops) throughout London, where tossed cups are then collected and expertly cleaned for reuse. 

Robotics engineers at MIT have built a threadlike robot worm that can be magnetically steered to deftly navigate the extremely narrow and winding arterial pathways of the human brain. One day it could be used to quickly clear blockages and clots that contribute to strokes and aneurysms, while at the same time making the current state of robotic evolution even more unsettling.

One U.K. start-up, called Stroodles, is betting on the future of pasta straws, which more closely resemble the texture of plastic than other materials on the market. The straws, made by an Italian pasta manufacturer, do not change the flavor of the drink and they’re edible–if you’re into alcohol-infused raw noodles.  

The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany outlined an ambitious plan to use miniature submarines to spray trillions of tons of artificially-created snow over western Antarctica, in an effort to halt the ice sheet’s collapse and save coastal cities across the world from sea level rise.

Scientists in Switzerland are working on a vaccine for cats that could bring relief to pet owners with an ill-fated allergy to them. The research group, HypoPet AG, claims their vaccine already shows some success in neutralizing a known allergen in our feline friends.

Would you purchase textiles dyed with food waste or clothes that sprout plants? Fashion designers introduced three innovative eco collections that incorporate these elements at the inaugural TILL: bioFASHIONtech Summit in Stamford, Connecticut. The Summit brings together biotechnology, soil science, community building, and fashion. 

Grab your reusable bottle since Dasani is rolling out 100 BYOB vending machines – essentially, refillable water stations – as a test approach to curb plastic waste. The company also will start selling water in aluminum cans, which are made from more recycled material than plastic bottles, in the northeast this fall.

CBD products are everywhere in 2019, from local bodegas to high-end boutiques. But as more companies tout the health benefits of their cure-all oils and balms, the Food and Drug Administration continues to grapple with ways to regulate what’s in them. 

Since apparently there are not enough people we can interact with in the world, we are now able to communicate with plants. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has specific researchers for “cyborg botany”, has developed technology that allows plants to act as sensors and displays. 

Lyft has joined the likes of services such as Uber and Bird who have been integrating their vehicles into cities like Washington D.C. Coming later to the game has the advantage of working out the kinks from the other services to create a better model.

In an innovative bid to remove all plastic from their packaging, Corona parent company Group Modelo is working on an open-source, stackable solution to bringing your own beer. 

Step aside, plastic bottles. With its bacteria-killing technology, LARQ is paving the way for the next generation of bottled water. The self-cleaning water bottle combines clean design with peace of mind.

Everlane and Adidas may be soaking up all the literal limelight right now for their forays into sustainable sneakers, but they'll soon by joined by Keds. The casual sneaker company will unveil a new collection built on a collaboration with textile company Ace & Jig, featuring shoes made entirely from scraps of waste material. The collection exemplifies Keds two-pronged approach to sustainable footwear, prioritizing ethical materials over trends. 

CRISPR may only be six years old but it's already made some impressive, and infamous, waves in the scientific community. Currently scientists around the world are using the gene-editing technology in several clinical trials and research efforts to correct some of humanity's most debilitating genetic ailments. Some of these conditions included Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, inherited childhood blindness (specifically Leber’s congenital amaurosis type 10), and sickle cell disease. 

What happens to the shopping malls abandoned for online retail convenience? In most cases, they become derelict edifices of pre-internet capitalism. But America's oldest shopping mall, the Arcade Providence, is getting a new lease on life thanks to Northeast Collaborative Architects. The firm transformed the building into a mixed-use, multi-unit housing project with 48 charming and affordable micro-apartments that start at just $550 a month in rent. 

Can design help solve the global water crisis? If so, how? That was the prompt given to designers by A/D/O by Mini and Jane Wither Studio for the Water Futures Design Challenge. Over 2,000 designs from over 30 countries were submitted, and on April 4th the winning projects were debuted. Read on to learn more about the winners and cast a vote for your favorite project. 

Despite all the pro-coal bluster from the Trump administration, solar has been steadily gaining popularity in rural areas across the U.S. This push for sustainable energy is driven primarily by local energy co-ops that can take advantage of the reduced price of solar power, as well as marketing and campaigning by the National Rural Electricity Cooperative Association. Today, the NRECA has reduced its reliance on coal to just 40% in 2017, down from 54% in 2014. 

How do you get people to stop wasting water? Appeal to their aesthetic and moral sensibilities. Sukle, a Denver-based advertising agency, did just that with a series of billboards that made use of sticky notes, colored pencils, aluminum cans, clay, and LEGOS, among other materials, to remind people to only use what they need. 

It may sound fantastical, even Wonka-esque, but future urban citizens will navigate their cities not by foot, but by a multi-directional elevator system called MULTI. First proposed in 2014, MULTI could use magnetic levitation technology to move multiple cabins of people up, down, and sideways in "hanging cities" of the future. These hanging cities, says squareone's Design Director Kostas Poulopoulos, will create "a three-dimensional mega-grid that combines towers and multi-story horizontal sectors into a 24-hour urban hub for live, work, and play."

Norway already has the world beat when it comes to electric car ownership, but the Scandinavian country aims to go one step further by equipping the streets of Oslo with wireless electric charging infrastructure for taxis. The taxis will be charged through induction technology integrated into the street. This will help the city meet its zero-emission taxis by 2023 goal. 

It may be taboo to discuss death, but the fact of the matter is that we modern day humans continue to mess up the planet long after we've stopped driving our cars or picking up our trash. Coffin production wastes natural timber resources, embalming leaches toxic chemicals into our water, and cremation emits chemicals into the air. That's why New York-based designer Shaina Garfield invented Leaves, a sustainable coffin that decomposes the body naturally with the aid of a fungi-laced rope and a pine wood surface.

There's no question that reforestation is a critical component to combating climate change, but the manual labor and cost are frequently-cited deterrents to getting it done. Two Brazilian brothers may have found a solution to the problem. Their biodegradable planter protects seeds and saplings from ants and helps keep them adequately watered, enabling the baby plants to grow into the giants that people think of when they hear "rainforest".

The lobster has played many roles in society over the years: prisoners' food, millionaires' food, and now, the latest and greatest single-plastic alternative material. It seems that a polymer found in their exoskeletons, chitin, can be used to great biodegradable and recyeable bioplastics. A team of designers at the Royal College of Art discovered this and developed several machines that can render seafood waste into a usable single-use item. They have named their project Shellworks.

Sidewalk Labs has revealed some of the concept renderings for Quayside, the Alphabet-helmed smart city development project in Toronto, and it certainly looks like a city of the future. The predominant construction material is timber and the overall design skews towards modularity. There will also be a built-in recycling and composting system that could divert 80% of the district's waste from the landfill. If all goes according to plan and approval is given, Sidewalk Labs estimates Quayside could be up and running within five to six years. Still, the project has attracted a significant amount of controversy due to high levels of secrecy surrounding the contract signed between Alphabet and Waterfront Toronto, as well as concerns over furtive data-gathering apparatuses built into the neighborhood's infrastructure. 

According to Circular Ocean, some 705,000 tons of fishing gear are lost or discarded in the ocean every year. That's a lot of virgin nylon, a strong and durable material, floating uselessly in the ocean and even worse, strangling thousands of whales, sea lions, and other marine animals. Once the problem became apparent, a whole industry popped up around gathering these discarded fish nets and transforming them into viable new products. Internationally-renowned design firm Snøhetta joined the competition at the 2019 Stockholm Design Week with their S-1500 chair, which is made of recycled fishing gear and repurposed steel. Because it uses locally sourced recyclable materials, the S-1500 has one of the lowest carbon footprints on the market. 

The Lorax isn't the only one speaking for the trees. Dr. Thomas Crowther, an ecologist from ETH Zurich, also speaks for the trees—all three trillion of them. Using ground surveys, satellites, machine learning, and AI, Crowther and his team arrived at not only a larger number of trees than previously estimated, but also an ambitious assertion about their potential to mitigate climate change. If an additional 1.2 trillion trees are planted in non-urban and non-agricultural lands, it could effectively cancel out 10 years of anthropogenic carbon emissions, Crowther says.