Vertical Forests Combat Climate Change

On this week’s news update:

Exoskeleton

Exciting first steps in an exoskeleton…

Vertical Forests

The vertical forests combating pollution…

Pigs Using Tools

And pigs seen using tools for the first time!

First up…

This French man has been able to walk for the first time in two years with the help of some ground-breaking technology.

Thibault had an accident which left him paralyzed, meaning he couldn’t use his arms or legs.

exoskeleton

But with the aid of an exoskeleton—which means ‘outer skeleton’—he can move his limbs again!

Thibault had surgery to place two implants on parts of his brain that control movement.

When Thibault thinks about moving his limbs, the implants read that activity in his brain, and wirelessly send the information to a computer.

Using advanced technology, the computer then translates these brainwaves into instructions which command the exoskeleton to move!

Thibault said his first steps in the exoskeleton were like being the “first man to walk on the Moon.”

Next up, it’s Eco Zone.

A new UN report predicts that by 2030, almost two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities.

More people living in and traveling around cities means higher pollution levels.

So how can we try to combat this?

One idea is to create vertical forests!

These apartment blocks in Milan, Italy, are covered with over 11,000 plants.

These plants absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, and they release a gas called oxygen, which we need to survive.

So having more plants in cities could help combat climate change, and make the air cleaner for people to breathe.

The designers of these buildings are now planning more vertical forests in China, Egypt, and Mexico.

And finally, it’s Animal Watch.

Pigs are known to be very intelligent.

Now, for the first time, they’ve been observed using tools.

Researchers filmed pigs at a zoo in France using sticks to dig nests, which are holes in the ground that keep their piglets safe.

A number of other animals are already known to use tools to feed, protect, and groom themselves.

Macaques floss their teeth with human hair, octopuses use shells to make shelters, chimpanzees use twigs to fish for insects… Oh, and humans are pretty good at using tools, too!

The researchers think one of the pigs invented the digging technique, then taught it to the others.

They say more research is needed to find out whether wild pigs use tools as well.

That’s all for this week. We’ll see you next time.