Hurricane Florence hits the USA

On this week’s news update…

Hurricane Florence hits land…

Hurricane Florence

A project to clean up our oceans…

The Ocean Cleanup

And raising awareness of incredible fungi.

Incredible Fungi

Last week, Hurricane Florence hit the south-east coast of the USA.

Hurricane Florence

Hurricanes are powerful storms that bring with them huge amounts of rain and very strong winds.

They can cause serious damage to buildings, roads and electricity supplies.

So, before Florence arrived, many people boarded up their homes and traveled to safer areas.

The hurricane caused severe flooding by pushing water from the ocean onto the land, an event called a storm surge.

storm surge

Florence has now passed, but it could take several months of cleaning up and rebuilding before people can go home.

Next up, it’s Eco Zone.

A few years ago, Boyan Slat went swimming in the ocean and was shocked by how much plastic waste he found there.

Boyan Slat, Inventor

So he decided to try to remove it.

Together with a group of scientists and researchers, he started The Ocean Cleanup.

The Ocean Cleanup

Now, Boyan and his team have launched their first clean-up system from the San Francisco Bay, in California.

It’s a huge, floating tube with a 3-meter-long skirt hanging in the water below it.

It’s designed to be pushed by the wind, waves, and ocean currents, sweeping up plastic waste as it goes.

If the system is a success, the team plans to use it in oceans across the world.

And finally: did you know that mushrooms aren’t plants?

They’re actually part of a fungus... and fungi are more closely related to animals than plants!

fungus

Now, a new report called State of the World’s Fungi aims to raise awareness of these incredible organisms.

It estimates that there are around three million species of fungi, and most of them haven’t even been discovered yet!

The report also claims that fungi could help to solve many of the world’s problems.

For example, some fungi can break down plastic waste, and others could produce new, cleaner fuels for vehicles.

According to the report, two thousand new species of fungi are discovered every year in all kinds of places… like under fingernails!

So: who knows what incredible fungi might still be out there, and what they could help us to do?

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