Find out how the Belmez team at the University of Córdoba made a pervious paving block without natural sand and conventional cement: the aggregate is made from crushed shells, and the binder is created by alkaline activation of ash and mining residues and by CO2 curing.
Find out how ESA and European partners are testing a self-healing composite with optical sensors and built-in heaters: the material recognizes microcracks early, heats locally to 100–140 °C, and can extend the life of reusable launchers and future cryogenic tanks. We report what the experiments have shown so far and what the next steps of the CASSANDRA project are.
Find out how dermatologists at the University of California, San Francisco calculated what proper sunscreen application really costs. We explain what the recommended “shot glass” amount per body means, why price affects how much people apply, and how clothing and a hat reduce the cost. They compared SPF 50 lotions with similar ingredients and showed a range from a few cents to a few dollars per application.
Learn how unusual rains in early February 2026 turned the dry season in Córdoba, northern Colombia, into major floods along the Sinú and around Lorica. We explain what Landsat 9 images reveal, UNGRD estimates of affected families and agriculture, and why the state declared a state of emergency.
Find out how the University of Córdoba team created a regional gully map for Andalusian olive groves in the Guadalquivir basin and why it changes the fight against soil erosion. We explain what the model reveals about active hotspots and how deposits end up in reservoirs after heavy rains. Using orthophoto series data from 2008–2019, it shows where to intervene first.
Find out why the Smile spacecraft was delivered to French Guiana and what it will measure in space. The joint ESA–Chinese Academy of Sciences mission on a Vega-C rocket has a launch window from 8 April to 7 May 2026, and its X-ray and UV cameras should for the first time provide a complete picture of Earth’s response to the solar wind.