News for the Week (10/19/2018)

Japan To Add 17 Gigawatts of Solar Power by 2020

According to Fitch Solutions Macro Research, 17 GW of new solar power will be connected to the grid in Japan between 2018 and 2020, after which they predicted a slowdown in solar growth due to reductions in feed-in-tariffs. (Link)

Image Credit: Ellen Garrity

Neurons Directly Connect Your Gut to Your Brain

A researcher from Duke University in Durham, NC discovered that some cells in the gut have synapse-like connections similar to brain cell neurons and that these gut cells can “talk” directly to the brain with electrical signaling through the vagus nerve. (Link)

German Court Halts Hambach Forest Clearance

A German court ordered a halt to clearing the Hambach forest. The forest has shrunk to 10% of its original size due to coal mining operations. Environmentalists argue that the ancient forest should be preserved and that it contains protected species. (Link)

New York City Goes a Weekend Without A Shooting

For the first time in 25 years, New York City went a weekend without any shootings taking place. (Link)

Canada Legalizes Cannabis for Recreational Use

On Wednesday, the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) went into effect which legalized cannabis for recreational use in Canada. Medicinal use has been legal since 2001. After Uruguay, Canada is the 2nd country to legalize recreational use of the plant. To read more, click here: Link

News for the Week is posted every Friday. Click here to read last week’s news.

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