US guts habitat protections as Singapore funds food-waste protein
The Trump administration finalized a rule stripping habitat destruction from the Endangered Species Act's definition of "harm," clearing more room for logging, mining, and drilling where listed species live.
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The Trump administration finalized a rule stripping habitat destruction from the Endangered Species Act's definition of "harm," clearing more room for logging, mining, and drilling where listed species live [82].
02
Singapore awarded S$4.1 million to three food-waste upcycling projects, including a startup fermenting spent brewer's grain into vegan tuna flakes [74].
03
The FDA told industry it won't ban ultra-processed foods and is struggling to even define them, despite RFK Jr. calling them "poison" [75].
04
A zoo study found bonobos made more optimistic choices on days they played more and lived in larger social groups [87].
05
Texas A&M researchers linked coffee's health benefits to a cellular receptor activated more by plant compounds like caffeic acid than by caffeine itself [30].
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The Stories: the day’s biggest developments, in the sources’ own words
01▼Law & PolicyStory
Trump administration strips habitat destruction from Endangered Species Act protections
Photo: Conservation news
“the "single, best meaning" of the original 1973 text”
the Trump administration, defending its new rule · [82]
Overstated"the "single, best meaning" of the original 1973 text" (the Trump administration) [82]. The Supreme Court read that same text the opposite way in 1995's Babbitt v. Sweet Home, upholding habitat destruction as prohibited "harm," a precedent this rule discards rather than restores.
WatchEnvironmental groups and two Indigenous nations have already sued; the rule takes effect September 14, and litigation could delay or unwind it before then [82].
FromConservation news
02▲InnovationStory
Singapore funds three startups turning food waste into vegan protein
Photo: green queen
“We are building the capabilities, infrastructure, and industry partnerships that allow companies to develop and scale bio-based innovations here in Singapore.”
Christian Hermansen, Ferm2Farm project lead · [74]
By the numbers
S$5.3M ($4.1M)awarded by Singapore's National Environment Agency to three food-waste upcycling projects [74]
55 tonnesof brewer's spent grain produced annually in Singapore, the feedstock Mottainai Food Tech ferments into vegan tuna flakes [74]
FromGreen Queen
03▬Law & PolicyStory
FDA declines to ban ultra-processed foods, admits it can't define them
Photo: green queen
“As Secretary Kennedy recently said, FDA's role is not to ban ultra-processed food,”
Donald Prater, FDA acting deputy commissioner for food · [75]
By the numbers
55%of Americans' calories now come from ultra-processed foods, rising to 67% among children [75]
79%of consumers say ultra-processed foods are a "significant threat" to public health [75]
FromGreen Queen
04▬Activism & AnimalsStory
Zoo study finds bonobos grow more optimistic playing in larger groups
Wikimedia Commons / Bonobo
By the numbers
14bonobos were trained on the judgment-bias task; only 7 passed criteria to complete it [87]
FromLatest Results
Worth Knowing
Food & Recipes
Try the Gooey Black Bean Fudge Brownies: black beans give these gluten-free bars their fudgy texture, no bean flavor detectable, from the High-Protein Plant-Based Diet for Beginners cookbook [69].
Research & Nutrition
A crossover feeding trial found a whole-food, plant-based diet cut LDL cholesterol 17.9% versus a standard American diet in adults with familial hypercholesterolemia [4].
A meta-analysis of prospective studies found vegans had 23% lower total cancer risk and 20% lower breast cancer risk than non-vegetarians [9].
A meta-analysis linked healthful plant-based diets to 21% lower dementia risk across roughly 208,000 adults [17].
The FOOD-1 crossover trial found six days on a plant-based meat-supplemented diet lowered TMAO and LDL cholesterol versus a red-meat-supplemented diet [11].
A secondary analysis of a vegan-diet trial linked cutting processed and unprocessed animal foods to weight loss and fewer severe hot flashes in postmenopausal women [1].
A UK choice study found meat-eaters picked plant-based meals up to 44.6% of the time when menus didn't pair them by name with a matching meat dish [12].
A meta-analysis of vegan and vegetarian children found leaner growth alongside higher odds of iron deficiency, anemia, and B12 deficiency than omnivore kids [20].
A four-university crossover trial found recreational runners and lifters lost no measurable performance switching to a plant-based diet [15].
Activism & Animals
Illegal cocoa plantations are driving rapid deforestation in Liberia's rainforest, including protected chimpanzee habitat, to meet global chocolate demand [85].
Cuban marine biologist Félix Guillermo Moncada Gavilán, who helped guide the country's sea turtle fishery to a full protection ban by 2011, died June 28 after four decades studying the animals [84].
Innovation
Singapore-based Rize closed a $31 million round to expand rice-farming practices across Vietnam and Indonesia that cut methane up to 50% without lowering yield [79].
An AI analysis of a decade of corporate sustainability reports found companies disclose far more data now, but most of the jump in reported emissions reflects better bookkeeping, not real cuts [80].
One Good Thing
A white-rumped vulture landed at a feeding station in Cambodia's Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary this June, the first sighting there in ten years, alongside five red-headed vultures including two juveniles born on site [81]. Both species are critically endangered, and NatureLife Cambodia has spent years running the "vulture restaurant" that drew them back. "The return of the white-rumped vulture shows that our conservation efforts are making a difference," said the NGO's CEO, Bou Vorsak [81].
These 3-ingredient lime popsicles are sweet, zesty, and perfectly refreshing for warm Spring and Summer days. They're also easy to make and fun to customize!
