Three teens from Indore, India, have created a salt-powered mini refrigerator that works without electricity—an innovation that could transform how medical supplies reach remote communities.

Their invention, called Thermavault, uses a chemical process where salts absorb heat as they dissolve in water, effectively cooling the surrounding area. It’s designed to maintain safe storage temperatures for vaccines, medications, and even transplant organs—all without needing to plug in.

The creators—Dhruv Chaudhary, Mithran Ladhania, and Mridul Jain—were inspired by challenges their parents, all in the medical field, experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting vaccines to rural areas without reliable electricity was an uphill battle. So, the three teens got to work.

After experimenting with nearly 150 different salts and hitting several dead ends, a teacher’s suggestion led them to two that worked: ammonium chloride and barium hydroxide octahydrate. Ammonium chloride kept temperatures between 2°C and 6°C—ideal for many vaccines—while the second salt combo could bring temps below freezing, suitable for more sensitive materials.

Their salt-based cooling system is housed in a compact insulated box lined with copper. The solution is poured into the walls, which then pull heat away from the contents inside. Better still, the system is reusable: simply boil off the water in the field to reclaim the salt for future use, no freezer or power supply needed.

Their innovation earned them the 2025 Earth Prize for Asia and a $12,500 award. The trio plans to use the funds to build 200 Thermavault units for 120 hospitals. They’re also working toward World Health Organization certification so they can partner with organizations like Gavi, which delivers vaccines around the globe.

Dr. Pritesh Vyas, an orthopedic surgeon who tested Thermavault in a local hospital, confirmed that it kept vaccines stable for up to 12 hours. With further upgrades like a built-in temperature monitor, he believes it could become a critical tool for rural healthcare.

For now, the teens are focused on refining their device and taking it to the global stage. As voting opens for the Earth Prize’s global winner on April 22, Thermavault has a chance to gain even more attention—and potentially save countless lives.

Grace Collins, a mom from Texas, isn’t letting age define her motherhood journey. At 51, she recently welcomed her third child — a baby boy named A.J. — and says she’s not sure she’s finished growing her family just yet.

Collins first gained attention in 2024 when she went viral on TikTok for sharing her story of becoming a mom later in life through IVF. Her journey began at age 44 with the birth of her first daughter, Maggie. Two years later came her second daughter, Goldie. And in 2024, at age 50, she became pregnant again — this time with her first son.

“It’s hard being pregnant no matter what age you’re at,” Collins told TODAY.com. “And I don’t know if I’m done either!”

Though being pregnant in her 50s might seem daunting, Collins says it’s actually gotten easier over time. “I felt like I was more tired when I was pregnant at 44 than I was when I was 50,” she previously told PEOPLE. “Maybe my body just figured out how to cope, or maybe having children keeps me young.”

That sense of energy seems to carry into her everyday life as a mom of three little ones. “I’m a pretty on-the-go kind of girl,” she said. “I’ve been in the little kid daily grind since I was 44, so I don’t know any different.”

Collins also shared that age has brought some unexpected advantages. With more life experience under her belt, she feels more aware of her body and committed to her health. Before her last pregnancy, she took proactive steps to ensure she was in good shape, including a full slate of medical screenings and maintaining an active lifestyle.

“I made sure I had a healthy baseline,” she told PEOPLE. “All my pregnancies have had their hurdles — but overall, I can honestly say it’s become easier with each one.”

Despite being older than many of the parents she meets at playdates or school events, Collins says age isn’t a barrier when it comes to connecting. “The things we have in common outweigh our age differences,” she said. “If anything, having kids has honestly kept me younger.”

As for whether baby A.J. will be her last? Collins isn’t closing that door just yet. For now, she’s savoring life as a busy mom and embracing every moment. “I’m going to do everything I can to stay young and present — not just for my kids but for myself.”

A simple wooden bench may seem unremarkable, but in Sussex, it’s about to become a powerful tool for tackling mental health challenges.

A pilot scheme called the Friendship Bench, originally developed in Zimbabwe, is launching in Sussex to provide free, low-barrier support for people dealing with depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The initiative places trained lay counsellors—affectionately called “grandmothers” and “grandfathers”—on benches in public indoor spaces like libraries and community centers, where they offer compassionate, non-judgmental conversation to anyone who stops by.

Founded in 2006 by psychiatrist Professor Dixon Chibanda, the Friendship Bench model was born from the idea that everyday people, especially older members of the community, can offer meaningful support. Despite receiving just two weeks of training, the lay counsellors have made a global impact. Studies, including one published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, show the program led to an 80% reduction in depression and suicidal thoughts, and a 60% improvement in quality of life among participants.

Now brought to the UK by Dr. Nina Lockwood of Brighton and Sussex Medical School, the Sussex pilot will involve ten lay mental-health workers offering six-to-eight-week support sessions. Unlike the original Zimbabwe benches that are placed outdoors, the UK’s version will adapt to the British climate with indoor seating areas.

“There is an unintended novelty to the west taking a model founded in Africa,” Lockwood said. “But just like in Zimbabwe, the UK has a massive shortfall in mental health resources compared to the demand of our population’s mental health problems. We urgently need to adopt agile, alternative ways of working.”

Trained volunteer Mebrak Ghebreweldi, from Diversity Resource International, said the approach allows time to uncover root issues, like housing insecurity or unemployment—problems that can be missed in rushed GP visits.

“GPs don’t have time for those long conversations,” Ghebreweldi explained. “They’ll just prescribe something. But when we listen, we often find that what seems like depression may actually stem from practical, solvable problems.”

Chibanda’s vision for the Friendship Bench grew from a recognition that medication and diagnoses alone can’t fix a growing global mental health crisis. “Not everyone can see a mental health professional,” he said. “But most people have access to the care, compassion, and wisdom of grandmothers—the unsung heroines of the world.”

In the UK, mental health needs are urgent. One in six adults reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms in 2022, and NHS wait times for therapy can stretch over four months. The Friendship Bench offers a hopeful alternative—one built on human connection and community.

With over half a million people already helped worldwide, the scheme’s expansion into Sussex could be a quiet revolution in how we approach mental wellness—one chat at a time.

A team of scientists from The Ohio State University has unveiled a groundbreaking device designed to enhance food sources for coral reefs, offering a potential boost to restoration efforts. The device, called the Underwater Zooplankton Enhancement Light Array (UZELA), works by attracting zooplankton to coral habitats, increasing their availability as a food source.

UZELA is a submersible, programmable light capable of operating for up to six months on a single battery. When maintenance is needed, trained divers can perform simple servicing. The device activates for roughly an hour each night, emitting a specific type of light that encourages zooplankton accumulation without disturbing other marine species. This process enhances the feeding opportunities for corals, improving their chances of survival and growth.

Encouraging Results from Initial Tests

Researchers tested UZELA near two native Hawaiian coral species, Montipora capitata and Porites compressa. Their observations showed a seven-fold increase in local zooplankton populations and a dramatic improvement in coral feeding rates—ranging from 10 to 50 times higher than usual. These findings were published in Limnology and Oceanography: Methods.

According to study lead Andréa Grottoli, a professor of earth sciences at The Ohio State University, coral reefs play a disproportionately important role in marine ecosystems. “Although reefs make up less than 1% of the ocean, they support a third of all marine life,” she explained. “With increasing threats, we must find ways to protect them.”

The Growing Threat of Coral Bleaching

Extreme ocean temperatures continue to endanger coral reefs. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently reported that from February 2023 to April 2024, nearly 60.5% of the world’s coral experienced bleaching. This occurs when corals expel the algae that provide them with essential nutrients, making them more susceptible to disease and die-off.

While corals can recover if water conditions stabilize, many struggle due to a lack of available food. The presence of concentrated zooplankton, as facilitated by UZELA, could help mitigate some of the negative effects and provide corals with the nutrition they need to survive.

A Short-Term Solution with Long-Term Potential

Although UZELA is not a permanent fix for coral degradation, researchers see it as a valuable tool for temporary relief. Grottoli compared it to “a band-aid that could help buy us time” while broader solutions, like reducing carbon emissions, are pursued.

Currently, UZELA devices are assembled by hand, but researchers are working with a local engineering firm to refine the design for mass production. If successful, an improved version could be ready within the next few years, allowing for expanded deployment in vulnerable coral reef regions.

“Addressing climate change is the only way to truly save coral reefs,” Grottoli emphasized. “But tools like UZELA give us a fighting chance to protect some reefs while we work toward a more sustainable future.”

Kazakhstan’s snow leopard population has made a remarkable recovery, with current estimates ranging from 152 to 189 individuals. These numbers echo those last seen in the 1980s, marking a milestone in global conservation efforts. However, human activities continue to pose significant challenges to the survival of this elusive species.

Known locally as the irbis, the snow leopard is classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. It is also listed in the national Red Books of all 12 countries within its range. In Kazakhstan, snow leopards inhabit rugged mountainous regions, including the Altai, Tien Shan, Zhetysu Alatau, and other large mountain systems.

Since 2018, Kazakhstan has implemented a snow leopard conservation initiative under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This effort has led to a population increase of over 26% since 2019. Alexei Grachev, executive director of the Snow Leopard Foundation and head of the Snow Leopard Monitoring Center, emphasized that protected areas have played a pivotal role in stabilizing and boosting the population.

Key habitats include Ile-Alatau National Park, Altyn-Emel National Park, and the Katon-Karagai Reserve. The Zhetysu region, in particular, has the highest population density due to favorable factors such as plentiful prey, effective protection measures, and minimal human interference. In contrast, the Katon-Karagai Reserve’s snow leopard population remains small but is showing signs of recovery. Photo traps first confirmed their presence in 2020, and a recent sighting of a female with two cubs offers hope for continued growth.

Ongoing Threats and Conservation Efforts

Despite the positive trends, snow leopards face persistent threats, including poaching, habitat disruption from expanding economic activities, climate change, and conflicts with local communities. To address these issues, Kazakhstan is working to expand protected areas, such as the proposed Merken Regional Park in Zhambyl Oblast. The use of satellite telemetry has also advanced conservation efforts, with 11 snow leopards collared in 2021 to monitor their movements and behaviors.

High mortality rates among young snow leopards remain a concern. Juveniles often migrate to neighboring countries where the risk of human-wildlife conflict is higher. To reduce such conflicts, Kazakhstan offers financial compensation to herders for livestock losses caused by snow leopards, aiming to prevent retaliatory killings.

International Recognition and Collaboration

Kazakhstan’s achievements in snow leopard conservation have drawn international acclaim. While many countries struggle with declining or stagnant snow leopard populations, Kazakhstan has demonstrated measurable progress. Collaborative efforts with Kyrgyzstan, supported by international agreements, have further strengthened regional conservation initiatives. UNDP projects have enhanced protection in 14 natural areas across Kazakhstan, utilizing advanced tools such as camera traps, drones, and thermal imaging devices.

The resurgence of Kazakhstan’s snow leopard population stands as a testament to effective and sustained conservation strategies. By safeguarding this iconic predator, the country contributes to global biodiversity and highlights the importance of proactive environmental stewardship.