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Scientists have discovered how to double the efficiency of an ultra-lightweight solar cell, which they claim could be used to harvest the Sun’s energy in space at a never-before-seen scale. The next-generation solar panels, built by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, use layers that are over a thousand times thinner than a human hair, yet capable of absorbing a comparable amount of sunlight to commercially available solar cells. The extreme thinness earned them the label two-dimensional, or 2D TMDC, as they are only a few atoms thick.

In this latest episode of Business Planet, we travel to the Netherlands to see how inventors will benefit from the European Unitary Patent system, which came into effect on June 1. From solar panel projects to agricultural automation, Europe could see more innovation – and fast. Inventions that push the boundaries of technology and sustainability are essential for building a brighter future. Europe is at the forefront of innovative solutions, and in this episode of Business Planet, we explore two remarkable examples: a floating solar farm and a revolutionary milking robot.

The UNEP has revealed a 17-year roadmap for cutting pollution. Plastic pollution could be slashed by 80 per cent by 2040, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). This ambitious target relies on major policy changes and the deployment of existing technologies in the way we produce, use and dispose of plastics. Last week, representatives from around 170 countries gathered in Paris to negotiate the world's first global treaty to curb plastic pollution. They agreed to produce a draft of the legally binding pact before their next meeting in November. This could see production reduced, plastic-making chemicals limited and recycling facilities improved. So what would need to change in our daily lives to reach UNEP's goal?

Adults over age 60 who want to stave off memory loss could benefit from taking a daily multivitamin supplement, suggests a recent study from Columbia University in New York and Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard in Boston. "Daily multivitamin supplementation improved memory in older adults after one year, an effect that was sustained, on average, over the three years of follow up," Adam M. Brickman, PhD, professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, told Fox News Digital.

Republican state leaders are demanding the American flag be reinstated at a veterans cemetery, where some Mississippi residents noticed on Memorial Day it had been replaced with a rainbow LGBTQ flag for June pride month. American flags flying over the Biloxi National Cemetery and VA Medical Center were replaced with rainbow LGBTQ flags after Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough authorized the flying of such flags above VA facilities. The decision was dubbed a "political stunt" by Republicans in the state Senate who are calling for its removal out of respect for "service members, veterans and their families."

A Pride festival in Dallas, Texas, this past weekend advertised for children of all ages featured sexually explicit merchandise for sale, including sex toys and graphic Disney fan art, a video shows. In footage taken by BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, small children approach the booth for the Dallas chapter of the anti-Catholic drag group, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The camera pans to show a little girl viewing a rack of button pins that have references to sexual positions and phrases like "send nudes." The member of the "queer nun group" appears to hand a rainbow button to another child.

Texas has officially become the latest state to ban gender transitioning treatment for minors, including puberty blockers and sex change surgeries. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 14 into law on Friday, adding his state to a growing list of more than a dozen other states that have enacted similar measures to halt what many have referred to as "child abuse." Texas is the nation's second-largest state by population, after California. The law will go into effect on Sep. 1, and will prohibit any sort of procedures like double mastectomies, puberty blockers, sex change surgeries and cross-sex hormones from being performed on underage girls and boys. The law will also prevent state funds being used on such procedures.

More than 100,000 people have been warned their personal data is in the hands of cyber-criminals as a result of a continuing mass hack. The BBC, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Boots are among the companies whose staff have been affected by the MoveIt data breach. And more organisations are expected to issue staff warnings, as the extent of the breach is discovered. But what action can those caught up in mass hacks take? Don't panic In the early stages of an attack such as this, the most pressing advice is aimed at the organisations. Hackers are not interested in going after individuals - it is too time consuming and they care about one thing only, getting paid. And they will probably send ransom demands to the organisations breached, asking for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. "The important message to organisations right now is not to panic, to install the security patch and not to pay the criminals," former National Cyber Security Centre lead Prof Ciaran Martin says. But once an organisation has been breached, the hackers have the upper hand. Should paying hacker ransoms be banned? Study: UK firms most likely to pay hacker ransoms

(CNN)For the first time in its four-decade history, America's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization has declared a national state of emergency for members of the LGBTQ+ community, the Human Rights Campaign said Tuesday. "LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency. The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived -- they are real, tangible and dangerous," the group's president, Kelley Robinson, said. "In many cases they are resulting in violence against LGBTQ+ people, forcing families to uproot their lives and flee their homes in search of safer states, and triggering a tidal wave of increased homophobia and transphobia that puts the safety of each and every one of us at risk."

On this day in history, the D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, brought together the land, air and sea forces of the Allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history, according to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas. "The operation, given the codename OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France," notes the same source. "The beaches were given the code names: UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO and SWORD."

The first Republican primary debate will be on August 23, fewer than 12 weeks away. Will former President Donald Trump play ball and mix it up with a growing number of challengers? Could the debates undermine his formidable lead? The Republican National Committee has just announced the criteria candidates will have to meet in order to participate. For some, appearing on the debate stage will be their first chance to speak to a national audience, for free. The stakes are high, especially when the front-runner seems to be running away with the race. If you’re a Republican vying for the presidency in 2024, it’s hard to draw breath; Trump, as ever, is sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

Tesla has reclaimed the 'Ring. The automaker sent its highest performance model to Germany's Nürburgring racetrack and set a new lap record for electric cars. The 13-mile-long circuit is used as a testing ground and benchmark for sports cars, due to its unique rough and winding surface, which does a good job simulating real world roads without a speed limit. A Tesla Model S Plaid broke the Porsche Taycan's record in 2021 with a 7-minute, 35-second lap, but Porsche returned with another 671 hp Taycan equipped with an optional performance package upgrade and knocked two seconds off that time to retake the top spot.

An Air Force veteran is blowing the whistle on alleged secret U.S. military programs which he claims has been retrieving craft of "non-human origin" for at least several decades. David Charles Grusch, a 36-year-old decorated former combat officer in Afghanistan, served the National Reconnaissance Office, acting as their representative to Congress’ Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force from 2019-2021. At the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, he also served from late 2021 to July 2022 as co-lead of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) analysis and its representative to the task force, which was recently renamed the All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office. The Debrief first reported Monday that Grusch said he filed a whistleblower complaint to Congress and the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) on classified information that he insists proves the recoveries of partial fragments through and up to intact vehicles have been made for decades through the present day by the U.S. government, its allies and defense contractors.

Make it the province and I'm in ????being just up the road.