The BRICS summit is happening in Brazil, and it's shaping up to be a bit of a mixed bag. The group, which includes major developing economies, has grown a lot recently, but that might not be all good news. Some experts think the group might struggle to speak with one voice, especially when it comes to tricky topics like the war in Ukraine or the conflict in Gaza. Br...
Scientists have created a new type of fabric that can protect against chemical, biological, and radiation threats. This fabric uses a double-layered system to shield the wearer from harmful substances. The outer layer repels water and oil, while the inner layer provides protection against various threats. The inner layer is coated with zinc oxide nanop...
PLA, or polylactic acid, is a standout in the world of eco-friendly materials. It's loved for being safe for living things, breaking down naturally, and having impressive strength. But, it has a big flaw: it repels water and lacks the right chemical groups for high-tech uses. Think of it like a superhero with a kryptonite weakness. This is a problem for uses like mas...
JOANN Fabrics and Crafts, a beloved store for over 80 years, is shutting down all of its locations by May 2025. This sad news has led to a new scam targeting customers. Scammers are creating fake websites that look just like JOANN's official site. They offer huge discounts, up to 90% off, on products that seem real. These fake sites have similar URLs to the real JOAN...
Have you ever thought about fabrics that can sense how your body moves? That's exactly what strain sensing fabrics do. They detect outside deformation, giving real-time feedback. The challenge? Making a fabric that's super sensitive and accurate. Scientists have now done just that with a polyurethane (PU) fabric. This material, called GCPU, is built with graphene she...
Political leaders often influence stock markets, as seen with the recent US presidential election. The victory of Republican Donald Trump has caused uncertainty, making investors wonder how BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) stock markets will be impacted. A study used two methods to answer this: an event-study approach with regression estimation ...
Imagine this: a group of scientists studied how women's roles impact the environment in big economies like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa over 60 years. They used a fancy math method called Quantile Regression to find some surprising links. Turns out, when women are in charge (like being the country's leader), carbon emissions drop. But when women hav...
Imagine a world where stock markets are not just swayed by economic news, but also by the weather and climate policies. This study dives into how stock returns in big emerging economies like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa react to two types of climate risks: physical ones (like natural disasters) and transition ones (like climate policy uncertainties)...
Last week at the BRICS meeting, India and China agreed to withdraw troops from two points in Ladakh. Some call this historic, but not everyone is so optimistic. This deal doesn't resolve their territorial disagreements in Ladakh and other areas. China claims parts of India, like Arunachal Pradesh. Observers say this deal has a broader geopolitical impact, challenging...
In the Russian city of Kazan, a significant meeting is taking place. Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting leaders from China, India, and other countries, in what is known as the BRICS summit. This group initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but now also counts Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia as members. Countries l...