University of Utah economists looked at test scores and school attendance for Chicago-area kids before and after a bug infestation wiped out the city's ash trees. Education outcomes for low-income students went down, highlighting how the impacts of ecosystem degradation are disproportionately felt by disadvantaged communities.

Fraunhofer IAF is expanding its technological capabilities in the field of III-V compound semiconductors, making a valuable contribution to the development of the APECS pilot line within the framework of the EU Chips Act. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism is contributing 4.35 million euros to the funding. On 16 December 2024, State Secretary for Economic Affairs Dr. Patrick Rapp symbolically handed over a cheque for the funding amount to the institute’s directors. APECS will make it possible to further expand the research and development infrastructure across Europe over the next 4.5 years. The substantial total funding amounts to 730 million euros, provided by Chips Joint Undertaking, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and other funding.