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Sheets of fungus could be used as eco-friendly fireproofing for homes

19 July 2023

Fungi can be pressed into thin sheets that resist fire by forming a protective coating of char, and they could be turned into fireproofing materials for buildings


Flickering flames

Flames that don't flicker could make engines more efficient

25 January 2023

Producing flickerless flames usually requires artificially low pressure or gravity. Researchers have now come up with a method that works in standard conditions and could help make engines more efficient


Firefighters extinguishing a house fire

Fabric inspired by camel’s hump could protect firefighters from heat

20 January 2023

A fabric made by welding aerogel pockets together with ultrasound mimics the make-up of a camel’s hump to protect against fire as well as letting sweat escape


Lithium-ion batteries

Gel-coated battery could stop mobile phones catching fire or exploding

7 July 2022

A cheap and easily manufactured material can act as a thermal conductor at low temperatures and an insulator at high temperatures, which may help prevent dramatic battery fires and explosions


Fire safety app simulates wildfires and shows a route to avoid them

Fire safety app simulates wildfires and shows a route to avoid them

11 March 2021

An app that uses fire simulations based on local geography, weather and vegetation can tell people how to avoid the path of a wildfire


Cunningham's skinks

Australia’s wildfires killed 90 per cent of small ground-based animals

23 June 2020

One of the first wildlife surveys conducted after Australia’s recent extreme wildfires found almost no small ground-dwelling animals left in fire-ravaged areas


'Zombie' fires are burning the Arctic after smouldering under snow

'Zombie' fires are burning the Arctic after smouldering under snow

15 May 2020

Unprecedented Arctic fires from last summer appear to have smouldered in the underground peat of the tundra through winter and reignited this month as snow melted


Glycine latrobeana

Rare herb devastated by Australian bush fires saved by seed bank

8 April 2020

One of the largely unnoticed victims of the Australian bush fires earlier this year was clover glycine (Glycine latrobeana), a rare pea endemic to South Australia that has now been restored thanks to seeds kept at Kew Gardens


Australia bush fires burned a globally unprecedented area of forest

Australia bush fires burned a globally unprecedented area of forest

24 February 2020

Australia’s recent extreme wildfires burned 5.8 million hectares of forest, destroying about one fifth of the forest biome in eastern Australia over four months


Charred roof debris in front of the cathedral's altar

Macron’s pledge to rebuild Notre Dame in five years may be possible

18 April 2019

Many have expressed dismay at the “loss” of Notre Dame following Monday’s fire, but thankfully most of the building is still intact thanks to its clever design


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