Thousands of satellites are due to burn up in the atmosphere every year – damaging the ozone layer and changing the climate 
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
What’s so special about Ukraine’s minerals? A geologist explains 
As the Black Summer megafires neared, people rallied to save wildlife and domestic animals. But it came at a real cost 
How to create a thriving forest, not box-checking ‘tree cover’ 
Burkina Faso and Mali’s fabulous flora: new plant life record released 
LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is poorly understood − and a growing risk 
Ukraine minerals deal: the idea that natural resource extraction can build peace has been around for decades 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
How is Antarctica melting, exactly? Crucial details are beginning to come into focus 
How ongoing deforestation is rooted in colonialism and its management practices 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
The number of South Korean patent applications in biodegradable plastic almost doubled from 97 filed in 2016 to 190 in 2020, as plastic waste emerged as a major social issue in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of such patent applications registered an annual growth rate of 18 percent over the past five years, according to the Korea Intellectual Property Office.
South Korean patent applications increased from 78 in 2016 to 158 in 2020, whereas international patent applications fluctuated within the same period.
Businesses filed the most patents, accounting for 68 percent of all applications, followed by individuals (14%), universities (12%), and research institutes (5%).
LG Chem Ltd. took first place with 24 patent applications, followed by Samyang Group (15), Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (14), Lotte Chemical Corp. (14), KingFa Science & Technology Co. (12), and BASF S.E. with nine.
During the four years from 2016 to 2019, the ester group accounted for 60.3 percent of patent applications (47), followed by the carbonate group (20.5 percent or 16 applications), the ester-carbonate compound group (6.4 percent or 5 applications), and others (12.8 percent or 10 applications).
