Mali

A Malian student named Moussa Thiam has developed a building material from plastic waste. Surplus plastic can be combined with gravel and sand in a special oven to create a substance that Thiam said could be used in interior design or for paving roads. He added that his motivation for the work is to improve the environment in African cities while tackling pollution.

Mexico

Researchers at the University of South Florida are investigating a traditional Mexican method for purifying water using cacti with the hope that it might make for a cheap deployment tool in disaster zones. Norma Alcantar used a technique inherited from her Mexican grandmother involving prickly pear cactus flesh to clean water in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. She’s now looking to identify the mechanism that makes the cactus such an effective purifier.

Russia

A joint Russian and European probe designed to search for signs of life on Mars has successfully launched from the Baikanor Cosmodrome for a five-month journey. ExoMars contains two probes: the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the smaller module, Schiaperelli, which will actually land on the planet and look for ancient traces of life.

Cameroon

More women die in childbirth in Africa than anywhere else in the world. That’s why Arreytambe Tabot is trying to increase participation in medical checkups for pregnant mothers with a smart wristband. The device logs health checks conducted at local clinics, and any problems can be reported to a doctor with a missed call. The interface is entirely voice-based, allowing for easy use among rural communities that are often illiterate.

Arctic

The first oil production in the Barents Sea has finally begun after years of delays. The Goliat platform is the world’s northernmost offshore oil field, located nearly 55 miles [88 kilometers] north of Hammerfest in Norway. It was originally due to start production in 2013, but construction problems and cost overruns meant the project has been repeatedly postponed. Environmentalists have long warned that drilling in the Arctic could harm fragile ecosystems and that fossil fuels should be left in the ground to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Sierra Leone

In one of the countries at the center of the 2014 Ebola crisis, roboticists are building a drone-delivery service for medicine that could help combat future outbreaks. Moses Bangura hopes to ship medical supplies, blood donations, and test results to an area where road infrastructure is poor to nonexistent. Given government approval, Bagura said his drones could lift off within 18 months.