Daily Recap: Science — 12 July 2026

Today’s science news traces the infrastructure behind discovery and deployment. In energy, Africa’s renewable transition is maturing from pilot projects to the harder work of building regulators, markets and institutions that can carry clean power at scale, while Bangladesh’s Rooppur nuclear plant begins feeding electricity into the grid in a closely watched test of whether large nuclear projects can deliver affordable low-carbon power for developing economies. In materials science, researchers at Tianjin University report a millisecond thermal-pulse technique for making platinum-group catalysts, hinting at faster, more precise production of critical industrial materials. Science policy and access also loom large: India’s EPFO has opened an amnesty window to regularise exempted provident fund trusts under a revised legal framework, underscoring how governance shapes complex systems, and a $30 million T. rex auction in New York is reviving fears that landmark specimens may disappear from scientific study into private hands.

Top Science stories

• EPFO invites applications for Amnesty Scheme 2026 for exempted PF trusts (5 sources)
• Africa’s renewable energy transition shifts toward building institutions for large-scale deployment (4 sources)
• Bangladesh’s Rooppur nuclear plant begins delivering power, targeting about 15% of electricity (3 sources)
• S. Janaki cremated with state honours in Mysuru; granddaughter performs last rites (3 sources)
• Britain’s biggest community solar farm shut over fears of local grid overload (3 sources)
• Australian superannuation funds hold exposure to SpaceX amid broader investment debate (3 sources)
• EFF leader Julius Malema linked in WhatsApp messages involving Major-General Feroz Khan (2 sources)
• Magnitude 4.5 earthquake reported in Bay of Bengal; tremors felt in Andhra Pradesh (2 sources)

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