Finnish conductors shine, protein grows out of air and electricity and trees keep their cool

A high-flying jay. That’s what won Lasse Kurkela the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in the 15 to 17-year-olds category. This is just the latest of many accolades his stunning nature photography has won. (Photo: Lasse Kurkela) Read more in The Atlantic’s article.

Growing protein out of electricity and air. Solar Foods is getting closer to bringing its first-of-a-kind food ingredient to mass markets. The construction of its first factory will begin later this year, while the commercial production of its sustainable protein is set to start in the first half of 2023. (Photo: Solar Foods)

More than Hard Rock, Hallelujah. Heavy metal band Lordi has revealed it has recorded seven new full-length albums in just nine months. They will be released as a box set titled Lordiversity and each album will focus on a different genre: hard rock, disco, progressive rock, heavy metal, AOR, thrash or speed metal and industrial metal. (Photo: Facebook / Lordi). NME has the story.

A powerful debut. Dalia Stasevska is a rising star of the conducting world, and her debut conducting the New York Philharmonic orchestra was met with praise. (Photo: Jarmo Katila) Read the New York Classical Review’s thoughts on the concert.

A mix of classic car looks and human-powered speed. Finnish luxury velomobile Kinner is raising interest internationally. The New Atlas describes it as “one of the most exquisite [velomobiles] we’ve seen so far”. (Photo: www.kinner-car.com)

“He hunts all his own food, unwinds in the sauna, and yearns to play with the Rolling Stones.” The Guardian met with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra’s new principal conductor, 35-year old Finn Santtu-Matias Rouvali. (Photo: Camilla Greenwell)

Fashion success in France. The Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography, and Fashion Accessories turned out to be an interesting event for Finns. Sofia Ilmonen snagged the Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize, while photographer Sergei Pavlov won the American Vintage Prize for Photography. (Photo: Juho Huttunen) Vogue writes about the festival winners.

What would you do with 300 kilometres of yarn? Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota used it to make a thought-provoking art exhibit. The work is currently on show at the Museum of Modern Art in Espoo (EMMA). (Photo: Paula Virta / EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art) Read Yle’s article for more.

The world’s first feature film in the Skolt Sámi language gets funding. The shooting of Je’vida by director Katja Gauriloff will start in 2022. Skolt Sámi is a seriously threatened language with an estimated 300 to 500 speakers in the world. (Photo: Oktober) The Barents Observer has the story.

Trees are amazing. As testament to this, a new Finnish study shows that trees have a fragrant trick for keeping cool. On warm days, coniferous trees produce more volatile organic compounds which help to scatter solar radiation. (Photo: Juho Kuva) The Guardian writes about the study.

Stranger Things turns into a puzzle game. Newly released free-to-play mobile game Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales was developed by Helsinki-based Next Games in collaboration with Netflix. In the game, players can explore brand new storylines in locations familiar from the sci-fi horror drama series. (Photo: Next Games) PocketGamer.biz writes about the game’s release.