Each week, we scour the worlds of innovation, tech for good and social impact to bring you seven of our top stories…

1. The Daily Mail reports that the natural ‘goo’ from okra and aloe plants can be used to filter microplastics out of water, possibly eliminating the need for chemicals to be used in the filtering process.
2. The popular videogame Fortnite has raised more than £37 million for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine by donating all in-game sales to the cause.
3. The government has launched a new body – the UK Telecoms Innovation Network – to make the UK a world leader for telecoms innovation. The Network will act as an information point to support telecoms companies in receiving funding or testing facilities.
   
4. The BBC reports that the re-creation of wetlands and systematic restoration in the UK has caused Britain’s loudest bird, the ‘booming’ bittern, to reappear. The birds were driven to extinction across the UK in the 1870s, but systematic restoration of wetlands over recent decades has allowed their numbers to more than double in the past 10 years.
5. Historic England has made a 100-year-old photo archive available online, with the aim of helping the public identify and apply for historical buildings to achieve ‘listed’ status.
6. The Royal Mint will start salvaging gold from electronic waste to use in coins and bars, reducing the environmental damage caused by exporting electronic recyclables.
7. Researchers have created a contraceptive pill for men in the hope of bringing balance to the contraception conversation. The pill is a non-hormonal contraceptive that researchers are developing to have no negative side-effects.