AI has designed bacteria-killing proteins from scratch – and they work
An AI was tasked with creating proteins with anti-microbial properties. Researchers then created a subset of the proteins and found some did the job
26/01/2023 NewScientist
2023
Best News of 2023
Good things happen every month. Hence in the tradition of the year in review we like to remind you of three randomly selected news articles of each month.
January
February
A kid in Guatemala had a dream. Today she's a disease detective
Neudy Rojop made a girlhood pledge. When family members fell ill, she says she decided to become a nurse "so I could change my community for good."
19/02/2023 NPR
Why Singapore Is Breeding Millions of Mosquitoes
Dengue is a common scourge in Singapore. To slow the spread, a government lab infects mosquitoes with a bacterium called Wolbachia. When the males mate with wild females, the eggs don’t hatch. So far, this effort has helped suppress wild insect…
13/02/2023 Undark Magazine
March
Why Lebanon Is Having a Surprising Solar Power Boom
About 2,300 ft. above Beirut in the Matn District mountains, Roger Mazloum and his brother Elias greet me on an unusually balmy winter day as they chop wood to help keep their early 20th century home warm before the cold returns.
02/03/2023 Time Magazine
We can suck CO2 from the air and store it in the ocean as baking soda
A copper-based material boosts the effectiveness of the direct air capture process, turning carbon dioxide into sodium bicarbonate through a reaction with seawater
08/03/2023 NewScientist
‘Historic moment’ for nature as Europe’s first wild river national park announced in Albania
One of the last wild rivers in Europe, home to more than 1,000 animal and plant species, has been declared a national park by the Albanian government, making the Vjosa the first of its kind on the continent.
15/03/2023 The Guardian
April
How Liquid Trees Could Help to Clean Up Our Urban Jungles
It might be desirable to live in the leafy suburbs, but for urban dwellers green spaces may be few and far between. Microalgae liquid trees might provide an alternative.
10/04/2023 Reset.org
May
Old tyres can become a climate-friendly fuel
Getting rid of old tyres has long been a problem. Every year more than a billion reach the end of the road. Until recently, most were thrown into landfills or piled up in storage yards, which occasionally caught fire. Tougher environmental laws mean…
24/05/2023 Economist
As Farmers Face a Warmer Future, an Ancient Grain Shows Promise
The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets, which are a type of small grain mostly grown in parts of Asia and Africa. The highly resilient and cost-friendly grains could become a useful crop for the Midwest in the midst…
30/05/2023 Undark Magazine
June
Positive tipping points could save the climate – this man is showing us how
Instead of focusing on what doom might lie ahead, scientists are identifying positive tipping points that could save us
15/06/2023 Positive News
Using electric water heaters to store renewable energy could do the work of 2 million home batteries – and save us billions
A heater with a 300-litre tank can store as much energy as a home battery at a fraction of the cost. Being able to store surplus solar energy at the right times helps grid stability and cuts emissions.
04/06/2023 The Conversation
July
‘Turning point in the fight against Alzheimer’s’ as drug found to slow disease
A new drug has been hailed as a “turning point in the fight against Alzheimer’s” after it was found to slow the progression of the disease.
17/07/2023 The Independent
Gene therapy eyedrops restored a boy's sight. Similar treatments could help millions
Dr. Alfonso Sabater pulled up two photos of Antonio Vento Carvajal’s eyes. One showed cloudy scars covering both eyeballs. The other, taken after months of gene therapy given through eyedrops, revealed no scarring on either eye.
24/07/2023 The Independent
August
A Brain Implant Helped Stroke Survivors Regain Movement
Stimulating the brain with electricity has been used for 30 years to treat Parkinson’s disease. Now, researchers are testing whether it could help restore hand and arm motion.
22/08/2023 Wired
September
Number of golden eagles in southern Scotland soars to ‘highest in 300 years’
The number of the raptors in the south has reached about 46 – the most recorded in the area for three centuries.
05/09/2023 The Independent
What you need to know about solid-state batteries
Big companies and car manufacturers like Samsung and Toyota are betting big on solid-state batteries. The next step in battery development. Here's how they work and why we need them.
04/09/2023 Deutsche Welle
Pig kidney works a record two months in donated body, raising hope for animal-human transplants
Animal-to-human transplants attempts have failed for decades — the human immune system immediately destroyed foreign animal tissue. What’s new: trying pigs genetically modified so their organs are more humanlike
14/09/2023 El País
October
A Simple Solution for Keeping Microplastics Out of the Water Supply
This article was originally published by Hakai Magazine. Sponges. Is there anything they can’t do? For millennia, humans have used dried natural sponges to clean up, to paint, and as vessels for drinking; we’ve even used them as contraceptive…
09/10/2023 The Atlantic
November
Miniature organs on chips could revolutionize health-care research
Organoids — clusters of specialized cells designed to mimic organs — enable researchers to study biological processes and the effects of drugs.
29/11/2023 The Conversation
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December
India unveils ‘flatpack’ field hospital with mini x-ray for use in disaster zones
India has designed and built a “flatpack” field hospital that can be flown to a disaster area by helicopter and assembled faster than an Ikea bookcase.
08/12/2023 The Guardian
