The launch of a giant Artemis I rocket in September was the beginning of a mission by NASA to put people on the moon for the first time since 1972. It took off from the same Cape Canaveral launch complex that staged the Apollo lunar missions half a century ago. This rocket carried a deep space exploration capsule called Orion, that was unmanned for this mission, but will eventually have a crew of six astronauts. On this flight Orion will orbit the moon, and then return to Earth after about a month and a half. The next step will be Artemis II, which is currently scheduled for 2024. [...]
A small device being tested on the current Mars Rover mission, has successfully created oxygen out of the Red Planet’s carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. It’s called “Moxie”, and it could be the first step toward finding a practical source of the oxygen that would be needed to sustain a human presence on Mars. Transporting oxygen in large cylinders is not feasible given the limited cargo area of a spacecraft. Moxie presents a possible solution, if it can be significantly scaled-up from its small test size. Larger versions are planned which would be connected directly to living areas, with each unit [...]
Last winter a Swedish man received a new chance at life that was delivered via drone. While shovelling snow he suffered a cardiac arrest, but luckily a passerby saw him collapse and called emergency services. After just three minutes a drone arrived and hovered over the driveway. The drone winched down an automated external defibrillator (AED), with clear instructions on how to attach its yellow pads to the patient’s body. The quick response saved the man’s life. Every minute that passes after a cardiac arrest decreases the patient’s survival rate. Ambulances can get stuck [...]
Spain has taken action to regulate businesses that have caused inflation by unfairly raising their prices. These companies give many reasons for the increased inflation during the past year: the conflict in Ukraine, supply chain issues, etc., etc.. But economists point out that these factors have had only a minor effect, if any. The real cause of inflation is corporations using those factors as an excuse to make record profits by raising prices. The proof of this is a simple equation: If the excuses for inflation had raised the costs to producers, then their profits would be normal. The higher [...]
A new type of aquaculture produces healthier salmon without polluting the ocean, by raising them on the land rather than in the sea. Only 20% of worldwide salmon production is caught in the wild. Most of the rest are farmed in open net cages off the coasts of Norway, Chile, the UK and other cold water locations. These farms are generally not clean, so they have to give the salmon mass quantities of antibiotics to keep them alive. In addition, they cause pollution in the surrounding water, and the fish they produce are not as healthy or nutritious as salmon in the wild. To [...]
The Galápagos archipelago is a Natural World Heritage Site that is home to over 2,900 marine species, of which more than 180 are found nowhere else on Earth. These islands became famous in the 19th century when the discoveries made there by Charles Darwin were of great importance in the development of his Theory of Evolution. Ecuador recently created an extensive new marine reserve north of Galápagos to protect sea turtles, sharks and other migratory species. The new reserve, called Hermandad, which means “brotherhood” in Spanish, forms a Pacific corridor as far as Cocos Island National [...]
Researchers from Texas A&M University (US) have developed a new technology that uses plant-based material and fungi to clean up dangerous PFAS chemicals. These man-made chemicals are found in many products including cleaning liquids, food wrappers, textiles, leather, paper, paints, etc.. They enter our water and soil through industrial waste disposal and landfills. Research is showing that PFAS are harmful to our health as they can affect the immune system, child development, reproductive organs and the liver. Extremely high exposures to PFAS are also linked to cancer. These pollutants are [...]
In the French city of Toulouse, bussing disadvantaged students to top-notch schools has led to higher grades, lower drop-out rates and more integration. Three poor suburbs of Toulouse are the home to many immigrants from North Africa and Africa. Their schools are underfunded, and have the worst educational records in the region. In 2017 the city began a radical new program that they hoped would remedy the situation. The schools in the three suburbs with students aged 11 to 15 were closed, and those students were bussed to high-achieving schools in a prosperous area. Regional president Georges [...]
The future of food may depend on the expansion of vertical agriculture that saves water, conserves soil and can be produced anywhere without considering climate. This system optimizes growing conditions in a controlled environment using artificial light. It reduces water requirements by up to 90%, and is free from pests so no poisonous chemicals are needed. “Crops are grown in spaces ranging in size from small boxes that can be placed in homes to industrial production facilities with several thousand square meters of growing area,” said Professor Senthold Asseng of the Technical University of [...]
Angad Daryani of India has invented an economical air purifier, with the potential to improve air quality for poor people in crowded cities. Existing air purification systems are very expensive, and they need constant replacement of filters. Daryani’s 160m tall devices have no filters, are inexpensive, and clean eight cubic metres of air per minute - more than enough for a small family house. Every six months you remove the container which has collected the pollution from the air. As an extra bonus, it turns out that this waste product contains valuable minerals that have been recycled to make [...]
