Category Archives: Science

Energy / Technology: How Close Is Fusion Power?

For the first time, US scientists have achieved a fusion reaction with net energy gain. But the dream of limitless zero-carbon energy is still a long way from reality.

Video timeline: 00:00 – What powers the universe 01:04 – ITER: the biggest experiment in human history 04:28 – What is fusion? 06:38 – Replicating the sun 08:38 – The US breakthrough 13:46 – The investors 20:40 – A new class of magnet 24:30 – Dream or reality?

The FT’s Simon Mundy meets scientists and investors in the UK, France and US, to see how close we really are to commercial fusion power.

Read more at https://on.ft.com/3GJl1JF

Research Preview: Science Magazine – Jan 23, 2023

Science Magazine – January 13, 2023 issue:

NASA unveils initial plan for multibillion-dollar telescope to find life on alien worlds

Habitable Worlds Observatory would be designed for robotic servicing

Illegal mining has muddied tropical rivers worldwide

Silt overload and mercury pollution endanger river ecosystems—and the people who depend on them

FDA approves new antibody to slow Alzheimer’s disease, even as safety concerns linger

Agency warns about brain swelling and bleeding on drug’s label, but imposes few restrictions on lecanemab’s use

Epigenetics & Aging: DNA Breakage & Repair Effects

Harvard Medical School – A 13-year international study in mice demonstrates that loss of epigenetic information, which influences how DNA is organized and regulated, can drive aging independently of changes to the genetic code itself.

It also shows that restoring the integrity of the epigenome reverses age-related symptoms.

Learn more at https://hms.harvard.edu/news/loss-epi…

Research: New Scientist Magazine- January 14, 2023

ISSUE 3421 | MAGAZINE COVER DATE: 14 January 2023 | New Scientist

New Scientist – January 14, 2023 issue:

How can we understand quantum reality if it is impossible to measure?

If we can’t measure something, we can’t know its true nature. This fundamental limitation hampers our understanding of the quantum world – but it doesn’t preclude scientific thinking

How AI is shifting the limits of knowledge imposed by complexity

From weather to the structure of proteins, some things are predictable in theory, but too complex to figure out in practice. But the rise of artificial intelligence is changing that fast

Why some aspects of physical reality must be experienced to be known

We will never fully know what pain, colour and love are really like for other people – never mind other animals. That means we may never know if we have created sentient AI

Review: ‘Science In 2023’

In this episode, reporter Miryam Naddaf joins us to talk about the big science events to look out for in 2023.

We’ll hear about vaccines, multiple Moon missions and new therapeutics, to name but a few.

Research Preview: Science Magazine – January 6, 2023

Science | AAAS

Science Magazine – January 6, 2023 Issue:

China is flying blind as the pandemic rages

Official death tolls are impossibly low, and some worry new variants may escape detection

Did ancient tentacled microbes kick-start complex life?

New studies suggest early Asgards evolved into eukaryotes

Once banned, spending earmarks see resurgence

Lawmakers can’t resist steering cash to universities and research projects back home

Ancient points suggest Asian roots for early American tools

Finds may support coastal route hypothesis for first settlers

Virus hunters test new surveillance tools

Ropes, drones, insects, and dust cloths could make monitoring faster, safer, and cheaper

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – January 5, 2023

Volume 613 Issue 7942

nature Magazine – January 5, 2023 issue:

The science events to watch for in 2023

Moon landings, mRNA vaccines and climate finance are among the developments set to shape research in the coming year.

Are we in the Anthropocene? Geologists could define new epoch for Earth

Researchers have zeroed in on nine sites that could describe a new geological time, marked by pollution and other signs of human activity.

The ‘breakthrough’ obesity drugs that have stunned researchers

A class of drugs that quash hunger have shown striking results in trials and in practice. But can they help all people with obesity — and conquer weight stigma?

Research: New Scientist Magazine – January 7, 2023

ISSUE 3420 | MAGAZINE COVER DATE: 7 January 2023 | New Scientist

New Scientist Magazine – January 7, 2023 issue:

The 12 innovations we need to save humanity and the planet

Which inventions should we prioritize to safeguard the environment and human health and happiness? From better batteries and photovoltaic paint to a universal vaccine precursor

The crystal growers behind the graphene revolution

Takashi Taniguchi and Kenji Watanabe create high-quality crystals that offer the perfect substrate on which to tailor-make two-dimensional materials with amazing electronic properties. They tell New Scientist how they grow their world-renowned crystals

Mysterious symbols in cave paintings may be earliest form of writing

Stone Age people in Europe appear to have recorded the reproductive habits of animals with markings on cave paintings, hinting at the early origins of writing

Science & Technology: A Tour Of New ‘MIT Museum’

PBS NewsHour – Artificial intelligence, robotics and gene sequencing are the stuff of headlines, science fiction and sometimes even our worst fears. It’s all on view at the new MIT Museum. A place where the latest scientific advancements fill galleries, but only really work with your input. Special correspondent Jared Bowen of GBH Boston looks at this artistic frontier for our arts and culture series, “CANVAS.”

From AI in the home to robots in the workplace, the presence of AI all around us compels us to question its potential and recognize the risks. What has become clear is that the more we advance AI technology and consider machine ability versus human ability, the more we need to mind the gap.

Previews: New Scientist Magazine – Dec 31, 2022

ISSUE 3419 | MAGAZINE COVER DATE: 28 December 2022 | New Scientist

New Scientist Magazine – December 31, 2022:

Largest ever animal may have been Triassic ichthyosaur super-predator

New fossil discoveries show predatory marine reptiles from 200 million years ago may have been bigger than today’s blue whales – and that they evolved astonishingly rapidly

In 2023, we have many opportunities to build a better future

The coming year will be a turning point for the Amazon rainforest, artificial intelligence and even our diets. Let’s choose a more hopeful direction for humanity

Achieving nuclear fusion would be building on the shoulders of giants

It took generations of work by engineers and scientists to reach this month’s nuclear fusion milestone, but there are big challenges ahead