Telescope #91

Weekly horizon scan…

“Poverty is the worst form of violence.”  – Mahatma Gandhi

The first of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals is "no poverty".

SUSTAINABILITY

• Scientific research reveals that the sound emitted by healthy coral reefs helps heal damaged ones. DETAIL

• The European court of human rights could this week rule that governments have to protect people from climate change, reports the Daily Telegraph. Judges from the court will rule on three separate cases on whether people’s human rights have been breached by the failure of governments to protect them from the harmful effects of climate change, the newspaper explains. DETAIL

• Global coal-fired power capacity grew by 2% in 2023, driven by new builds in China and decommissioning delays elsewhere, reports Reuters . DETAIL

• Canada is at risk of another “catastrophic” wildfire season, the federal government has warned, as spring and summer temperature are forecast to be higher-than-normal, boosted by El Niño weather conditions, reports Reuters. DETAIL

HEALTH

• Scientists have now shown for the first time how mechanical constriction of the airways during an asthma attack overcrowds cells in the lining. These cells are squeezed out and killed, which triggers inflammation, mucus secretion, and airway barrier damage. "Without this barrier, asthma sufferers are far more likely to get long-term inflammation, wound healing, and infections that cause more attacks," says cell biologist Jody Rosenblatt from King's College London, senior author of the new study. DETAIL

• Scientists have figured out a whole new way to cut the legs out from underneath drug-resistant bacterial infections. The new class of antibiotic was identified by researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden, and while it has only been tested on mice, the team hopes that further development of the drug can "make an important contribution to the ongoing struggle against antibiotic resistance." Just 1 dose of new antibiotic class eliminates resistant blood infections in mice. DETAIL

• Researchers have successfully turned lymph nodes into miniature livers that help filter the blood of mice, pigs and other animals – and now, trials are beginning in humans.

DIGITAL / TECHNOLOGY / SCIENCE / AI

• 50 million tons of electronic waste is generated in the world every year.  Recycling these wastes is an important problem, because they not only create environmental pollution, but also cause many problems, from biodiversity to environmental problems, by continuously removing precious metals from nature if they are not recycled.  Scientists created a sponge that separates gold, and with this new technology, a 450-milligram nugget emerged from twenty old computer motherboards. DETAIL

ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION

• Electrive interviewed with Prof Markus Lienkamp from the Technical University of Munich about the possible shape of future batteries together with the consequences of the funding freeze for battery research in Germany and what the current reluctance to buy EVs means for the industry. DETAIL

• University of Bologna opens electrochemistry centre for solid-state cell research: The research centre will be used by the partners aim to research materials as well as the chemical and physical properties of lithium battery cells. DETAIL

• The BMW Group has entered into a long-term partnership with Rimac Technology. The goal is the joint development and production of innovative solutions in the field of high-voltage storage technology for "selected vehicle projects." DETAIL

CYBERSECURITY

• A cybersecurity firm reports that it was easily able to access Microsoft data on a server because the tech giant didn't password-protect it. DETAIL

• AT&T is facing an avalanche of class-action lawsuits for last month's data leak, which initially appeared to ensnare as many as 73 million users. DETAIL

• KidSecurity, a popular parental control app, has leaked sensitive information about children for the second time, this time exposing GPS locations and private messages on minors’ devices. DETAIL

HUMAN

• Taylor Swift, who became a billionaire late last year, was included on the annual Forbes Billionaires List for the first time Tuesday, joining 13 other celebrities, who have a collective estimated net worth of $31 billion. DETAIL