Bright future
Solar energy is seeing major growth in demand, but also in technological development, reports Neil Eisberg
Bugs under the microscope
New tools are allowing scientists to examine how the bacteria in our guts interact with each other, our bodies and environmental chemicals. Vanessa Zainzinger reports on the complex world of the microbiome
Circular technologies
Solutions to the issue of sustainability will involve many competing factors. For example, in food packaging, plastic is often used to increase the shelf life of a food and can reduce the weight of the product leading to a reduced carbon footprint for transport.
Plastics to plastics
In a 2019 survey by YouGov, nearly 60% of British respondents said the best way to tackle the surfeit of plastics waste in the world’s oceans would be to ban single-use polymers. The best place to start, they added, is in supermarkets, where plastics are ubiquitous.
Artificial retina
Researchers have created an artificial eye that mimics the structure of the human retina. It has the potential to achieve high image resolution, for possible applications in robotics and scientific instruments.
Shale oil slump
Shale oil producers are shuttering wells in response to a plunge in oil prices caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Production cuts in May 2020 were approaching 2m bbl/day.
Sustainability or not?
Stakeholders have demanded that businesses be more sustainable, driving companies to develop best practices on impact, inclusion, and sustainability. In its report, Making Sense of Sustainability, Lux Research addresses three primary questions: whether companies should bother with sustainability at all, how to set the right goals, and how to incorporate sustainability into strategy.
Simpler US bio legislation
The biotech industry has welcomed the decision by US regulators to simplify rules for certain gene-edited plants and seeds in the first major overhaul of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant biotech regulations since 1987.
Organic chemistry
DNA is famous for its archetypal double helix, but in fact there are many forms of DNA with different biological roles. Its G-quadruplex (G4) structure has turned out to be an important target for the development of new bioactive compounds with anticancer and antiparasitic properties.
Advanced materials
Desalination involves the removal of NaCl from seawater and presents an attractive but challenging option to tackle water shortages across the world. The most common method for desalination is reverse osmosis, which is, however, a very energy-demanding process and requires specialised membranes. More technological advances are needed.