Electronic implant helps paralysed man walk again in historic first
The revolutionary wireless device, which reads brain waves and sends instructions to the spine to move the right muscles, has allowed him to regain his natural mobility simply by thinking about it. In 2011, Gert-Jan Oskam was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralysed from the waist down....
Current in Science
Is bacteria the key to making limitless energy from thin air?
Scientists have been studying a form of bacteria able to scavenge atmospheric hydrogen from thin air. They believe applying this principle to new technology could help humanity create limitless energy. As the world continues to negligently burn through fossil fuels, science is frantically searching for sustainable ways to power civilisation....
Scientists accomplish most ambitious genetics project to date
In the hope it will lead to important insights about health and human disease, an international team of researchers have sequenced the DNA of nearly every mammal on Earth. Despite decades of advancements in genomics, it remains unclear what most of our DNA actually does. An ambitious international research...
Physicists say a second Big Bang could have created dark matter
Two physicists at the University of Texas suggest dark matter is so elusive and mysterious because it has an entirely different origin to that of the Big Bang. They believe a second cosmic explosion may have occurred weeks after the initial formation of the universe. Hump day is the perfect...
Scientists use sound waves to remove microplastics from waterways
The surprisingly basic technology was developed by a team of researchers who believe it could offer a novel solution to the ever-increasing environmental and health threat posed by these tiny particles. Microplastic pollution is a huge problem. The tiny particles, which are undetectable to the human eye and less than 5...
It’s time to begin reflecting sunlight back into space says UN
An open letter has been signed by more than 60 US scientists calling for funded research into ‘solar engineering’ as a global warming deterrent. In laymen’s terms, they want to explore methods of reflecting Earth-bound sunlight back into space. While most ecological NGOs and activists continue to obsess over bringing...
NASA readies its JWST successor: Nancy Grace Roman Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope has allowed us to peer further into the cosmos than ever before in its first 15 months, but NASA is already planning for its successor to take the reins before 2027. Let’s look at the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Telescope. Our knowledge of the great expanse is rapidly growing thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope. Deployed in December 2021, NASA’s flagship infrared explorer instantly took...
Pathogenic fungi could get stronger as the climate grows warmer
While mushrooms may now be helping combat depression, not all fungi are friends. Evolved types, such as pathogenic fungi, pose a threat to human health and studies warn that climate change could increase their potency. We’ve been warned time and time again about the human health risks posed by a warmer climate. Fighting off infection, reducing the spread of viruses, and stopping novel and dangerous pathogens from travelling between animals and...
Could Sunzaun solar panels be the future of green energy?
A company in California has created a vertical solar panel that allows agriculture and green energy to co-exist. Solar panels are one of the most promising sources for green energy, with over 1 million different sites in the UK alone. With the disastrous effects of climate change already impacting people all around the globe, renewable energy is more important than ever. However, traditional horizontal solar panels often use space that was...
Could gene-editing be used to treat mental illness?
Just as the technology is promising new therapies for everything from heart disease to cancer, some researchers believe that tinkering with the epigenome could help reverse the damage done by trauma. In recent years, scientists have made strides towards treating diseases through gene-editing technology, their most promising breakthrough being the discovery of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). The essence of CRISPR is simple: it’s a way of...
