First human flight for Bezos’ Blue Origin a success
Jeff Bezos was on board the first human flight for his space company Blue Origin today, which reached higher altitudes than Richard Branson’s efforts just last week. I wonder if CEO entrepreneur Jeff Bezos ever envisioned himself being launched into the heavens via a rocket built by his own...
Current in Science
Can chemical upcycling solve the plastic waste crisis?
Scientists have discovered a way to transform plastic bottles into vanillin, the compound which gives vanilla its aroma and taste. Is it an innovative solution to plastic pollution, or just a headline-grabbing experiment? I’m sure you’ve heard about plenty of innovative recycling techniques, from tasteful art displays to quirky...
‘Cyber seeds’ may one day grow our vehicles and medical devices
A ‘cyber seed’ capable of growing manmade structures has been developed by researchers, though it will be some years before we’re using them. Want to hear the most farfetched, yet scientifically feasible story ever? Researchers have managed to create a ‘cyber seed’ composed of hundreds of pieces of digitally encoded...
Rocket mining robot built to collect water from the Moon’s crust
Aerospace manufacturer Masten Space Systems has built a roaming rover capable of mining water from the moon’s crust using rocket blasts.
We’re reportedly closer to achieving one of NASA Artemis’ key goals - establishing a human presence on the Moon within the next three years.
Case in point, with the
Exclusive – How Ann Makosinski exemplifies an industrious generation
Ann Makosinski is innovative, entrepreneurial, and eager to build a better planet – all traits of a multitalented Gen Zer who’s striving to prove that science and art go hand in hand. Canadian inventor Ann Makosinski had something of an unusual childhood. Daughter of a father born in Poland during WW2...
New mosquito experiment could shape the future of disease control
According to scientists, cases of Dengue fever in Indonesia have been cut by 77% following a ‘ground-breaking’ yearlong experiment which manipulated the mosquitoes spreading it. A new approach to fighting the spread of Dengue fever has proven remarkably effective in Indonesia. By breeding special mosquitoes with a ‘miraculous’ bacteria that reduces...
Thred Daily – How could white paint help the climate crisis?
A simple solution that sounds too good to be true but this ultra-reflective white paint could be an all natural, energy efficient alternative to air conditioning. Elliot dips his toe into the science behind this game changer to find out if it does what it says on the tin.
Carbon emissions are reportedly shrinking Earth’s stratosphere
New research confirms long harboured suspicions that humanity’s emissions are shrinking Earth’s stratosphere, with its thickness reportedly contracting by as much as 400 metres since the 1980s. Science is starting to draw regular connections between humanity’s role in climate change and marked shifts with the planet, and the latest reports are seriously concerning. Just last month, data from the American Geophysical Union revealed that humanity’s ceaseless emissions have separated the...
MDMA-assisted therapy on course for medical approval
A breakthrough clinical trial has uncovered its impressive efficacy in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, inching the drug closer to FDA endorsement. For decades, scientists and researchers have sought to prove the extraordinary medical potential of psychedelic drugs. Time and time again these mind-altering substances have shown genuine promise in alleviating some of the most intractable (and expensive) – addiction, depression, and anxiety among many others – conditions to treat. With stigma...
Why space junk is the real enemy of the US Space Force
President Biden affirms his support for an official military presence in outer space, which means a greater risk of space debris. Spy satellites might be the least of his worries. In the final days of his presidency in 2019, Donald Trump officially launched Space Force, the USA’s first new military service in seventy years – and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Committing $40 million to the initiative, Trump signed...
