Asteroid mining start-up to raise funds through NFTs
There are several ambitious space initiatives in the works as we speak, and many of them have one thing common: they’re attempting to raise seed funding through NFTs. ExLabs hopes a crypto injection will facilitate its asteroid mining explorations. Since the turn of the year, a host of space start-ups...
Current in Science
Tiny particles of plastic have been found in human blood
An ‘extremely concerning study’ has detected microplastic pollution in human blood for the first time, with scientists warning that the long-term consequences are not yet known. Just when you thought our plastic pollution problem couldn’t get any worse, a recent study has detected tiny particles of the stuff in...
Is the gene-editing technology CRISPR a good idea?
The scientific discovery of a genetic code called CRISPR could help eradicate diseases in humans forever, but could altering genes become a slippery slope? There are over 6,000 known human genetic disorders, with more being discovered and named every day. At the time of writing this, only 10 percent of...
Opinion – How I came to terms with Type 1 diabetes
Getting diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 21 was nothing short of life-changing, but in a matter of weeks I have learned there is a silver lining to everything – even chronic health conditions. ‘There will be moments where you’ll think: “Why me?” but you can’t think that way. Because...
Scientists may have just discovered a breakthrough treatment for HIV
A mixed-race woman appears to be the third person ever to be cured of the virus with a new approach that holds the potential for curing more people of racially diverse backgrounds. Globally, 37.7 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2020 (according to WHO). In Africa,...
EU scientists make ‘major breakthrough’ in nuclear fusion
EU scientists say they have made a major breakthrough in the quest to make nuclear fusion – the limitless energy source that powers the stars – harnessable for humanity one day. As it stands, the bar for scientific achievements in nuclear fusion isn’t exactly high, but we are, at least,...
International Space Station will crash land into watery retirement in 2031
The zero-gravity research station will continue operations until 2031, at which point it will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere for the first time since 1998. Shortly after, it will crash land in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean. After what will be a 33-year lifespan - facilitating on-hand, ground breaking inter-planetary research - the ISS will smash into the Pacific in a fiery blaze of twisted metal. What a dignified...
Study shows climate crisis responsible for shifting Earth’s axis
The constant melting of glaciers as a result of global warming has reportedly caused marked shifts in the Earth’s axis of rotation. Research suggests the length of our days may have even changed by milliseconds since the 90s. It feels like the events of the last few years have turned the world upside down, metaphorically speaking. In reality, it appears we quite literally shifted the axis of Earth’s rotation decades ago...
Space-based film studio officially in development for 2024
Space Entertainment Enterprise, co-producers of Tom Cruise’s forthcoming space-set film, has announced plans to build a fully-fledged production studio 250 miles above Earth. Remember back in 2020, when Tom Cruise teamed up with Elon Musk’s Space X to shoot the first ever feature film in space… no? That’s probably because it never happened. Plans to send Cruise and director Doug Liman into zero gravity stalled over issues with the $200m budget,...
Will nuclear fusion revolutionise clean energy for centuries?
With the potential of generating 10 million times the energy of burning coal, is nuclear fusion the answer to sustainably powering the world for centuries to come? Imagine a technology capable of replicating the chemistry of the stars, unleashing nearly unlimited clean energy, and safely powering the entire world for centuries to come. Sounds real plausible, right? Dubbed the ‘holy grail’ of energy production, nuclear fusion has been touted as the...
