UK government announces plan to drive space sustainability
The UK has just unveiled a raft of new measures to ensure the sustainable use of space in the years ahead. Already a leader of green initiatives on Earth, the nation is now looking to lead into the great beyond. Speaking at the Space Sustainability Summit, UK science minister George...
Current in Science
Scientific breakthrough cures memory loss in mice
Researchers at Stanford University are reversing symptoms of Alzheimer’s in mice using a strange tactic - they’re infusing elderly mice with spinal fluid from younger ones. Many medical breakthroughs that benefit humans are discovered by conducting trials on mice. Though we look nothing alike, almost all the genes found in mice...
Grizzlies and polar bears are breeding thanks to climate change
Rising temperatures are simultaneously driving grizzly bears north and polar bears south, prompting interbreeding between both species. Conservationists are weighing up the possibility of controlling genetic adaption to help animals of the future cope with climate change. From time to time, it’s good to remind ourselves that climate change isn’t...
Europe’s first psychedelic drug trial firm opens in London
Clerkenwell Health aims to establish the UK as the heart of the commercial psychedelic research ecosystem, working closely with experts and drug developers around the world to tackle some of the most complex mental health conditions. After decades of demonisation and criminalisation, psychedelic drugs are being proved to have...
Scientists make woman’s skin cells act thirty years younger
A breakthrough in medicine, skin-care, and anti-ageing research could be on the horizon: 53-year-old woman’s skin cells have been altered to look and behave like those of a 23-year-old. Scientists in Cambridge have stunned the medical community by altering the skin cells of a 53-year-old woman to the equivalent...
Why the future of energy is sun-powered
As the world turns away from Russian gas, the EU is determined to build up its solar industry. Nations and engineers are already making crucial moves to ensure this happens. Everybody loves the sunshine, as Roy Ayers once said. And why wouldn’t we, when it could be our forever solution to...
New research suggests fungi may be communicating with ‘words’
As if they weren’t magical enough, scientists have discovered that mushrooms are potentially talking to each other using a bountiful vocabulary which bears a striking structural similarity to human speech. If you aren’t a stranger to my writing, by now I’m sure you’re well aware of my deep-rooted obsession with all thing’s mycelium, my fascination towards which recently peaked after seeing the incredible Fantastic Fungi documentary on...
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 have jumped on the NFT bandwagon to raise money in novel ways. We’ve had MoonDAO, which wants to go from...
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 human blood for the first time. While we’re yet to know the long-term health implications of this finding, scientists have deemed...
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 them are treatable. Genetic diseases can reduce quality of life, cause chronic pain, and shorten lifespan drastically, which is why the...
