‘All Your Data into MIT’s DNA Cup’ Sounds Weird
MIT researchers have developed a polymer that can preserve and protect DNA at room temperature, making it a potential solution for storing massive amounts of information and even the entire human genome.
AI Projects Go Bust for Business Baddies
Businesses are becoming more hesitant to invest in AI due to concerns about cost, data security, and accuracy, as shown by a study conducted by Lucidworks, which surveyed 1,000 companies with active AI initiatives and found that only 63% of companies plan to increase spending on AI in the next twelve months, a decline from 93% in 2023, with factors such as lack of financial benefits, difficulty in moving past pilot testing, and growing concerns about costs, security, and accuracy contributing to this trend.
Satellite Schemes Doom Ozone Hole Recovery
Satellites falling into Earth’s atmosphere and burning up leave behind aluminum oxide particles that have increased 8-fold since 2016 and will continue to accumulate as more low-Earth-orbit satellites are launched, posing a threat to the protective ozone layer and potentially undoing the success of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, with the potential for 912 metric tons of aluminum and 360 metric tons of aluminum oxides to be released into the atmosphere per year once currently planned satellite constellations are complete.
Plastic-Eating Fungi – Parengyodontium – Our Ocean Overlord?
Researchers have discovered that the fungus Parengyodontium album can break down UV-exposed polyethylene in the ocean, suggesting that other fungi in deeper waters may also contribute to the decomposition of plastic.
Tree Trash to Green Gold? Swedish Bioplastic
Lignin Industries has developed a renewable and sustainable bioplastic, Renol, made from organic lignin and is now implementing its technology at a factory outside Stockholm, Sweden, with multiple industrial applications such as ABS, PE, and PP, and has partnerships with companies of all sizes due to its scalability, affordability, and strong sustainability credentials, while other companies such as LeadEdge Flexo and AIMPLAS are also utilizing bio-based materials in their products and processes.
SciFi Foods Shutters Submits to Snarky Sales Firm
SCiFi Foods, a cultivated meat startup, has closed due to challenges in fundraising and has appointed an advisory firm for a sale process, after raising $40 million from investors such as Coldplay and Andreesseen Horowitz, and despite opening a pilot plant in San Leandro, the company’s founder believes that using cultivated cell biomass as an ingredient in plant-based products is commercially viable, but the last 18 months have been challenging for the cultivated meat industry, with a decline in funding and companies such as Finless Foods and New Age Eats facing financial troubles, and a panel of experts discussing the challenges of investing in cultivated meat at Tufts University, noting a general risk aversion and challenges with scalability and ecosystem development.
Are Teeth the Six-Year Biotech Miracle?
Today we’ve got some groundbreaking news that’s sure to make you grin from ear to ear (or at least, the remaining teeth you have left). Apparently, teeth can’t grow back on their own like bones can. Shocking, I know. But don’t worry, the brilliant minds in Japan have come up with a solution and are ready to test it out on humans. Because nothing says safe and effective like using unsuspecting humans as guinea pigs, am I right?
Great Moments in Saving the World! /s
A new generation of industrial CO2 filters are out from Climeworks. Good idea? Bad idea? I guess we’ll find out.
Bezos’ Botched Billionaire Space Splat
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is investigating an incident during its first crewed flight in which one parachute on the New Shepard capsule failed to fully inflate. The company had not publicly disclosed the issue, but briefed NASA officials. The rocket’s parachutes are designed to open in three stages, but one failed at the first stage during the mission. Blue Origin resumed its space tourism program after a previous launch failure in 2022. The company has not yet revealed the severity of the parachute problem or potential delays. Similar parachute issues have also been encountered by the Boeing Starliner program. The difficulty in accurately simulating parachute deployment remains a challenge for engineers.
Futurology | Robots: Rule or Ruin?
So while we wait for our Jetsons-style future to become a reality, let’s just sit back and watch as these companies continue to parade their half-functioning R2-D2s and promise us a world where robots do everything for us.