That‘s Cool News | A weekly breakdown of positive Science & Tech news.

News From seawater to drinking water, with the push of a button | TechXPlore (01:04) MIT researchers have developed a portable desalination unit, weighing less than 10 kilograms, that can remove particles and salts to generate drinking water.Suitcase-sized device Requires less power to operate than a cell phone charger  Can be powered by a small, portable solar panel, which can be purchased online for around $50.  Generates drinking water that exceeds World Health Organization quality standards. Runs with the push of one button. Unlike other portable desalination units that require water to pass through filters, this device utilizes electrical power to remove particles from drinking water. Eliminating the need for replacement filters Relies on a technique called ion concentration polarization (ICP) Rather than filtering water, the ICP process applies an electrical field to membranes placed above and below a channel of water. The membranes repel positively or negatively charged particles—including salt molecules, bacteria, and viruses—as they flow past. The process removes both dissolved and suspended solids, allowing clean water to pass through the channel.  Once the salinity level and the number of particles decrease to specific thresholds, the device notifies the user that the water is drinkable. This filterless process enables the unit to be deployed in remote and severely resource-limited areas, such as communities on small islands or aboard seafaring cargo ships.Their prototype generates drinking water at a rate of 0.3 liters per hour, and requires only 20 watts of power per liter.   Researchers develop a paper-thin loudspeaker | MIT News (06:21) MIT engineers have developed a paper-thin loudspeaker that can turn any surface into an active audio source.Produces sound with minimal distortion while using a fraction of the energy required by a traditional loudspeaker.  Weighing about as much as a dime and can generate high-quality sound no matter what surface the film is bonded to. The new loudspeaker simplifies the speaker design by using a thin film of a shaped piezoelectric material that moves when voltage is applied over it, which moves the air above it and generates sound. Most thin-film loudspeakers are designed to be freestanding because the film must bend freely to produce sound. If the thin speaker needs to be bound to a surface that would impede the sound generation process. To overcome this problem , their design relies on tiny domes on a thin layer of piezoelectric material which each vibrate individually.  The researchers pioneered a deceptively simple fabrication technique, which requires only three basic steps and can be scaled up to produce ultrathin loudspeakers. Lead author Jinchi Han talks on the process:“This is a very simple, straightforward process. It would allow us to produce these loudspeakers in a high-throughput fashion if we integrate it with a roll-to-roll process in the future. That means it could be fabricated in large amounts, like wallpaper to cover walls, cars, or aircraft interiors” They tested their thin-film loudspeaker by mounting it to a wall 30 centimeters from a microphone to measure the sound pressure level, recorded in decibels. When 25 volts of electricity were passed through the device at 1 kilohertz, the speaker produced high-quality sound at conversational levels of 66 decibels.  At 10 kilohertz, the sound pressure level increased to 86 decibels, about the same volume level as city traffic. Another cool feature of this thin speaker is it can be used effectively for ultrasound applications, like imaging.Because the tiny domes are vibrating, rather than the entire film, the loudspeaker has a high enough resonance frequency for ultrasound imaging  Could use it to detect where a human is standing in a room, just like bats do using echolocation, and then shape the sound waves to follow the person as they move. This device has many possible applications:Provide ac

News: US Navy wirelessly beamed 1.6kW of power using microwaves | Interesting Engineering (01:22) New miniature heart could help speed heart disease cures | MedicalXPress (10:08) Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete | New Atlas (16:20) Old skins cells reprogrammed to regain youthful function  | Science Daily (23:15) Tesla is testing in-car Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity with several major internet providers | Electrek (27:01) 

News: Reversing hearing loss with regenerative therapy | MIT News (01:28) Engineered bacteria could help protect “good” gut microbes from antibiotics | Big Think (07:01) Wireless camera tool could make intubation safer and easier | Futurity  (12:40) A massive ”space cannon” can shoot payloads into space at hypersonic speeds  | Interesting Engineering (16:31)  A new heat engine with no moving parts is as efficient as a steam turbine | MIT News  (22:54)

NEWS   Stanford engineers invent a solar panel that generates electricity at night | Interesting Engineer (01:08)   Rocket Lab prepares its chopper to catch a returning booster in midair | New Atlas (07:28) Looking Through Mojo Vision's Newest AR Contact Lens |  IEEE Spectrum (12:17) Simple delivery method enhances a promising cancer treatment | MedicalXPress (20:11)  Israeli bee tech startup Beewise pulls in $80m investment for robotic beehives | Times of Israel (27:19)

News: Scientists Say New Treatment Lets Alopecia Patients Regrow Hair | Futurism (01:14) Scientists at Yale announced this week that a common arthritis medication (baricitinib) appears to help alopecia patients regrow their hair. a potential treatment for a widespread autoimmune condition. Baricitinib is used to reduce pain, stiffness, and swelling in adults with rheumatoid arthritis after other treatments have failed. Helps slow the progression of bone and joint damage. It is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor  Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are a group of medications that inhibit activity and response of one or more of the Janus kinase enzymes (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, and TYK2). These enzymes normally promote inflammation and autoimmunity. Alopecia is a common autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss Affects people of all ages, although it most commonly appears in adolescence or early adulthood.  Affects 1 in every 500 to 1,000 people in the United States. There is currently no FDA-approved treatment for the disease. Dr. Brett King, lead author on the study told Yale news:“This is so exciting, because the data clearly show how effective baricitinib is … These large, controlled trials tell us that we can alleviate some of the suffering from this awful disease.” For the study, the researchers conducted two large, randomized trials involving a total of 1,200 people. For 36 weeks, participants were given a daily dose of either 4 milligrams of baricitinib, 2 milligrams of baricitinib, or a placebo. One-third of the patients who received the larger dose grew hair back. The researchers stated that baricitinib thwarts the disease by disrupting the communication of immune cells involved in harming hair follicles.  Hopefully this medication will be proven to be safe & effective and approved by regulators.   Waymo says fully driverless rides are coming to San Francisco | The Verge (06:47) Waymo plans to start offering rides in its fully autonomous vehicles — without human safety drivers behind the wheel — in San Francisco.  They join a waitlist and, once approved, sign non-disclosure agreements to get access to the company’s early technology. As of right now it is only available to employees but will soon grow to include members of the company’s “Trusted Tester” program. The Trusted Tester program is for customers interested in using Waymo’s robotaxis.  The vehicles will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Waymo says. Additionally, Waymo is making moves in Arizona.Growing to include downtown Phoenix after operating exclusively in the exurban towns of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe for nearly five years. Waymo has been running fully driverless rides without a safety driver in those towns outside of Phoenix for more than a year now.  They must be confident they have enough data to move forward with autonomous taxis.Last year, the company logged the most miles driven autonomously of all the companies permitted to test in the state: 2.3 million miles, a huge increase over 2020, when it had about 629,000 miles driven, and even the pre-pandemic year of 2019, with 1.45 million. The expansion of Waymo’s service area in Phoenix and the imminent launch of driverless rides in San Francisco signal the company’s sense of confidence that its vehicles can operate safely and efficiently in more dense, urban environments.    Quantum technology could make charging electric cars as fast as pumping gas | Phys.org (12:10) For a long time, batteries had far lower energy density than those offered by hydrocarbons, which resulted in very low ranges of early electric vehicles.Improvements in battery technologies eventually allowed the drive ranges of electric cars to be within acceptable levels However, despite the vast improvements in battery technology, today's consumers of electric vehicles face another difficulty: slow battery charging speed.Takes about 10 hours to fully recharge at home Even the fastest superchargers require up

News Elon Musk floats idea for new social media platform  | Twitchy (01:45) Elon Musk, you know the dude by now, posted a Twitter poll this past Friday (March 25th) asking the question: “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?”With the caveat that “The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.” With over 2 million votes 70% of people responded with “No.” After the poll concluded the next day he responded with, “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy.  What should be done? … Is a new platform needed?” This has led to plenty of speculation that Elon could be contemplating building his own platform, while others just want him to purchase Twitter and fix it.What is the best route? Not sure, Twitter has the user base already there, but there is a lot of built in “rot” so to speak.  Then to further cement the idea he is considering building a new platform, a twitter user @PPathole asked: “Would you consider building a new social media platform? … One that would consist of an open source algorithm, one where free speech and adhering to free speech is given top priority, one where propaganda is very minimal. I think that kind of a platform is needed.” Elon simply responded with: “Am giving serious thought to this” Just to throw it out there that some people were thinking of name ideas for Elon’s new social media platform and here is my favorite from @RealSteveAyer:MySpaceX AI algorithm accurately predicts risk of heart attack within 5 years | New Atlas (08:47) A new AI tool developed by researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center can accurately measure plaque deposits in coronary arteries and predict a patient’s risk of suffering a heart attack within five years. A scan known as computed tomography angiography (CTA) is one of the best tools doctors currently have at their disposal to evaluate heart disease patients.By imaging plaque deposits within coronary arteries Damini Dey, senior author on the study, talks on the speed improvement with utilizing this new automated AI tool:“Coronary plaque is often not measured because there is not a fully automated way to do it … When it is measured, it takes an expert at least 25 to 30 minutes, but now we can use this program to quantify plaque from CTA images in five to six seconds." Creating the tool: Two Categories: high and low risk. First, trained the algorithm to recognize plaque deposits using a dataset of CTA images from 921 patients. Validated the results with the “human expert readers.” Utilizing a plaque amount threshold, they trained the algorithm to place separate images based on risk of having a heart attack within five years of CTA imaging: The new study is an exciting demonstration of the possible future of medicine. A future where AI tools can swiftly analyze diagnostic imaging to deliver immediate risk reports to patients. It is early days for the technology. Larger studies will be required to better train the algorithms on diverse patient populations and figure out how they could make the tech accessible & cheap. Exxon Mobil has a pilot project for using excess gas to mine Bitcoin | Interesting Engineering (14:50) What do you do with excess natural gas if you are one of the world's biggest providers of energy sources?Exxon Mobil has come up with an inventive solution. It's taking the excess natural gas that would otherwise be burned off from North Dakota oil wells and using it to power cryptocurrency mining operations.Bitcoin Mining: the process of creating new bitcoin by solving puzzles.  The first bitcoin miner to solve the puzzle is rewarded with bitcoin. The mining process also confirms transactions on the cryptocurrency's network and makes them trustworthy.  According to anonymous sources, the oil giant has started a pilot project in cooperation with

News Disney's "Holobricks" could stack up for larger holograms | New Atlas (01:03) Scientists at Cambridge and Disney Research may be closer to making holograms “less disappointing.”They’ve created new “holobricks” that can stack and tile together to produce large 3D images that can be viewed from multiple angles. Holograms are three-dimensional virtual images that appear to exist within the real world instead of on a screen. Produced in multiple ways:Reflective Screens Projections onto fog Then you have the classic “Pepper’s Ghost” illusion. Started in the 1860sA brightly lit figure out of the audience's sight below the stage is reflected in a pane of glass placed between the performer and the audience. To the audience, it appears as if the ghost is on stage. Old ways are low in resolution, while the new system, from Cambridge and Disney, is designed to boost the picture quality with scalable, modular holographic blocks, or holobricks as the team calls them.Each holobrick is made up of a spatial light modulator, a scanner, and coarse integrated optics. The system combines three images of the same object from slightly different angles, which creates a sense of depth.Then light is then sent through a series of lenses that separates the images, so that when it appears on the 2D display on the surface of the holobrick, but from different angles. Has a resolution of 1024 x 768, a 40-degree field of view and at a cinematic frame rate of 24 frames per second. Essentially, that means that as you walk around the screen, your view of the virtual object or scene changes with you.Additionally it is modular, allowing the size of the holograms to be increased. There is still more work to do, but the researchers say that the holobricks could open up possibilities like holographic video walls or interactive kiosks.   Obesity alters molecular architecture of liver cells; repairing structure reverses metabolic disease | Harvard News (06:23) According to Harvard researchers, cells use their molecular architecture to regulate their metabolic functions, and repairing diseased cells’ architecture to a healthier state can also repair metabolism.This could have implications on reversing obesity, and reversing the damage it causes to the body.  Gökhan Hotamışlıgi, a Harvard public health professor, mentions the regulatory mechanism they discovered:“The fundamental regulatory mechanism that we discovered can be used to evaluate the susceptibility—or resistance—of individuals to a disease state like obesity, and determine what steps, such as diet, nutrients, or fasting, will reduce, eliminate, or exacerbate these states. We can imagine a whole new array of therapeutic strategies targeting molecular architecture, similar to the restoration of an ailing building or preventing its deterioration.” The study compared liver samples from healthy, lean mice with samples from obese mice with fatty liver disease.  Using machine learning & AI, along with high-resolution imaging the researchers  generated three-dimensional reconstructions of specialized structures, called organelles, inside cells. Organelles are the components of the cell.  Then compared the architecture/structure of the organelles between the lean & obese mice. ​​The images produced from this research are the most detailed visualization to date of subcellular structures while the cells are still intact in their tissue environment. Through these analyses, the team determined that obesity leads to dramatic alterations in subcellular molecular architecture, particularly in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), an organelle involved in the creation and shaping of proteins and lipids. The team then partially restored the ER’s structure using technologies that can repair molecules and proteins that can reshape cellular membranes to see what would happen. “The outcome was really striking—when structure is repaired, so is the cell’s metabolism,” said Ana Paula Arruda, co-lead on the resear

Cool News A new type of killer T-cell can stop attacks on healthy tissue | Interesting Engineering (01:14) A team of scientists has discovered a brand new form of human T cell that suppresses attacks on healthy tissues, which could lead to treatments for illnesses ranging from lupus to cancer.T cells are significant white blood cells in the immune system, playing a crucial role in adaptive immune response by killing diseased or malignant cells Studies in mice have shown that some of these cells may also kill T cells responsible for orchestrating autoimmune responses.Believed that humans share the same cells but not able to prove it The newly discovered class of T cells in the human immune system may be capable of killing other T cells, Aid in the healing of infections and reducing autoimmune disorders. Stanford researchers evaluated the number of these human cells in patients with autoimmune illnesses like multiple sclerosis, lupus, and celiac disease to see if they are immunological inhibitors. Saw that the specific T cells (CD8) were more abundant in patients' blood than in healthy people's blood. Gathered in regions of the body that had been injured by the autoimmune response like the joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis  The researchers looked at genetically altered mice that had 50 percent to 75 percent fewer suppressive CD8 cells than normal mice to see how much protection the cells provide against autoimmunity.Experienced kidney inflammation after being exposed to viruses that can cause autoimmune illness. (Control did not) The paper provides data that these CD8 cells exist in humans, and could indicate that techniques that enhance the number of cells in the body may aid in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.   Tiny 'skyscrapers' help bacteria convert sunlight into electricity | TechXplore (05:24) The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used 3D printing to create grids of high-rise 'nano-housing' where sun-loving bacteria can grow quickly.3D-printed custom electrodes out of metal oxide nanoparticles that are tailored to work with the cyanobacteria as they perform photosynthesis. Developed a printing technique that allows control over multiple length scales, making the structures highly customisable They extracted the bacteria's waste electrons, left over from photosynthesis, which could be used to power small electronics. These researchers have found that providing the bacteria with the right kind of home increases the amount of energy they can extract by over an order of magnitude. For several years, researchers have been attempting to 're-wire' the photosynthesis mechanisms of cyanobacteria in order to extract energy from them. Lead researcher,  Dr. Jenny Zhang, stated: “There's been a bottleneck in terms of how much energy you can actually extract from photosynthetic systems, but no one understood where the bottleneck was … Most scientists assumed that the bottleneck was on the biological side, in the bacteria, but we've found that a substantial bottleneck is actually on the material side." Dr. Zhang ends it off by talking on cyanobacteria:“Cyanobacteria are versatile chemical factories. Our approach allows us to tap into their energy conversion pathway at an early point, which helps us understand how they carry out energy conversion so we can use their natural pathways for renewable fuel or chemical generation." Concept Touchscreen Uses Temperature to Create Feel of Friction | Gizmodo (10:34) Researchers at Texas A&M have come up with a novel way for touchscreens to feel more than just perfectly smooth by fooling a user’s sense of touch through temperature changes. Some theorize a full touchscreen future, but the article argues that being able to feel physical keys with our fingers is an important part of the muscle memory that allows many of us to type at impressive speeds without having to look down and hunt-and-peck on a keyboard. The researchers in a recent study, found th

News Sound Waves Convert Stem Cells Into Bone in Regenerative Breakthrough | Good News Network (01:30) Researchers, from RMIT, have used sound waves to turn stem cells into bone cells through the precision power of high-frequency sound waves.Tissue engineering advance Help patients regrow bone lost to cancer or degenerative disease. A key challenge in regrowing bone is the need for large amounts of bone cells that will thrive and flourish once implanted in the target area.Process right now of converting stem cells is complicated and expensive.  Let’s not forget that most of the previous research used stem cells extracted from bone marrow, a highly painful process. The research team showed stem cells treated with high-frequency sound waves turned into bone cells quickly and efficiently.Effective on multiple types of cells including fat-derived stem cells, which are far less painful to extract from a patient. The high-frequency sound waves used in the stem cell treatment were generated on a low-cost microchip device developed by RMIT.Can be used to precisely manipulate cells, fluids or materials. Co-lead researcher Dr Amy Gelmi said the new approach was faster and simpler than other methods:“The sound waves cut the treatment time usually required to get stem cells to begin to turn into bone cells by several days … This method also doesn’t require any special ‘bone-inducing’ drugs and it’s very easy to apply to the stem cells. Our study found this new approach has strong potential to be used for treating the stem cells, before we either coat them onto an implant or inject them directly into the body for tissue engineering.” The next stage in the research is investigating methods to upscale the platform, working towards the development of practical bioreactors to drive efficient stem cell differentiation.   Artificial neurons connect to biological ones to control living plants | New Atlas (06:48) Researchers at Linköping University have created artificial organic neurons and synapses that can integrate with natural biological systems, and demonstrated this by making a Venus flytrap close on demand.They're made out of polymers that can conduct either positive or negative ions. The team optimized these transistors and used them to build artificial neurons and synapses, and connect them to biological systems.Transistors detect concentrations of ions with certain charges, they switch, producing a signal that can then be picked up by other neurons.  Importantly, biological neurons operate on these same ion signals, meaning artificial and natural nerve cells can be connected. To demonstrate the new system, the researchers hooked their artificial neurons up to a live Venus flytrap. And sure enough, electrical pulses from the artificial neurons were strong enough to trigger the flytrap to close its jaws, but at under 0.6 volts, gentle enough to not harm the plant. The researchers believe they could find themselves bridging the gap between artificial and natural neurons for more responsive prosthetic limbs, implants, and robotics.   Meta announces plans to build an AI-powered 'universal speech translator' | The Verge (10:05)  Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has announced an ambitious new AI research project to create translation software that works for “everyone in the world.” Part of an event focusing on the broad range of benefits Meta believes AI can offer The company says that although commonly spoken languages like English, Mandarin, and Spanish are well catered to by current translation tools, roughly 20 percent of the world’s population do not speak languages covered by these systems. Meta says it wants to overcome these challenges by deploying new machine learning techniques in two specific areas.  First Focus, dubbed No Language Left BehindConcentrate on building AI models that can learn to translate language using fewer training examples. The second, Universal Speech Translatoraim to bui

News: Scientists create universal blood type organs for transplant | Interesting Engineering (01:34) There are 106,435 people in the United States waiting for an organ transplant. Someone in need of a heart or lung spends an average of four months on the recipient list before a suitable organ becomes available.Waiting for a kidney typically lasts five years. These averages don't reflect the patient's blood type Marcelo Cypel, a thoracic surgeon, tells IE that people with type O blood are 20 percent more likely to die while waiting for a lung than patients with type A blood. 45 percent of people in the U.S. having type O blood The reason for that disparity lies in the immune systemSomeone with type O blood has an immune system that will attack a transplanted organ that comes from a donor of any other blood type. The differences in blood type can be fatal: A blood transfusion of just 50 milliliters of incompatible blood can kill a person. The separation by blood type also leads to missed opportunities for a new lease on life if someone has the wrong blood type.Cypel expands on that stating, “There are situations where we may get a B donor, but we don't have a B recipient … In that case, today, we just don't use that organ; that organ gets buried.” In a recent study, researchers provide a potential solution: They used a combination of technologies to convert eight type-A lungs into type-O lungs, which are far less likely to be attacked by a patient's immune system, regardless of their blood type. People with type O blood are highly desirable organ donors because their antigens are not adorned with the type-A triangles or type-B squares that would provoke the other's immune systems. The researchers figured out how to use enzymes to remove billions of type-B squares or type-A triangles while leaving the circles intact.  Convert lungs to type O by cutting off the extra sugars.  By showing that the enzymes can dramatically lower the number of antigens on lungs that weren't suitable for transplantation into human patients, the researchers have taken a big step toward proving to stakeholders that the research could be transformative. Scientists boost the mosquito-killing effect of natural clove oil | New Atlas (07:16) The best method of limiting the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is to kill the mosquito larvaeInvolves the use of synthetic insecticides, which accumulate in soil, water and food potentially causing health problems in both people and wildlife Mosquitoes typically build up a resistance to insecticides over time. A new study now suggests a method of improving the effectiveness of a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative – clove oil. A substance called Eugenol, which is found in clove (Syzygium aromaticum), can kill the larva of the dengue mosquito in 24 hours.Can be prepared at home by blending 60 clove buds and a cup of water.  The oil is safe for the environment, and the cloves from which it's made are inexpensive and readily available in regions where mosquito-transmitted diseases such as malaria, Zika and dengue fever are widespread. Scientists from India's Gauhati University set out to boost the oil’s larvae-killing capabilities.They found that a liquid organic compound by the name of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) had a particularly pronounced lethal effect on Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. Assoc. Prof. Bulbuli Khanikor stated, “The use of synergists, either synthetic or natural, along with insecticides like eugenol helps to prevent resistance development … In the present study, combining synergists like piperonyl butoxide with eugenol was found to enhance the effectiveness of eugenol significantly." It should be noted that while PBO is considered to be only minimally toxic to humans, it is highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates and tadpolesIdeally be limited to the puddles where mosquitos frequently breed, as opposed to larger marshes or ponds. Easy aluminum nanoparticles for rapid, efficient hydro

News: Next-generation spinal implants help people with severe paralysis walk, cycle, and swim | Science.Org (01:40) New Synthetic Tooth Enamel Is Harder and Stronger Than the Real Thing | SciTechDaily (09:05) We Just Got Closer to Finding a Link Between Alzheimer's And Circadian Rhythms | Science Alert (14:16) Microsoft Mitigates 3.47Tbps DDoS Attack, a New Record | PCMag (21:29) Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy | BBC News (25:24)

NEWS: "Impossible" 2D material is light as plastic and stronger than steel | New Atlas (01:53) Team develops new therapy using magnetic seeds to heat and kill cancer | MedicalXPress (9:09) Michigan wants to develop a wireless EV-charging road by next year | Teslarati (15:33) Tesla Model S Goes 752 Miles on Startup's Battery Swap | The Drive (19:44) New 'game-changing' technology removes 99% of carbon dioxide from the air | Interesting Engineering (25:36)

News: Robot successfully performs keyhole surgery on pigs without human help | Unexpectech (01:24) Frog regrows amputated leg after drug treatment  | The Guardian (08:47) Anti-aging vaccine clears out dysfunctional cells that cause disease | New Atlas (15:01) Using 3D printing for alloy materials innovation | TechXPlore (19:46) A Shipping Group Has Launched the World's First Offshore Charging Station | Interesting Engineering (24:40) ----more---- Podcast Links: Website: https://thatscoolnews.com/ Review The Podcast: https://thatscoolnews.com/review Email List: https://thatscoolnews.com/email Follow On Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatscoolnews/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thats_Cool_News  Join the Community: Discord: https://thatscoolnews.com/discord Facebook Group: https://thatscoolnews.com/group  

News: NASA Solar Sail Spacecraft to Chase Tiny Asteroid After Artemis I Launch | SciTechDaily (01:25) Altos bursts out of stealth with $3B, a dream team C-suite and a wildly ambitious plan to reverse disease | FierceBiotech (08:11) Patient-specific spinal model may predict the effect of disc implants | New Atlas (16:28) Intel Is Investing $20 Billion Towards a Massive New Semiconductor Plant | Interesting Engineering (21:10) Elon Musk's brain chip firm Neuralink lines up clinical trials in humans | The Guardian (27:10) ----more---- Podcast Links: Website: https://thatscoolnews.com/ Review The Podcast: https://thatscoolnews.com/review Email List: https://thatscoolnews.com/email Follow On Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatscoolnews/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thats_Cool_News  Join the Community: Discord: https://thatscoolnews.com/discord Facebook Group: https://thatscoolnews.com/group  

NEWS: 'Ocean battery' targets renewable energy dilemma | TechXplore (00:57) A wind turbine sitting idle on a calm day or spinning swiftly when power demand is already met poses a problem for renewables, and is one researchers think can be tackled under the sea. The company, Dutch startup Ocean Grazer, has come up with the concept of a “ocean battery” relies on massive flexible bladders on the seabed, which are filled up with seawater by the wind farm. When the power is needed, the pressure of the ocean squeezes the water through the system on the seafloor that includes turbines—and the result is electricity. Systems that rely on pressure are already used in hydroelectric dams that pump water into the reservoir behind the dam when electricity demand falls, effectively storing it to come back through the facility's turbines. Bliek, the Ocean Grazer CEO, said undersea systems take advantage of the pressure below the ocean that is free, while creating a system that he said is about 80 percent efficient in storing energy. Bliek said his company aims to have an offshore system in place by 2025, though one will be deployed onshore in the northern Netherlands by 2023. Though various aspects of energy storage via pressure are not new, the pairing of it with green energy sources carries significant potential.   Compelling Evidence That Multiple Sclerosis Is Caused by Epstein-Barr Virus | SciTechDaily (06:37) Multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease that affects 2.8 million people worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure, is likely caused by infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a study led by Harvard researchers. Establishing a causal relationship between the virus and the disease has been difficult because EBV infects approximately 95% of adults, MS is a relatively rare disease, and the onset of MS symptoms begins about ten years after EBV infection. A study was conducted on more than 10 million young adults on active duty in the U.S. military and identified 955 who were diagnosed with MS during their period of service. The team analyzed serum samples taken biennially by the military and determined the soldiers’ EBV status at time of first sample and the relationship between EBV infection and MS onset the risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV Serum levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of the nerve degeneration typical in MS, increased The delay between EBV infection and the onset of MS may be partially due the disease’s symptoms being undetected during the earliest stages and partially due to the evolving relationship between EBV and the host’s immune system. Alberto Ascherio, senior author of the study stated, “This is a big step because it suggests that most MS cases could be prevented by stopping EBV infection, and that targeting EBV could lead to the discovery of a cure for MS.” Regrowing knee cartilage with an electric kick | MedicalXPress (12:57) Arthritis is a common and painful disease caused by damage to our joints. Normally pads of cartilage cushion those spots. But injuries or age can wear it away.  As cartilage deteriorates, bone begins to hit bone The best treatments available try to replace the damaged cartilage with a healthy piece taken from elsewhere in the body or a donor healthy cartilage is in limited supply The best possible treatment would be to regrow healthy cartilage in the damaged joint itself. "The regrown cartilage doesn't behave like native cartilage. It breaks, under the normal stresses of the joint", says UConn bioengineer Thanh Nguyen. Nguyen's lab has also been working on cartilage regeneration, and they've discovered that electrical signals are key to normal growth. A steady electrical field encourages cells to colonize and grow into cartilage. They designed a tissue scaffold made out of nanofibers of poly-L lactic acid (PLLA), a biodegradable polymer often used to stitch up surgical wounds. has a neat property called pi