Daily Innovation News

October 23^rd 2024

⚡️ Energy

🇺🇸 🇰🇷 Hyundai converts food waste into hydrogen power at Georgia plant, cutting emissions

Hyundai has introduced a waste-to-hydrogen method at its Georgia plant, using food scraps to produce hydrogen through anaerobic digestion. The hydrogen powers fuel-cell trucks, offering longer ranges and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. This innovative process not only reduces waste but also creates mini hydrogen production hubs, lowering transportation and storage costs. The company’s move aligns with its broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

🚘 Transport

🇺🇸 US launches solar-roofed electric school buses with V2X tech to boost grid resilience

A new Smart Energy Hub in Brooklyn, featuring 12 solar-roofed electric school buses, integrates vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology to enhance clean energy use and grid resilience. The buses, operated by First Student, not only replace diesel but also serve as mobile batteries, storing and supplying energy during peak demand or emergencies. This project with Con Edison showcases how electric school buses can support local communities by delivering power to hospitals and essential services. First Student aims to transition 30,000 buses to electric by 2035.

🌎 Environment

🇺🇸 US researchers develop electro-agriculture tech that grows food in the dark, cutting land use by 94%

US scientists have developed an "electro-agriculture" system that uses solar power to produce acetate, enabling plants to grow without sunlight. This breakthrough could make farming more efficient by reducing land use by 94%, improving energy efficiency fourfold compared to photosynthesis. The technique could allow crops to grow in indoor, climate-independent environments, offering a sustainable solution to food production amid climate change. The study was published in Joule.

🇦🇺 Australian researchers develop breakthrough tech to extract 90% lithium from extreme deserts

Australian scientists have developed a new lithium extraction method, EDTA-aided loose nanofiltration (EALNF), which recovers 90% of lithium from desert environments. This innovative approach is faster and more efficient than traditional methods, nearly doubling performance while producing high-quality magnesium as a by-product. EALNF could unlock 75% of currently untapped lithium reserves, addressing global lithium shortages crucial for the clean energy transition. The study was published in Nature Sustainability.

🇺🇸 US engineers develop bendable, self-healing concrete to improve winter road safety

US engineers have created a flexible, self-healing concrete that generates heat, offering a sustainable solution for winter roads. This innovative material can melt ice, reducing the need for road salt, which is harmful to the environment. The concrete's ability to repair small cracks and withstand heavy traffic could lower maintenance costs and extend road life, particularly benefiting rural areas. The research highlights the potential for greener and safer infrastructure.

🇨🇭 Swiss scientists propose diamond dust in the sky to tackle global warming

Swiss researchers have found that injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere could reflect sunlight and lower global temperatures by 1.6°C over 45 years. This solar geoengineering approach, known as stratospheric aerosol injection, showed that diamonds outperformed other materials in reducing stratospheric temperature and water vapor anomalies. Although effective, the process would require five million tons of diamond dust annually and cost an estimated $200 trillion. The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters.

💊 Healthcare

🇺🇸 US researchers develop targeted therapy against cancer-causing mutant proteins with minimal side effects

A new biologic drug, developed by US scientists, selectively targets mutant HER2, a cancer-causing protein, without harming its normal counterpart on healthy cells. The technique, involving antibodies engineered to recognize a single amino acid difference in the protein, could lead to cancer therapies with fewer side effects. Early-stage tests in mice show significant tumor reduction without severe side effects. The study, published in Nature Chemical Biology, suggests this approach may treat other cancers linked to mutant proteins.

🇺🇸 AI reveals DNA ‘grammar’ secrets for precise gene editing, enabling targeted therapies

US researchers have used AI to uncover the "grammar" of DNA regulatory elements, enabling precise control of gene activity. This breakthrough, published in Nature, allows synthetic DNA switches, known as cis-regulatory elements (CREs), to be designed for highly specific gene expression in targeted tissues. The AI-designed CREs, tested in animal models, showed precise activation in desired cells, offering new possibilities for gene therapy and biomedicine. This development opens up new frontiers in personalized treatments and gene control.

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