1. One thing that helpsFluorescent TumoursThe success or failure of cancer-surgery hinges on identifying and removing all of the tumour. It is difficult for surgeons to find the exact line between healthy cells and tumours using sight and touch so they use use fluorescent probes to light up the tumour cells. However, injecting them and waiting for them to work can prolong a patient’s hospital stay on both ends of the operation. Ching-Hsuan Tung and his team came up with a simpler solution: a fluorescent spray.It works by reacting to the acidic environment produced by tumours, but is nearly invisible at the neutral PH of healthy cells. Trials in mice showed that the spray was able to illuminate tumour cells in a matter of minutes after spraying, and it doesn’t require washing to get rid of the dye. When injected, it illuminated ovarian tumours as small as 1mm in diameter.The spray will prove to be helpful for surgeons in visualizing the tumour cells to ensure their complete removal during an operation. For patients, it will mean less time spent in the hospital and more confidence in the success of the operation.2 One to be wary of Autobot or Decepticon?
Tesla recently unveiled its plans for the Tesla Bot- a humanoid robot that will perform all the tasks you don’t want to do. A future where robots will be mingling with people in society is drawing closer and closer. It’s an exciting future but not without risk.Tesla’s AI based, autonomous-automotive technologies are also the backbone of Tesla Bot. They enable him/her/it/they to wander out, navigate busy footpaths, and return home. This means that robots will be part of the fabric of society and that is where the problems start.For starters, Tesla’s autopilot isn’t perfect. Then there’s the inherent bias of AI: it tends to be sexist and racist. So we need to ask ourselves: When is the right time for society as a whole to adopt such technologies? Consider the privacy issues involved. A robot living with you collects sensitive data all the time. Will the data be sent to a server for processing? What about robots used for police work - how much autonomy is granted to them? Inevitably, modders will tinker with the bot itself, making it faster or smarter and raising safety and performance issues further.Exponential technological advancement is inevitable. But we should be able to decide the direction we’re taking to ensure that technology is serving humanity. Driving past the school bus-stop this morning there were 10 or so kids waiting for the bus all staring into their phones and not talking to each other. This is representative of a wider shift where social-media algorithms have changed the way our brains work and how we behave. Given Elon’s earlier alarmism around the dangers of AI I would have expected a more cautious approach from Tesla. *steps down from soapbox*3. One to amazeProducts From Thin-Air
Two companies, Lanzatech and Newlight Technologies are creating products out of thin air. More specifically, they are taking carbon dioxide and other dodgy emissions and turning them into chemicals to help make new stuff. Astounding!Lanzatech grabs all the emissions coming out of existing industrial facilities and converts them into ethanol though a process using bacteria to break them down. Ethanol is then used for a range of products like plastic bottles, shampoo and even fuel.Newlight Technologies' approach is similar but they have a very different product. They take carbon dioxide and methane to produce AirCarbon – a synthetic material that acts like plastic but degrades as readily as other organic matter. AirCarbon is then used for a wide range of products like straws, cutlery and even fashion.I am hopeful that with the pandemic starting to come under control through vaccination (touch wood, cross-fingers), governments will be able to refocus on the solving the climate crisis. The solutions are there in private industry – they just need some resources to progress.