Items of Interest

Cholera Rice Vaccine

Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a vaccine for Cholera that is delivered using genetically modified rice, which has successfully completed phase 1 human trials. The edible Cholerea vaccine hides in the membranes of fat in protein droplets within the rice cells, protecting it from the digestive system.

Innovation

Science

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Facemask COVID Detector

#270

Researchers at MIT and Harvard have developed a COVID-19 detection system that is integrated into a facemask which tests the wearer's breath for COVID-19 in ninety minutes. The wFDCF technology uses freeze dried test moelcules that are activated when water is released into the testing unit via release button. The system combines the high accuracy of a PCR test with the speed and low cost of an antigen test.

Innovation

Science

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LEGO Bricks From Plastic Bottles

#270

LEGO have developed a prototype material made from recycled PET plastic bottles that can use one recycled PET plastic bottle to produce ten 2 x 4 LEGO bricks.

Environment

Innovation

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Lego High Resolution Microscope

#269

Researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Münster in Germany have designed a high resolution microscope that can be built using Lego and cheap smartphone lenses. The microscope can be used to view micrometer objects such as individual cells.

Innovation

Science

Tech

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Emergency Site Kit

#269

Max Boeck has created a starter kit for building an emergency information website. The kit includes statically generated files, basic styling to help with accessibility, offline operation via a service worker, and is optimised for one ciritical roundtrip request with inline resources.

Web Dev

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Passive Solar Still

#269

Engineers at ETH Zurich have developed a passive solar still that can extract 4.6ml of water from the air per day using a 10cm wide surface requiring no power.

Environment

Innovation

Science

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Wooden Satellite

#269

Finnish company Arctic Astronautics plan to launch a 10 cm cubed cube satellite with a surface made of coated plywood, to test how wood performs in space as a component material.

Space

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Hybrid Working Survey

#269

a16z surveyed 226 company CEOs in their portfolio about their company's plans around remote and hybrid working post-Covid. Two thirds of companies plan to use a hyrbid working model with employees in the office for off-sites or 1 to 2 days per week.

Business

Life