Category: Innovation

In Virginia, a 14-year-old named Heman Bekele was awarded $25,000 and named America’s Top Young Scientist for developing an innovative, low-cost soap designed to treat skin cancer.

Over a four-month period, Bekele competed against nine other finalists in the Young Scientist Challenge, hosted by 3M and Discovery Education, which motivates young people to use STEM to solve real-world issues. With guidance from a mentor, he transformed his concept into a working prototype that administers cancer-fighting agents through lipid nanoparticles in the soap.

Inspired by his childhood in Ethiopia and the prevalent risks of skin cancer due to constant sun exposure, Bekele was moved to act. “I always thought people were always getting hit by the hot sun working outside,” he recounted to NPR. “I didn’t think much of it when I was really little, but as I grew up I realized how big of an issue [skin cancer] really is. Not only in Ethiopia but everywhere around the world.” He was particularly struck by the high costs of traditional treatments, which can reach $40,000, and the significantly lower survival rates in developing countries.

Determined to make a difference, Bekele began experimenting at home, tackling the challenges of soap-making and learning about dendritic cells, which are crucial for the immune system but are compromised by cancer. His innovative soap activates these cells with Imidazoquinoline, a drug used in treatments for other skin conditions and now being tested against skin cancer.

Bekele shared with PBS how his soap ensures the delivery of medicinal components through lipid-based nanoparticles, offering a novel method to combat skin cancer. His aim was clear: “My main goal was to provide an effective, yet affordable and accessible solution to fight skin cancer.” Remarkably, each bar of his soap costs only $.50 to produce.

Bekele’s next steps involve refining his invention and starting a nonprofit to distribute the soap in underserved communities, ensuring that those most in need can benefit from his groundbreaking work.

University of Sydney researchers have pioneered a groundbreaking chemical method utilizing plasma to transform methane gas from landfills into sustainable jet fuel. This innovation holds promise for establishing a low-carbon aviation sector.

The process not only addresses environmental concerns but also offers a dual solution by potentially repurposing all global landfills into energy reservoirs if it proves cost-effective and widely applicable.

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, poses a significant environmental threat with its concentration in the atmosphere surpassing pre-industrial levels by two-and-a-half times. The steady increase in methane emissions, primarily from waste and fossil fuel combustion, underscores the urgency for mitigation efforts.

Australia’s recent participation in an international methane mitigation agreement signals growing global recognition of the issue.

Lead author Professor PJ Cullen from the University of Sydney’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering emphasized the significance of their innovation. He highlighted that while modern landfill facilities already harness their gas emissions for electricity generation, their process yields a more environmentally beneficial and economically valuable outcome.

Global landfill emissions, estimated at 10–20 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, rival those of the entire energy sector. Considering aviation’s contribution to emissions—around 3% globally—the prospect of utilizing landfill methane for jet fuel production presents a promising solution.

The proposed process involves extracting methane from landfill sites through methane wells, which provide an ideal composition for the conversion process.

Professor Cullen explained that non-thermal plasma technology, driven by electricity, enables the conversion of methane into value-added products at low temperature and atmospheric pressure. This approach minimizes energy consumption, aligning well with renewable energy sources.

Scientists claim to have developed a method to enhance the durability and biodegradability of plastics by incorporating bacterial spores that have undergone evolutionary selection. This innovation, dubbed “living plastic,” can decompose within approximately five months without requiring additional microbial assistance.

Led by researchers from the University of California San Diego (UCSD), the team engineered this living plastic using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a common material in various consumer products like footwear and cushions.

The plastic contains bacterial spores that, when exposed to nutrients found in compost, activate and break down the material at the end of its life cycle. Specifically, the spores originate from Bacillus subtilis, a strain known for its ability to degrade plastic polymers.

By utilizing bacterial spores instead of active bacteria, which are more resilient to harsh conditions, the team ensured the material’s stability. This biodegradable plastic was created by combining Bacillus subtilis spores with TPU pellets and extruding them into thin strips.

In experiments conducted in both microbial-rich and sterile compost environments, the plastic strips degraded by up to 90% within five months without the presence of additional microbes. This self-degradation property enhances the versatility of the technology, making it applicable even in microbe-free settings.

While further research is needed to assess any residual effects after degradation, the team believes that any remaining bacterial spores are likely harmless. Bacillus subtilis is a safe strain commonly used in probiotics and agriculture.

The study, published in Nature Communications, also highlights the evolutionary refinement of the bacterial spores to withstand the high temperatures involved in TPU manufacturing. This process not only enhances the material’s mechanical properties but also ensures its suitability for industrial-scale production.

Moving forward, the researchers aim to expand the range of biodegradable materials that can be produced using this technology. However, the widespread adoption of such innovations hinges on their cost-effectiveness and scalability in mass production—a challenge that the team is actively addressing.