Category: Innovation

Australian ophthalmologist and biotech entrepreneur Professor Gerard Sutton has a vision of the future where curing blindness worldwide could be achieved simply through cell replication and 3D printing technology.

Professor Sutton, co-founder of Bienco, explained that his company has developed both a physical and intellectual product that could soon revolutionize cornea transplants by enabling mass production of natural corneas. Cornea transplantation, a common method to restore sight, traditionally depends on donor availability and is technically complex. The cornea acts as the eye’s clear “windscreen,” and it being damaged or diseased is a significant portion of non-hereditary blindness around the world.

Reflecting on a poignant experience, Sutton recounted a 2004 trip to Myanmar aimed at alleviating blindness caused by the country’s civil war. He brought four donated corneas and arrived to find a thousand people waiting for treatment, having learned of his visit through local media. From this overwhelming crowd, he could only choose four individuals for transplants, prioritizing young patients. A similar overwhelming situation during a subsequent visit to Cambodia cemented his resolve to find an innovative solution.

Professor Damien Harkin from Queensland University of Technology, part of the Bienco team, highlighted the dire shortage of donor corneas, with one available for every seventy people needing a transplant. Bienco’s approach could extend one donor cornea to treat up to thirty individuals through lab cultivation.

Bienco’s synthetic corneas are crafted from collagen—a protein found in hair, skin, nails, and connective tissue—which typically forms opaque structures. The challenge was to engineer transparent collagen suitable for corneal transplants.

After successfully managing this, the team turned their focus on developing a way of layering this collagen to form a transplantable cornea structure

Sutton was able to secured AUD$35 million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, established by Australia’s treasurer, propelling Bienco towards its ambitious goal. Sutton is optimistic that within three to four years they will reach their goal.

You can find the full interview here. (listen or read)

Reactivated for the first time since the 1980s, the Pinyon Plain uranium mine commenced operations in January on Arizona’s Kaibab National Forest, merely seven miles from the Grand Canyon. Driven by a resurgence in nuclear energy interest and a robust increase in uranium prices, Pinyon Plain is tapping into some of the highest-grade uranium ore in the United States. This site marks one of the first uranium mines to open in the U.S. in the past eight years.

This revival is not unique to Pinyon Plain. Across the U.S., at least five mining companies are re-opening sites in Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona, which were previously shut down after the 2011 Fukushima disaster caused uranium prices to crash. Globally, the momentum continues with new mining projects developing in Canada, India, and Mongolia.

This resurgence is largely fueled by global initiatives to combat climate change. At the COP28 U.N. climate conference in Dubai last year, over 20 countries, including the U.S., pledged to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 to decrease reliance on fossil fuels. Subsequently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to accelerate the development of next-generation nuclear power plants.

Despite its economic benefits, uranium mining’s environmental impact is profound, historically contaminating groundwater, soil, and surface water with radioactive materials, heavy metals, and acid mine drainage. While some damage has been remediated, much pollution remains due to remediation costs and challenges.

The legacy of uranium mining in the American West, especially near Indigenous lands, has left enduring environmental and health scars, heightening concerns about the new wave of uranium extraction.

However, proponents argue that modern mining techniques, like in-situ leaching, are less invasive and cleaner than traditional open-pit mining. This method involves dissolving underground ore with a chemical solution that is then pumped to the surface for uranium extraction, significantly reducing surface disturbance and water usage.

Scott Melbye, president of Uranium Producers of America and CEO of Uranium Royalty, emphasizes that current U.S. production standards are stringent, advocating for domestic mining over importing uranium from countries with much lower environmental and labor standards.

If the strict environmental standards can be maintained it would go a long way to alleviating most concerns. This combined with advancing nuclear technology could bring a new era of safe and renewable nuclear energy.

Did you know that the moon is changing colors? In fact, the moon is rusting.

That fact came as quite a surprise to scientist when it was first discovered as water or oxygen would be required for the moon to rust. The moon happens to have neither of those.

However, we now know why this is happening. If this piques your interest, you will want to check out this short video from Sci Show explaining how and why this is happening.

Drones, especially quadcopters, have undeniably revolutionized various aspects of contemporary life, despite ongoing debates around privacy and safety.

They have transformed photography and videography with dramatic perspectives and enabled the delivery of food and essentials to remote locations. Yet, one significant limitation often overlooked is their relatively brief flight times, constrained by small battery capacities. This limits their range and the weight of their payloads unless they can land for a recharge. To address this, a novel approach has been explored that leverages a common and powerful energy source found in urban environments: the electrical power lines crisscrossing the sky.

The innovation comes from a team including Viet Duong Hoang, Frederik Falk Nyboe, Nicolaj Haarhøj Malle, and Emad Ebeid, who recognize that current battery technology forces drones to travel light, typically allowing for about an hour of flight. This sharply restricts how far and how long drones can operate unless they find a way to recharge during their missions, similar to how vehicles refuel or recharge while on the road. However, establishing drone “charging stations” could be impractical or costly.

Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark have proposed a solution that bypasses the need for solar power, which they deemed too slow and insufficient for drones. Their design enables drones to attach themselves to power lines using a clamping mechanism. When the drone’s battery dips below a certain level, it seeks out the nearest power line, positions itself underneath, and then ascends until it securely attaches to the cable. It then draws power through induction to both charge its battery and power the clamping mechanism.

This concept was put to the test with a drone designed for inspecting power lines, equipped with custom sensors and a gripper, operating autonomously. The drone successfully recharged itself five times during its mission, extending its operation time to two hours. This demonstrates the potential for delivery drones to utilize nearby power lines for recharging.

However, this recharging method is not without its challenges, given the current state of drone technology. The reliability of fully autonomous drones remains a concern, raising fears about potential accidents that could disrupt electrical services. While public drone charging stations might be a more straightforward solution, this is nonetheless a very interesting, and potentially useful, invention.