Many of the technologies we rely upon today stem from smaller breakthroughs in science and engineering that preceded it by years or decades.
All around the world, scientists and engineers are constantly pushing boundaries and making new discoveries that may one day drive the future.
In October, researchers at Peking University published a paper demonstrating using DNA to store information in binary code, making it more compatible with conventional programming languages.
It doesn’t require the trained lab researchers and specialized equipment that are typically needed for this type of computing, making DNA an easier storage medium to work with.
The breakthrough heralds a promising future for places where coal still dominates the economy as the world transitions to renewable forms of energy.
The first thing that most likely springs to mind when you think of Albert Einstein is the Theory of Relativity, which he was instrumental in creating. Thus, it might surprise you to hear that he didn’t receive the Nobel Prize for this. He received that distinction for discovering the photoelectric effect. Even if you’ve never heard of it, you see its influence every day as it powers everything from digital cameras to solar panels to medical imaging.
Numerous technologies that we use today are the result of smaller scientific and engineering advances that came years or decades earlier. Around the world, engineers and scientists are always pushing the envelope and coming up with new ideas that could influence the future. These are five of the 2024 innovations that fall under this category.
A step toward computers made of DNA.
The potential of using DNA for computing has been studied since the 1990s; this could theoretically offer benefits in terms of power requirements, parallel processing, and data storage. Ten million hours of video, for instance, could fit in a gram of DNA; at the moment, that would take an entire server rack. Even though a working DNA computer is still a ways off, some intriguing advancements this year may help it get closer.
In a paper published in August, a research team from Johns Hopkins University and North Carolina State University essentially demonstrated a first-of-its-kind DNA computer that can access, add, and modify data in addition to performing computations. The prototype allowed the researchers to solve basic puzzles in games like sudoku and chess.
Additionally, there was another noteworthy advancement in DNA computation this year. A study showing how DNA can be used to store data in binary code that is more compatible with traditional programming languages was published in October by Peking University researchers. An even more useful use of this method is that DNA is a simpler storage medium to work with because it doesn’t require the specialized equipment and skilled lab researchers that are normally required for this kind of computing.
Researchers created an actual version of Spider-Man’s web fluid.
According to the comics, Spider-Man’s web fluid is a very adaptable material that can hold large weights, stick to objects, and be stored as a liquid. By taking fibers from silk moth cocoons and mixing them with chemicals to make a liquid that solidifies when squeezed from a needle and exposed to air, Tufts University researchers created a real-life version of the substance in October. The sticky material has the ability to adhere to surfaces and support more than 80 times its own weight.
Enhancing the material’s strength is the next step for the researchers (real spider silk, for instance, is roughly 1,000 times stronger). But, as its qualities are improved, it may find use in a wide range of commercial and industrial goods, much like silk is used in many modern products.
producing medications in orbit and returning them to Earth.
The California startup Varda Space Industries announced in March of this year that it had successfully produced the HIV medication ritonavir in a tiny, automated laboratory in space. A significant step in proving that medications made in microgravity remain stable upon return to Earth was taken by the company when they successfully brought the medications back.
A crystallization process that is common to the manufacturing of many drugs can be fine-tuned in orbit. Big pharmaceutical companies have been carrying out a number of related experiments on board the International Space Station because that degree of control can mean the difference between making a medication into a pill and needing to administer it via intravenous.
The automated nature of Varda’s spacecraft gives them an advantage over the ISS because they don’t need astronauts on board. Delian Asparouhov, the president of the company, told Forbes earlier this year that this means they are not bound by NASA’s crewed flight schedule, which drastically lowers the associated costs. To speed up spacecraft production, the company raised a $90 million series B round in April.
New disease treatments may result from mapping this cellular process.
Scientists at Barcelona’s Center for Genomic Regulation finally released a map of the human “spliceosome” in October after a ten-year wait. This is the area of the cell responsible for reading and modifying your DNA to produce various proteins. This mechanism, which has been shown to be far more complex than previously believed, edits more than 90% of your genes.
A significant step toward developing new medications is the discovery of these blueprints for one of the most important functions of the cell. Numerous illnesses, including genetic disorders, neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s, and the majority of cancers, are associated with spliceosome errors. It may be possible to identify new targets for drug development now that researchers have a precise map of how each of its components functions.
The next battery for your EV may contain some coal.
Graphite, one of the most important parts of lithium-ion batteries, is predicted to become scarce in the 2030s as a result of demand from electric cars. Almost 80 percent of the material produced worldwide is currently sourced from China. The nation has mines and manufacturing plants capable of producing graphite artificially, which is currently a costly procedure.
In December, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory may have discovered a way to prevent these shortages by creating two new methods for converting coal into graphite. One method transforms solid coal through an electrochemical reaction. The other produces graphite by electrochemically treating a slurry, which is a liquified form of coal, after filtering it. The procedure is potentially less expensive than traditional methods because it uses less energy in both situations.
This innovation shows the potential that coal, which is still plentiful globally, could have in the twenty-first century, Edgar Lara-Curzio, the project leader, told Forbes. According to him, “you could make things like carbon fibers and electrodes for energy storage devices and construction materials.”. As the globe shifts to renewable energy sources, the discovery portends a bright future for regions where coal still accounts for the majority of the economy.
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