United Kingdom

Bifacial PV plate

British scientists develop new bifacial solar technology that generates more power at reduced cost

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Scientists from the University of Surrey in England, working with colleagues at the University of Cambridge, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xidian University, and Zhengzhou University, have developed a flexible perovskite solar panel that use electrodes made of tiny carbon nanotubes. The researchers demonstrated that in addition to producing more energy than traditional solar panels, “the material cost of an all-carbon-electrode-based bifacial PSC is about 70% lower than that of a monofacial device.”

Mushrooms

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans now think using psilocybin is ‘morally positive,’ in dramatic shift in public opinion

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Researchers—representing institutions such as the universities of Oxford, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Grenada—surveyed 795 people on the issue, asking about supervised use specifically for treatment and for well-being enhancement. Participants, the report says, “rated the individual’s decision as morally positive in both contexts.” The study is of note because although psilocybin “has shown promise both as a treatment for psychiatric conditions and as a means of improving well-being in healthy individuals,” authors wrote.

Vast solar farm

Utility solar dethrones coal as the cheapest power source in Asia

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According a new analysis from Wood Mackenzie on the levelized cost of electricity for the Asia Pacific region, the cost of renewables reached a historic low in 2023. Renewable energy costs in Asia last year were 13% cheaper than coal and are expected to be 32% cheaper by 2030. Utility solar is now the cheapest power source in 11 out of 15 APAC countries. New-build solar project costs are expected to fall by another 20% by 2030.

3d illustration of gut and stomach pain

79% of Crohn’s disease patients in remission after early intervention

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Led by researchers from the University of Cambridge, a clinical trial examined the effectiveness of giving the immunotherapy drug infliximab earlier, as soon as possible after diagnosis. They employed what’s called a ‘top-down’ strategy, meaning the drug was given straight after diagnosis regardless of the patient’s symptom severity. They found that this early intervention significantly reduces complications of this often debilitating disease, including the need for surgery by a factor of 10.

A researcher examining lung cancer scans in a clinical setting for an article about mesothelioma survival rates

New drug quadruples three-year survival rates for mesothelioma in international trial

By / / Good News For Humankind

Mesothelioma survival rates have quadrupled over three years thanks to a drug that starves tumors of a key nutrient, marking the first successful new treatment combination for the disease in 20 years. The international ATOMIC-meso trial, led by Queen Mary University of London and published in JAMA Oncology, found that patients receiving pegargiminase alongside standard chemotherapy were significantly more likely to be alive three years later. The drug works by depleting arginine in the bloodstream, cutting off a nutrient that mesothelioma cells cannot produce themselves. For a cancer caused by asbestos exposure that has historically offered patients months rather than years, this breakthrough represents a genuine turning point.

Aerial view of rolling hills

England brings in biodiversity rules to force builders to compensate for loss of nature

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England is launching a biodiversity credit scheme that attempts to force all new road and housebuilding projects to benefit nature, rather than damage it. The “nature market”, called biodiversity net gain (BNG), means all new building projects must achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity or habitat. The requirement becomes law under the Town and Country Planning Act on February 12 for larger sites, and on April 2 2024 for smaller sites.

Aerial view of container ship

Decarbonization containers turn 78% of marine emissions into limestone in new pilot

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A remarkable pilot project installed on a 787-ft. container ship has proven it’s possible to capture emissions from the smokestacks of cargo ships with 78% efficiency and convert the CO2 into limestone pebbles, which can be offloaded and sold. London startup Seabound, funded by a US$1.5-million grant from the UK Government, partnered up with global shipping company Lomar to install the carbon capture equipment on one of its older and dirtier-burning ships, a medium-sized vessel capable of carrying more than 3,200 shipping containers.

Doctor holding vial of HPV vaccine

No cervical cancer cases in HPV-vaccinated women in Scotland

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A new study from Public Health Scotland has found that no cases of cervical cancer have been detected in young women who have been fully-vaccinated as part of the HPV immunization program, concluding that the vaccine was “highly effective” in preventing the development of the cancer. Scotland’s HPV vaccination program started in 2008 with girls offered the vaccine in their first year at secondary school.