We both know that we’re not ready to go back to the lectures and pretending to be interested in the overenthusiastic guy’s opinion in your tutorial.  I bet his name’s Brian, they’re always called Brian.  One week isn’t long enough to not be listening to Brian.

 

I’ve decided that, instead of providing yet more cheerful news on climate change and plagues that only work to increase my anxiety and yours, this time I refuse.  For this article, I wanted to remind everyone of some of the great and genuinely heart-warming work that is going on.

 

  • We’ve already started joking about the water wars that might occur in the future because of less access to the wet stuff, but will that happen? Researchers at Manchester University have been working on a graphene-oxide membrane that can sieve ions such as salt from liquid.  In layman’s terms, you can turn sea water into fresh drinking water.  BAM, AMAZING.

 

  • Ladies, I still get achy muscle memory when I think of the HPV jab most of us got at school to protect against cervical cancer. Not only is this one of the most frequent cancers in women, but it’s also one of the deadliest.  Well, we have another small victory.  It’s been predicted that Australia will become the first country in the world to virtually eradicate this disease.  By 2028, they are hoping that the rate of occurrence will be so low that it will be considered a rare cancer.  BOSH, BRILLIANT.

 

  • Though not on the radar so much here in Scotland, malaria affects and kills millions in parts of the world such as Sub-Saharan Africa. It has remained a problem, developing resistance to various drugs, until now.  Scientists at Imperial College London have been investigating the manipulation of the genetic code of the mosquitos that pass on this virus.  Using CRISPR editing, they have been able to create genetically engineered mosquitos causing infertility in females.  As the virus needs female mosquitos to be pregnant to bite humans, this is the first step to a not-so-fond farewell.  SCREW YOU MALARIA.

 

  • Disclaimer: yes, I know that nuclear power is a controversial point. However, many would argue that it is a viable alternative to fossil fuels which, if you’ve been watching the news recently, we desperately need.  Work is currently being done to sustainably control and harness this power, and MIT researchers are hoping that by 2030, we will have fusion energy.  FRIKKEN WOW.

 

  • So, remember that piece I wrote about the antibiotic apocalypse? (what? Of course I’m not plugging my work, that would be silly…https://standrewsradio.com/lucys-mind-lab-please-stand-by-for-this-public-service-announcement/). We’re fighting back.  A potential new antimicrobial, Cefiderocol, disguises itself to enter bacterial cells, and attacks it from the inside.  Developments like these mean we have made another small step to making sure we don’t live in a superbug-ridden wasteland.  ABSO-POSITIVELY-LOVELY STUFF.

 

You just got learned.  That’s just a handful of the cool stuff scientists do.  If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by general life stuff, from deadlines and applications to politics and…well everything, know that there’s a bunch of nerds out there working to make our lives better.