Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 2

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

New calibration module offers improved measurement of thermoelectric device performance

A standard reference thermoelectric module (SRTEM) for objectively measuring thermoelectric module performance has been developed in Korea for the first time. A research team led by Dr. Sang Hyun Park at the Korea Institute of Energy Research developed the world’s second standard reference thermoelectric module, following Japan, and improved its performance by more than 20% compared with existing modules, demonstrating the excellence of Korea’s homegrown technology. The findings are published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

A thermoelectric module is a device that generates electricity by creating a flow of electrons driven by a temperature difference, with one side becoming cold and the other becoming hot. Conversely, when an electric current is applied to a thermoelectric module, one side cools down while the other side heats up.

Thanks to these characteristics, thermoelectric modules are widely used in applications such as compact camping refrigerators and electronic equipment including computers. In addition, because they are environmentally friendly and well suited to miniaturization, they can be broadly applied to emerging fields such as carbon-free power generation and the space industry, which have recently drawn significant attention.

“Is larger always better?” An in vitro comparison of cyclical and static aspiration with different catheters in a neurovascular flow model

Background Recent advances in mechanical thrombectomy for large vessel occlusion suggest that cyclical aspiration (CyA) may enhance clot ingestion and reduce embolic complications compared with static aspiration (StA). We aimed to identify the experimental conditions under which CyA outperforms StA.

Methods A 3D-printed neurovascular model in a flow loop (137÷89 mmHg, 72 bpm) simulated middle cerebral artery M1 segment (MCA-M1) occlusions with soft and stiff clot analogs. CyA (4.5 Hz and Δp=85–105 kPa) was performed with a dual-solenoid device coupled to a vacuum pump. Eighty experiments were randomized into four treatment arms combining aspiration patterns and 0.071″ and 0.088″ aspiration catheters: CyA-71, CyA-88, StA-71, and StA-88.

Results The overall first pass recanalization (FPR) rate was 74% (59÷80), with CyA significantly outperforming StA (92% vs 55%, p0.001).

Acid-treated carbon nanotubes boost efficiency and stability of flexible perovskite solar modules

Flexible perovskite solar modules (f-PSMs) are a key innovation in current renewable energy technology, offering a pathway toward sustainable and efficient energy solutions. However, ensuring long-term operational stability without compromising efficiency or increasing material costs remains a critical challenge.

In a study published in Joule, a joint research team from the Institute of Metal Research (IMR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhengzhou University has achieved power conversion efficiency (PCE) surpassing 20% in flexible modules capable of withstanding a range of external stresses. The study highlights the use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as window electrodes for scalable f-PSMs.

SWCNT films exhibit excellent hydrophobicity, resisting moisture-induced degradation while enhancing device stability. Their flexibility and affordability further position SWCNT-based electrodes as a practical option for sustainable energy systems, providing an ideal opportunity for buildings and infrastructure to incorporate their own power sources in support of a net-zero carbon emissions future.

Antarctica in 2025: Drivers of deep uncertainty in projected ice loss

Antarctic ice plays a crucial role in regulating Earth’s climate, global sea levels, ocean circulation, and planetary reflectivity.

Learn more in this Science Review.

Antarctica is a vital component of Earth’s climate system, influencing global sea level, ocean circulation, and planetary albedo. Major knowledge gaps in critical processes—spanning the atmosphere, ocean, ice sheets, underlying beds, ice shelves, and sea ice—create uncertainties in future projections, hindering climate adaptation and risk assessments of ice intervention strategies. Antarctica’s ice sheet could contribute 28 centimeters to sea level by 2100, and potentially more if we surpass warming thresholds that trigger instabilities and rapid retreat. We review recent advances in understanding the changing stability of the ice sheet margins and identify key processes that require further research. Progress requires high-resolution satellite data, targeted field campaigns, improved modeling, and refined theory.

Global AI Adoption in 2025 — AI Economy Institute

Global adoption of artificial intelligence continued to rise in the second half of 2025, increasing by 1.2 percentage points compared to the first half of the year, with roughly one in six people worldwide now using generative AI tools, remarkable progress for a technology that only recently entered mainstream use.

To track this trend, we measure AI diffusion as the share of people worldwide who have used a generative AI product during the reported period. This measure is derived from aggregated and anonymized Microsoft telemetry and then adjusted to reflect differences in OS and device-market share, internet penetration, and country population. Additional details on the methodology are available in our AI Diffusion technical paper. 1

No single metric is perfect, and this one is no exception. Through the Microsoft AI Economy Institute, we continue to refine how we measure AI diffusion globally, including how adoption varies across countries in ways that best advance priorities such as scientific discovery and productivity gains. For this report, we rely on the strongest cross-country measure available today, and we expect to complement it over time with additional indicators as they emerge and mature.

Autonomous STING signaling in Purkinje cells drives neurodegeneration independent of type I interferon

Microglial STING-type I interferon signaling is known to play a role in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Yang et al. find that STING is also expressed in Purkinje neurons. STING activation dysregulates the autonomous firing and pace-making function of Purkinje neurons independently of interferon signaling, leading to neurodegeneration and cerebellar ataxia.

Microplastics Are Leaking Invisible Chemical Clouds Into Rivers and Oceans

Researchers have mapped the molecular changes that unfold as sunlight causes plastics to leach dissolved organic matter, findings that could reshape understanding of ecosystem health, water quality, and global carbon cycling. Scientists have found that microplastics drifting through rivers, lakes

CRISPR Supercharges a Meatlike Fungus Into a Sustainable Protein Powerhouse

The modified strain grows faster, uses far fewer resources, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions by up to 60%. It also dramatically outperforms chicken farming in land and water use. The findings highlight a promising path for eco-friendly protein…

…’There is a popular demand for better and more sustainable protein for food,’ says corresponding author Xiao Liu of Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China. ‘We successfully made a fungus not only more nutritious but also more environmentally friendly by tweaking its genes.’

Animal agriculture contributes roughly 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It also requires large areas of land and significant amounts of fresh water, which are already under pressure from climate change and human activity. Because of these drawbacks, microbial proteins found in organisms such as yeast and fungi are gaining attention as a more sustainable alternative to traditional meat.

CRISPR has turned a simple fungus into a fast-growing, meat-like protein source with impressively low environmental impact.

/* */