CRISPR enters its first human clinical trials (7 minute read)
CRISPR has the promise of being able to cure most of the over 6,000 known genetic diseases. In its first clinical trials, CRISPR is being used to combat cancer, genetic blindness, and blood disorders in people. If these trials are successful, a variety of other diseases will be targeted. Previous promising technologies, such as stem cell injections and conventional gene therapies, have failed to produce desired results in humans. CRISPR works by cutting up DNA in precise locations to disable certain genes, remove troublesome DNA, or repair DNA problems. The process can sometimes go wrong, and even when it goes as planned, the changes can have unexpected consequences. In the first CRISPR trials in cancer and blood disorders, scientists will make the changes outside the body and observe the cells first to check for problems, rather than setting CRISPR loose in the body.
This plane can fly 500 miles, powered entirely by hydrogen (3 minute read)
ZeroAvia has revealed the largest zero-emissions plane to ever fly without support from fossil fuels. It has been testing the technology over the past year and plans to supply its hydrogen-fueled electric powertrain to planes with as many as 20 seats on flights up to 500 miles long. The aviation industry is responsible for almost 900 million metric tons of CO2 emissions a year. Other attempts at creating emission-free plane engines use batteries to store electric power, but ZeroAvia chose to use hydrogen, as a system based on hydrogen fuel cells is around four times more energy-dense as the best batteries currently available. Hydrogen-fueled planes for short flights are cheaper, more efficient, and require less maintenance. Longer flights are possible with liquid hydrogen storage, but further safety testing and certification is required before it becomes a reality.