From the article: The vast majority of plastic that people put into recycling bins is headed to landfills, or worse, according to a report from Greenpeace on the state of plastic recycling in the U.S.

The report cites separate data published this May which revealed that the amount of plastic actually turned into new things has fallen to new lows of around 5%. That number is expected to drop further as more plastic is produced.

Greenpeace found that no plastic — not even soda bottles, one of the most prolific items thrown into recycling bins — meets the threshold to be called "recyclable" according to standards set by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastic Economy Initiative. Plastic must have a recycling rate of 30% to reach that standard; no plastic has ever been recycled and reused close to that rate.

"More plastic is being produced, and an even smaller percentage of it is being recycled," says Lisa Ramsden, senior plastic campaigner for Greenpeace USA. "The crisis just gets worse and worse, and without drastic change will continue to worsen as the industry plans to triple plastic production by 2050."

From the article: As the EU energy crisis deepens, U.K.’s National Grid is testing new technology that could increase the capacity of its existing overhead power lines on its electricity transmission network, allowing more renewable power to flow.

National Grid is collaborating with LineVision, the only firm in the world to offer non-contact overhead power line monitoring systems, to install sensors and a dynamic line rating (DLR) platform, according to a press release the company published on Thursday.

“To meet the increasing demand for electricity and deliver net zero, our network needs to grow, but at the same time we are continually looking at ways of expanding capacity on our existing infrastructure,” said Lydia Ogilvie, Director of Network Strategy and Operations for National Grid, a British multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London.

“I’m proud that National Grid is leading the way in using transformational and innovative engineering, integrating vital grid enhancing technologies like LineVision’s, to decarbonize and deliver world-class reliability, at lowest costs for consumers.”

The sensors will use advanced analytics to calculate the Dynamic Line Rating while continuously monitoring the transmission lines.

The size, resistance, and maximum safe operating temperature of a power line and the local weather circumstances all contribute to the Dynamic Line Rating.

From the article: Engineers at Duke University have developed a novel delivery system for cancer treatment and demonstrated its potential against one of the disease’s most troublesome forms. In newly published research in mice with pancreatic cancer, the scientists showed how a radioactive implant could completely eliminate tumors in the majority of the rodents, demonstrating what they say is the most effective treatment ever studied in these pre-clinical models.

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat, with tumor cells of this type highly evasive and loaded with mutations that make them resistant to many drugs. It accounts for just 3.2 percent of all cancers, yet is the third leading cause of cancer-related death. One way of tackling it is by deploying chemotherapy to hold the tumor cells in a state that makes them vulnerable to radiation, and then hitting the tumor with a targeted radiation beam.

But doing so in a way that attacks the tumor but doesn’t expose the patient to heavy doses of radiation is a fine line to tread, and raises the risk of severe side effects. Another method scientists are exploring is the use of implants that can be placed directly inside the tumor to attack it with radioactive materials from within. They have made some inroads using titanium shells to encase the radioactive samples, but these can cause damage to the surrounding tissue.

"There's just no good way to treat pancreatic cancer right now," said study author Jeff Schaal.

From the article: A new study published in Psychiatry Research suggests that experiencing a serious case of COVID-19 is associated with increased risk of developing schizophrenia.

COVID-19 has had massive effects on society and many individuals’ health that will continue for years to come. In addition to serious physical health outcomes, it has been shown to be linked to declines in mental health that come from neuropsychological effects of the disease. COVID-19 can affect the nervous system, metabolism, and brain function. Despite our increasing knowledge of the negative effects of COVID-19, people have begun a return to normalcy and society has lifted mask mandates.

For their new study, Ancha Baranova and colleagues utilized data from two Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS). This included one for the SARS-CoV-2 infection and one for hospitalized COVID-19 cases. Datasets included 122,616 cases of SARS, 32,519 cases of COVID-19, and 53,386 cases of schizophrenia, in addition to controls for each group.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a type of genetic research that looks for associations between genes and particular traits or conditions. Often, GWAS research is used to identify genes that may be involved in certain diseases.

The data allowed the researchers to examine the topic using the Mendelian randomization framework, a research method that uses genetic variation to study the relationship between exposures and outcomes. By comparing the effects of different variants of a gene, researchers can identify which exposures are associated with which outcomes. This approach has several advantages over traditional observational studies. First, it can help to control for confounding variables. Second, it can provide insight into causal relationships.