BioMonde supplies greenbottle larvae for treatment of non-squeamish patients across Europe

Hundreds of UK health service hospitals as well as clinics in Germany are using maggots to clean chronic wounds such as diabetic leg ulcers and speed up the healing process – reviving a centuries-old tradition practised by Maya tribes in Central America and Indigenous Australians.

During the first world war, the US doctor William Baer realised wounds with maggots in them healed much faster than those without. He started growing larvae on a hospital windowsill to treat patients with osteomyelitis, a bone inflammation.

By the end of the 1930s, 300 hospitals in the US and Canada were using maggots, but their use declined with the arrival of penicillin and other antibiotics, only to be rediscovered in the 1990s amid growing antibiotic resistance.

More than 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide is being removed from Earth’s atmosphere each year, according to an analysis of global efforts to capture and store the greenhouse gas.

But this will not be enough to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to less than 2 °C above pre-industrial temperatures, even with pledges from governments worldwide to increase carbon dioxide removal (CDR) rates and invest in new technologies.

The report, called The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal, provides the first global estimates of the total amount of carbon that is being sucked out of the air each year, and predicts how much this will have to increase under various emissions scenarios. It was published on 19 January

Using a technique called “DNA origami,” researchers created traps that encase large viruses—such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and Zika—in hopes of preventing them from infecting cells.

A study published today (18 January) in Cell Reports Physical Science details how researchers used DNA origami to engineer strands of genetic material into Lego-like structures that form a cage around large pathogens.

While the study only looked at how effectively the structures bound to viruses in vitro, the traps could one day help clear viruses from the body.

By engineering structures out of DNA, scientists could potentially prevent larger viruses, like coronaviruses and influenza viruses, from interacting with cells

Using a technique called “DNA origami,” researchers created traps that encase large viruses—such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and Zika—in hopes of preventing them from infecting cells.

A study published today (18 January) in Cell Reports Physical Science details how researchers used DNA origami to engineer strands of genetic material into Lego-like structures that form a cage around large pathogens.

While the study only looked at how effectively the structures bound to viruses in vitro, the traps could one day help clear viruses from the body.

Hugely technically challenging and costly goals have been touted, not least the aim of people living and working on other worlds, possibly within ten years - but in a divided world where international good will is scarce, are they realistic?

An analysis of more than 1,500 field observations has identified a collection of agricultural practices that can improve the use of nitrogen fertilizers — boosting crop yields while reducing environmental pollution.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, touted its 3 nanometer process as the world's most advanced semiconductor technology on Thursday at a ceremony announcing the start of mass production of chips using the highly anticipated technology.

The 3nm process yield rate is comparable to that of the 5nm technology and demand for 3nm chips is very strong, said TSMC Chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) during the ceremony held at TSMC's Fab 18 in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan.

Liu said TSMC's 3nm technology would feature an estimated 60 percent gain in density of logic transistors and reduce power consumption by 30 percent to 35 percent at the same rate compared with 5nm technology.

Higher logic density means smaller transistors that operate faster and require less power to operate can be produced.

Around three billion litres of water are lost through leaks across hundreds of thousands of miles of water pipe in England and Wales daily, says water industry economic regulator Ofwat

Scientists have now developed miniature robots to patrol the pipe network, check for faults and prevent leaks.

They say maintaining the network will be "impossible" without robotics.

Unroll this solar carpet onto a roof—or any other surface that sees sunlight.