Hey Steemers!
I'm going to try and kick off a monthly post about cool things that are happening in science for that month. Usually will be anywhere from 3 to 4 topics. I will attempt to make a post on the 3rd Friday of the month for continuity reasons and so I am following a schedule.
So we are more than halfway through January of 2018 and there have been a number of scientific announcements, findings, and research!
1. Astronomers announce they will produce the first ever image of black hole in 2018.
Black holes are a point in space where the gravitational pull is so strong, that not even light can escape from it. Since light is unable to escape, astronomers / astrophysicists haven't ever actually seen a black hole.
Black holes form when the center of a big star collapses on itself. When this phenomenon occurs, it creates a supernova which is an exploding star.
Present day telescopes are retrofitted with special tools that can help find the existence of a black hole by showing astronomers how stars act when they are close to one opposed to others that are no where near one. The stars close to a black hole will emit a high-energy light that only satellites and telescopes can pick up on.
There is a new telescope being created called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) that will potentially allow astronomers and astrophysicist to actually view a black hole. The EHT is currently in the process of being created in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The specially designed mirrors for the EHT are in the process of being created at the University of Arizona under their football stadium.
For more information about the Event Horizon Telescope, please visit: http://eventhorizontelescope.org/
2. Researchers have developed a fuel cell powered by algae.
A new fuel cell utilizing algae has been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge. This isn't the first time researchers have used microscopic plants and algae as a fuel cell. Researchers are claiming this new fuel cell is supposed to be five timers more efficient and cost-effective than the other fuel cells that have been created.
The fuel cells are bio solar cells also known as biophotovoltaic devices (BPV). These fuel cells harvest solar energy and use photosynthetic abilities of the algae to create electric currents. These cells were genetically modified by researchers to minimize the amount of electricity that is consumed during photosynthesis.
If you'd like to read some more here is an article: https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/algae-powered-fuel-cells-bolster-clean-energy-development/71705874658124
Alternatively, you can use Google News and search for "Algae powered fuel cells" and look for the latest news articles
3. Bill Gates believes therapies used to combat cancer can be used for other diseases.
Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft Corporation, made a keynote speech on January 8th at J.P. Morgan's Annual Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.
In Bill's speech he claims that the immunotherapy treatments used to treat cancer patients can actually be used to control other diseases like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Bill Gates has founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and funneling most of his wealth to help fund research to fight off a number of diseases globally, specifically for poor or under developed countries. He believes that the private sector of health and medicine is the best place to perform this kind of research due to pharmaceutical and biotech companies do not have that many incentives to pursue applications of this research for the poor.
Bill Gate's keynote speech can be found here: https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Improving-Global-Health?WT.mc_id=01_08_2018_12_JPMorgan_GF-media_&WT.tsrc=GFmedia
There you have it folks! Some interesting topics going on in science that have popped in January 2018. 2018 so far in science is off to a great start.
One thing to look out for if you are interested is the Falcon Heavy launch by SpaceX which has been put off a few times due to bad weather and further tests. The Falcon Heavy launch is expected hopefully towards the end of January if not sometime in February.
I hope you all have enjoyed some of the interesting topics I've brought to your attention in relation to scientific findings, announcements, and advancements.
If you enjoyed my post, please give me a follow and/or an upvote so I know if these posts are desired in the future and so you can follow along for my future science posts.