In Brief – May 2022
An Airbus jumbo jet flies on cooking oil
An Airbus A380, the largest passenger jet in the world, completed a three-hour intra-French test flight on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) — typically derived from cooking oil or other waste fats. Previously, the Airbus flew its A319 neo single-aisle aircraft in October 2021using SAF.
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Turning back the aging clock
In a big step forward in understanding cell reprogramming, scientists at the Babraham Institute have developed a method to turn back the human cellular aging clock by 30 years without losing its specialised cellular function. The method of regenerating skin is based on the Nobel Prize winning technique scientists used to make stem cells to see how DNA defects in kids cause cancer.
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A café with an all-HIV positive staff
Exclusively run by HIV positive staff, Cafe Positive in Kolkata aims to spread awareness and generate employment for HIV positive people. The staff includes seven HIV positive teenagers. Kallol Ghosh, the owner of the cafe and founder of Anandaghar, an NGO which works with children affected by AIDS, was inspired by a cafe in Frankfurt, run by HIV positive people.
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Rainbow coloured fish discovered
A Maldivian scientist has discovered a new species of rainbow-coloured fish at depths ranging from 131 to 229 feet in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the Maldives. It has been named Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa inspired by the pink rose, the national flower of the Maldives.
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The crypto Robin Hood
Sam Bankman-Fried, a 30-year-old cryptocurrency billionaire, with a fortune of more than $20 billion plans to donate it all to good causes. Bankman, after keeping enough money to maintain a comfortable lifestyle ($100,000 a year), will contribute to the causes close to his heart, starting with pandemic preparedness. He has already given $5 million to a non-profit investigative journalism group.
