In this episode:
Red mud is a toxic by-product of aluminium manufacture, and millions of tonnes of it is produced each year. The majority ends up in landfills, pumped into vast lakes or stored in dried mounds, posing a serious environmental risk. This week, researchers demonstrate how red mud can be reused to make iron, a vital component in the production of steel. As their method uses hydrogen plasma rather than fossil fuels, they suggest it could be a way to reduce the carbon emissions associated with the steelmaking industry.
Research article: Jovičević-Klug et al.
News and Views: Iron extracted from hazardous waste of aluminium production
The economics of next-generation geothermal power plants, and the folded-fabric robot that crawls like a snake.
Research Highlight: Flexible geothermal power makes it easier to harness Earth’s inner heat
Research Highlight: Origami fabric robot slithers like a snake
A computational model that predicts a person's likelihood of developing long COVID, NASA finally crack open the lid of OSIRIS-REx’s sample container, and how the ‘Moon Sniper’ craft pulled off the most precise lunar landing ever.
Nature News: Long-COVID signatures identified in huge analysis of blood protein
Johnson Space Centre: NASA’S OSIRIS-REx Curation Team Reveals Remaining Asteroid Sample
Nature News: Japan’s successful Moon landing was the most precise ever
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Starting up in science: Episode 1
Audio long-read: Can artificially altered clouds save the Great Barrier Reef?
Coronapod: solving the COVID vaccine manufacturing problem
The floating sensors inspired by seeds
How to help feed the world with 'Blue Foods'
The billion years missing from Earth’s history
Dead trees play an under-appreciated role in climate change
Audio long-read: why sports concussions are worse for women
Coronapod: How Delta is changing the game
What’s the isiZulu for dinosaur? How science neglected African languages
Coronapod: COVID boosters amidst global vaccine inequity
The brain cells that help animals navigate in 3D
Coronapod: Ivermectin, what the science says
Flood risk rises as people surge into vulnerable regions
Has the world’s oldest known animal been discovered?
Audio long-read: How ancient people fell in love with bread, beer and other carbs
Coronapod: the latest on COVID and sporting events
How the US is rebooting gun violence research
Coronapod: Does England's COVID strategy risk breeding deadly variants?
How deadly heat waves expose historic racism
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