Just when we thought fusion energy couldn’t get more appealing, Marathon Fusion has announced they might be able to mass-produce gold as a waste product.

Marathon's theoretical approach involves bombarding mercury-198 with high-energy neutrons in a fusion reactor's breeding blanket, transforming it into unstable mercury-197, which then decays into stable gold-197 within days. Their simulations suggest fusion plants could generate five tonnes of gold per gigawatt of electricity annually, potentially doubling a power plant's revenue.

The catch? The gold would initially be radioactive, requiring 14-18 years of storage before it's safe to handle, and the entire concept depends on commercial fusion reactors that remain stubbornly theoretical. Although for those that like glow in the dark jewellery, it’s a win-win.

🧐 What's in it for me? For now, this remains firmly in "nice if true" territory. While the physics checks out on paper, we're still waiting for someone to actually build a commercial fusion reactor. If it works though, it could reshape precious metals markets. Queue a frantic De Beers “natural gold” marketing push.

💵 Out of the Lab:

Plants are locked in an evolutionary arms race with bacteria, and until now, the bacteria were winning. The research team at UC Davis used AI (specifically, AlphaFold protein prediction tools) to reengineer an immune receptor, helping plants recognise a wider range of bacterial threats including Ralstonia solanacearum which can infect over 200 plant species.

The approach compares immune receptors that can detect many bacterial strains with those that only recognise a few, then uses AI to identify which amino acids to modify. Let’s hope they don’t go too far and end up giving plants soil allergies.

🧐 What's in it for me? This could lead to crop varieties whose immune systems fight diseases without requiring pesticides, which is very hand and somewhat ironic given that pesticides are increasingly being tied to autoimmune conditions in humans.

💵 Out of the Lab:

Ever wondered why ancient Roman structures still stand whilst today’s buildings last only slightly longer than Liz Truss? Well it’s a lot to do with concrete, and in particular, the inclusion of a "carbonate layer" which apparently we all forgot about, until now. 

Enter AI. In a wonderfully contemporary case of overengineering, USC researchers have developed an algorithm that can simulate four billion atoms simultaneously, and their first discovery is concrete that doesn't just avoid emitting carbon dioxide but actually captures it from the atmosphere. 

The Allegro-FM AI model can test different concrete chemistries virtually before expensive real-world experiments, with 97.5% efficiency when simulating over four billion atoms. The simulations suggest it's possible to trap CO₂ released during cement production back into the concrete itself, making it carbon-neutral. Whilst this first application may do little more than get us back to the good [very] old days, the underlying platform is another huge step forward for broader materials science.

🧐 What's in it for me? Colosseums for everyone! Perhaps not, but buildings that actively clean the air while standing for millennia sound nice.

💵 Out of the Lab:

In a surprising vindication of tree huggers worldwide, researchers found that 45 minutes of nature-based virtual reality provides pain relief comparable to actual painkillers.

The study showed that immersive VR nature experiences were almost twice as effective as 2D video images at reducing chronic pain symptoms, with stronger effects in participants who felt more present in the virtual environment. The research simulated chronic pain conditions in healthy participants and found VR nature exposure reduced pain sensitivity development.

🧐 What's in it for me? Whilst doctors won’t be carting post-surgery patients into the forest any time soon, this could provide drug-free pain management for chronic conditions, particularly useful for people who can't easily access actual nature.

💵 Out of the Lab:

Japanese researchers are moving forward with human trials of a drug that could regenerate human teeth, potentially making dentures and implants as obsolete as manually winding your car windows. The treatment targets a specific antibody that inhibits tooth growth, essentially removing the biological brake on dental regeneration.

The experimental drug works by disrupting the interaction between USAG-1 (an antibody that inhibits tooth growth) and bone morphogenetic proteins, allowing natural tooth development to proceed. Human trials began in September 2024, with researchers hoping the drug will become available for all forms of toothlessness around 2030.

🧐 What's in it for me? More teeth…

💵 Out of the Lab:

Scientists have built self-driving labs with the aim of discovering new materials faster. The AI-powered lab assistants just learned to work in real-time rather than batch processing, making them absurdly efficient.

Researchers at North Carolina State University demonstrated that switching from traditional steady-state experiments to dynamic flow experiments allows self-driving labs to collect at least 10 times more data over the same period. Instead of waiting for each chemical reaction to complete before testing the next sample, the system continuously flows materials through and monitors them every half second.

This transforms materials discovery from taking snapshots to recording full movies of reactions, allowing machine learning algorithms to make smarter predictions about which experiments to conduct next.

🧐 What's in it for me? This could accelerate development of everything from better batteries to new pharmaceuticals by months or years. The technology also dramatically reduces chemical waste by requiring fewer failed experiments to reach successful outcomes. Plus, it gives human researchers more time for creative problem-solving that robots haven't mastered (...yet).

💵 Out of the Lab:

University of Virginia researchers warn that while GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic help people lose significant weight, they fail to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and cause substantial muscle loss alongside fat reduction.

Fat-free mass loss accounts for 25-40% of total weight lost on these medications, compared to only 8% per decade from normal ageing. This muscle loss could increase cardiovascular disease risk and reduce quality of life, even as the overall weight reduction provides other health benefits.

The researchers emphasise that patients may need complementary exercise programmes or nutritional supplements to preserve muscle mass while on GLP-1 therapy. Looking ahead, the team notes promising monoclonal antibodies in development that might offset lean muscle loss, so the side effect may not be permanent. Until then, GLP-1 users might want to invest in a gym membership alongside their prescription.

Until next time, stay curious.

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