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Desalination has become incredibly cheap
The data scientist Hannah Ritchie estimates that desalinating enough drinking water for one person currently costs just $2.30 per year. Adding enough water to cover all domestic uses, like cleaning and bathing, raises the price to somewhere between $38 (for the minimum quantity required to meet our basic needs) and $154 (for the amount of water used by the average American).
These estimates position desalination as a completely viable solution to domestic water scarcity in wealthy and middle-income countries. If costs continue to fall and energy access continues to expand, desalination may soon come within the reach of poor countries as well.
For the first time, headphones will improve your hearing
Apple has announced an upcoming software update that will turn its latest wireless headphones, the AirPods Pro 2, into hearing aids. At $249, they will be cheaper and more stylish than similar over-the-counter devices, potentially leading to wider adoption among those hesitant to wear traditional hearing aids. The headphones will also be capable of reducing hearing damage from loud noises and testing for hearing loss.
SpaceX approaches the final frontier
Having revolutionized rocket launches, SpaceX is now pushing the boundaries of space exploration. The company’s recent Polaris Dawn mission sent humans to the furthest distance from the Earth since Apollo, accomplished the first private spacewalk, and brought back a range of scientific data on the effects of space travel on astronauts. And this is just the beginning: Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions in the Polaris Program, an initiative meant to develop the technology and expertise needed to bring humanity to Mars.
Malcolm Cochran, Digital Communications Manager
Energy & Environment:
- Southern Bluefin Tuna Delisted as a Threatened Species
- Hope for North America’s Most Endangered Bird
- The US Is Dismantling Nuclear Warheads to Power Reactors
- Geothermal Energy Could Outperform Nuclear Power
- AI Makes Effective Solar Cells—and Explains the Results
- First Baby Beavers Born in Hampshire for 400 Years
- Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant to Help Power Data-Centers
Health & Demographics:
- Zimbabwe Strides Towards Elimination of Trachoma
- Zipline Drones Wing Vaccines to Malaria-Prone Western Kenya
- Advanced Melanoma Patients Benefit from Double Treatment
- Skin Cancer Incidence in Young Adults Declines in Sweden
- US Overdose Deaths Plummet, Saving Thousands of Lives
- US Hospitals Are Safer than They Were Before the Pandemic: Study
- Not Ready for a Knee Replacement? You Might Be Able to Fix Your Cartilage
- First Day of a “New Life” for a Boy with Sickle Cell
- World’s First Whole-Eye Transplant
- New Therapies Give Hope Against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Science & Technology:
- OpenAI Launches AI Models It Says Are Capable of Reasoning
- Musk’s Neuralink Gets FDA’s Breakthrough Device Tag
- Where Did Viruses Come From? AIs Are Finding Answers
- Recognizing Whale Vocalizations with AI
- Chipotle’s New Guac Robots Can Peel Avocados in 26 Seconds
- This Brain Implant Lets People Control Alexa with Their Minds
- Driverless Semis Could Be Months Away