Up, up, and away with Kate and Gavin and Jesse on this episode of Interronauts where they talk about a new treatment for pancreatic cancer using killer cells, CSIRO’s new vehicles powered not on gasoline but hydrogen, and a fortnightly science digest about the oldest cheese, neutron stars, omnivorous sharks, and moooore.
News
Killer cell immunotherapy offers potential cure for advanced pancreatic cancer
“Researchers from UNSW Sydney and the California Institute of Biomedical Research (CALIBR) have demonstrated the success of a new, cell-based immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer. The treatment led to mice being completely cancer-free, including cancer cells that had already spread to the liver and lungs. The landmark study was recently published in top-tier academic journal Gut,” from Scimex.
Hyper for hydrogen: our world first for carbon-free fuel
“We’ve created a metal membrane that filters out pure hydrogen gas from ammonia. It can then be dispensed into fuel cell cars, buses and even trucks. And the technology isn’t just fantasy, we’ve recently powered Toyota’s Mirai and Hyundai’s Nexo fuel cell electric vehicles using locally-produced ultra-high purity hydrogen,” from CSIRO Scope.
Story notes and amendments:
- Radiolab episode featuring the Haber-Bosch process, here.
- Ours are not the first hydrogen-fuelled electric vehicles.
- The event was held at the Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies (QCAT).
- The membrane itself doesn’t decompose the ammonia, a catalyst does, and then the membrane allows the hydrogen atoms to pass through, excluding all other gases.
Fortnightly science digest
Bonnethead shark swimming in ocean in natural habitat
1) Very mature cheddar: 7,200 years old cheese residue unearthed in the Mediterranean – full story, Scimex.
2) Quantum weirdness in ‘chicken or egg’ paradox – full story, the University of Queensland.
3) 1.4 billion of us aren’t getting enough exercise – full story, Scimex.
4) “Fish are friends, not food” – full story, Scimex.
5) Radio observations confirm superfast jet of material from neutron star merger – full story, Science Daily.
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Hydrogen in our cars? Sure. But how do we roll it out?