With the surge of lunar missions set to launch, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are considering establishing a universal time zone for the moon. Similarly, other fields like public health, genetics, and energy production are witnessing significant advancements, posing both opportunities and challenges that need addressing.
Time Staple on Lunar Surface
As per ESA’s suggestion, setting a standard moon time could streamline operations for future lunar missions. Currently, a moon mission operates on the time zone of the country managing the spacecraft. This proposed international lunar time zone could especially be beneficial as multiple governments and companies target moon exploration. The time on the moon runs about 56 microseconds faster each day compared to Earth, thereby complicating synchronization. Space stations utilize Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is backed by atomic clocks, ensuring incredible accuracy and serving as a globally accepted time standard in various sectors.
Scrub Typhus: The Underestimated Threat
Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria, is becoming a severe public health threat in South and Southeast Asia, including India, which bears 25% of the disease burden. Despite its high mortality rate and diagnosis, awareness about the infection remains low, complicating effective treatment and control. The mite larvae transmit the infection to humans usually via rodents. Combination therapies involving doxycycline and azithromycin have proven more effective than individual monotherapies, but the disease’s non-specific symptoms pose challenges to early diagnosis and treatment.
Gene-Editing: A Double-Edged Sword?
The practice of gene-editing, while promising, is not without its risks. Recent studies highlight potential consequences if technology that is still less understood, such as gene-editing, is applied to produce gene-edited twins. Although gene-editing can delete disease-causing mutations, it could inadvertently increase the risk of other diseases. The process can be split into two methods- one alters genes in human cells, and the other modifies the genome of human embryos. However, this extensive copying could potentially lead to both copies of a gene in an embryo being disease-causing, thereby increasing the risk of diseases.
Breakthrough in Energy Conduction
A recent breakthrough by US scientists may revolutionize energy conduction with the first commercially available material that eliminates energy loss as electricity is conducted through a wire. This newly created superconductor, a combination of lutetium, hydrogen, and nitrogen, can conduct electricity without resistance at 21 degrees Celsius and under only 10,000 atmospheres of pressure, making it more practical than traditional superconductors that require extreme cooling and pressurization conditions. This development could enhance the efficiency of computers, power grids, batteries, high-speed trains, and nuclear fusion reactors.