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Electric airplanes for UPS

The UPS delivery service is going green with all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (EVTOL). The plane has a flying range of 400 km, with cargo capacity of over 600 kg and a cruising speed of up to 270 km per hour. It uses four fixed vertical lift propellers to go up and down, with one pusher propeller to go forward. The elegant design of this airplane was inspired by the Arctic tern, an amazing bird that flies long migration routes of up to 90,000 km each year.
The EVTOL will take off and land on the roofs of UPS centres. On each roof there will be a rapid recharging station that can fully charge the plane in under an hour, which is enough time for the aircraft to be unloaded and reloaded for the next flight. This plane is ideally suited for time-sensitive deliveries that would otherwise fly on traditional airplanes, which are environmentally unfriendly and require the use of airports. Using vertical takeoffs and landings turns existing UPS facilities into an air feeder network without the noise or pollution of traditional aircraft. UPS will order up to 150 of these planes as part of a sustainability drive that also includes the purchase of 20,000 electric delivery vans over the next three years. These vans produce no pollution, and they will be placed in service in the UK, Europe, and North America.

Yo-Yo Ma brightens a vaccination centre

Yo-Yo Ma has recorded more than 90 albums and received 18 Grammy Awards. He has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006 and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. This mini-concert wasn’t the first time Yo-Yo Ma has employed his music as a calming force during the pandemic. He previously joined with classical pianist Emanuel Ax to perform a string of spontaneous concerts for essential workers at several hospitals and clinics. “In these days of anxiety I want to share some of the music that gives me comfort.”

Breakthroughs in solar power technology

Coating a traditional solar power cell this way increases its power generation, because the crystal is able to absorb many more parts of the solar spectrum than traditional silicon. Typically a silicon solar cell is able to convert up to about 22% of the available solar energy into electricity, but the Oxford PV’s perovskite-on-silicon solar cell converts over 28% (30% more). According to Dr Chris Case of Oxford PV, “Using perovskite represents a true change for solar technology. Silicon has reached its efficiency limit, but adding perovskite is something totally innovative.” These solar panels will have a black-tinted look to blend in better with rooftop slates. They plan to begin sales to the public sometime in 2021.
Researchers at the Technicon Institute in Israel have made what may be an even greater breakthrough in solar cell technology that could boost efficiency of existing panels by up to 70%. Using new thermodynamic tools they can increase a solar cell’s efficiency by capturing much of the energy that is currently lost. They created a photoluminescence material that absorbs radiation from the sun. This illuminates the photovoltaic cell which increases a traditional solar panel’s efficiency rate from 22% to over 50%. The team continues to work on their innovation, and is targeting a commercial product release within the next few years.

Using mRNA technology to cure cancer

The vaccines created by BioNTech use messenger RNA (mRNA) to carry instructions into the body to make proteins that provoke the immune system to prevent the Covid-19 virus. The cancer treatment works differently, as the mRNA is designed to attack a specific tumour in the body. Your immune system is then trained to guard against any re-occurrences of that cancer. Ms Tureci hopes that “within a few years our vaccines to fight cancer will be ready for the public.”

A “Green City” in Africa

Protecting whales & dolphins

Marine mammals that are already held will be allowed to remain in captivity, plus any animals that need rehabilitation from injury. Nonetheless, this is a huge step in preventing the continuation of this cruelty. The law will target companies like Marineland, which opposed the ban because it currently has 55 beluga whales, five bottlenose dolphins and one orca. These will be exempt from the new law, but they cannot be replaced. The same applies to the Niagara Falls Amusement Park which had been committed to keeping cetaceans in captivity.

Wood from hemp

The company’s founder Greg Wilson co-owns another enterprise which produces eco-friendly solutions by manufacturing engineered wood products from would-be waste logs. But he feels that HempWood is a bigger and more important step in this direction. Greg says, “We’re taking something that grows in six months and we’re able to replicate, if not outperform, a tropical hardwood that grows in 200 years.” He added that the company plans to expand rapidly, and will soon have eight of these HempWood factories operating in the US.

Mexico to legalize cannabis

This trend is a great boost to individual freedom. It will also free law enforcement to pursue real crimes, rather than wasting so much time and money prosecuting people for using a substance that is harmless.

6,000 km bike trail in US