The Download: detecting bird flu, and powering industrial processes with nuclear energy
1 min read
Summary
A new biosensor has been developed that is capable of detecting bird flu in air samples in just five minutes.
The device could slow future outbreaks of the virus, which caused record-high prices and shortages in egg supplies for grocery stores and restaurants in February.
In other news, nuclear reactors could soon be powering a chemical plant in Texas, which would make it the first facility of its kind.
The plastics plant is the work of Dow Chemical and X-energy, which has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a construction permit.
MIT Technology Review’s Narrated podcast has investigated the use of exosomes, which some claim can be used to treat a range of medical problems, from acne to Alzheimer’s and long covid.
However, the claims are not proven, and some have suggested the trend is another example of white Western saviourism.