96. Universal Blood Type Organs, Rapid Hydrogen Fuel Generation, Startup Drilling For Geothermal Energy

Summary: News: Scientists create universal blood type organs for transplant | Interesting Engineering (01:34) There are 106,435 people in the United States waiting for an organ transplant. Someone in need of a heart or lung spends an average of four months on the recipient list before a suitable organ becomes available.Waiting for a kidney typically lasts five years. These averages don't reflect the patient's blood type Marcelo Cypel, a thoracic surgeon, tells IE that people with type O blood are 20 percent more likely to die while waiting for a lung than patients with type A blood. 45 percent of people in the U.S. having type O blood The reason for that disparity lies in the immune systemSomeone with type O blood has an immune system that will attack a transplanted organ that comes from a donor of any other blood type. The differences in blood type can be fatal: A blood transfusion of just 50 milliliters of incompatible blood can kill a person. The separation by blood type also leads to missed opportunities for a new lease on life if someone has the wrong blood type.Cypel expands on that stating, “There are situations where we may get a B donor, but we don't have a B recipient … In that case, today, we just don't use that organ; that organ gets buried.” In a recent study, researchers provide a potential solution: They used a combination of technologies to convert eight type-A lungs into type-O lungs, which are far less likely to be attacked by a patient's immune system, regardless of their blood type. People with type O blood are highly desirable organ donors because their antigens are not adorned with the type-A triangles or type-B squares that would provoke the other's immune systems. The researchers figured out how to use enzymes to remove billions of type-B squares or type-A triangles while leaving the circles intact.  Convert lungs to type O by cutting off the extra sugars.  By showing that the enzymes can dramatically lower the number of antigens on lungs that weren't suitable for transplantation into human patients, the researchers have taken a big step toward proving to stakeholders that the research could be transformative. Scientists boost the mosquito-killing effect of natural clove oil | New Atlas (07:16) The best method of limiting the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is to kill the mosquito larvaeInvolves the use of synthetic insecticides, which accumulate in soil, water and food potentially causing health problems in both people and wildlife Mosquitoes typically build up a resistance to insecticides over time. A new study now suggests a method of improving the effectiveness of a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative – clove oil. A substance called Eugenol, which is found in clove (Syzygium aromaticum), can kill the larva of the dengue mosquito in 24 hours.Can be prepared at home by blending 60 clove buds and a cup of water.  The oil is safe for the environment, and the cloves from which it's made are inexpensive and readily available in regions where mosquito-transmitted diseases such as malaria, Zika and dengue fever are widespread. Scientists from India's Gauhati University set out to boost the oil’s larvae-killing capabilities.They found that a liquid organic compound by the name of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) had a particularly pronounced lethal effect on Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. Assoc. Prof. Bulbuli Khanikor stated, “The use of synergists, either synthetic or natural, along with insecticides like eugenol helps to prevent resistance development … In the present study, combining synergists like piperonyl butoxide with eugenol was found to enhance the effectiveness of eugenol significantly." It should be noted that while PBO is considered to be only minimally toxic to humans, it is highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates and tadpolesIdeally be limited to the puddles where mosquitos frequently breed, as opposed to larger marshes or ponds. Easy aluminum nanoparticles for rapid, efficient hydro