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Engineers at EPFL have found a way to insert carbon nanotubes into photosynthetic bacteria, which greatly improves their electrical output. They even pass these nanotubes down to their offspring when they divide, through what the team calls “inherited nanobionics.”

Solar cells are the leading source of renewable energy, but their production has a large environmental footprint. As with many things, we can take cues from nature about how to improve our own devices, and in this case photosynthetic bacteria, which get their energy from sunlight, could be used in microbial fuel cells.

In the new study, the EPFL team gave these bacteria a boost by inserting carbon nanotubes – tiny rolled-up sheets of graphene, a material that’s famously conductive. The nanotube-loaded bugs were able to produce up to 15 times more electricity than their non-edited counterparts from the same amount of sunlight.

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At the beginning of my research career around 15 years ago, any suggestion that a bee, or any invertebrate, had a mind of its own or that it could experience the world in an intricate and multifaceted way would be met with ridicule. As Lars Chittka points out in the opening chapters of “The Mind of a Bee,” the attribution of human emotions and experiences was seen as naivety and ignorance; anthropomorphism was a dirty word.

Pet owners eagerly ascribe emotions to their animals, but the simple brain of a bee surely could not experience the rich tapestry that is our existence. They are far too simplistic and robotic, right?

Lars Chittka has been researching honeybees for the past 30 years. “The Mind of a Bee” is a collection of his research stories. It also covers the influential figures in bee research and provides a historical perspective on the research that much behavioral work is built on today.

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SpaceX has completed a record-breaking test of a Starship booster and rolled a newer Super Heavy prototype to the launch pad just hours apart.

Almost six weeks after SpaceX began Super Heavy Booster 7’s static fire test campaign, the company has broken new ground by simultaneously igniting seven Raptor engines at once. A matter of hours later, confirming SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s plans in real time, the company transported a second Super Heavy prototype (Booster 8) from the factory to the launch pad, where it joined Booster 7.

According to Musk, those rockets will soon switch places, ensuring that no time is wasted while SpaceX continues to gradually work towards Starship’s first orbital launch attempts.

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Anticipates mind uploading.

This week, we bring you a Tale by one of the lesser known greats of 1950s science fiction, Frederik Pohl. “The Tunnel Under the World” first appeared in Galaxy magazine in 1955, which Pohl himself would go on to edit from 1959 to 1969. His career spanned nearly 75 years and saw him win many awards for his writing, including novels and, shortly before his death, his blog. He won four Hugo awards and three Nebula awards, winning both for his seminal 1977 novel “Gateway”.
In this short story, Guy Burckhardt awakes after a horrible dream to find not everything in his small town is how he remembered it…

If you’d like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale.

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SUSIE’s vertical landing capabilities draw comparisons to SpaceX’s Starship. Europe’s not quite there yet, but it’s a step in the right direction.

French aerospace giant ArianeGroup revealed a new concept for a reusable upper-stage spacecraft called Smart Upper Stage for Innovative Exploration, or SUSIE.

The spacecraft will be able to carry heavy payloads as well as crewed missions to orbit before coming down to Earth for a vertical landing, a press statement reveals.

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Elon Musk said the “next big test” is likely a full stack wet dress rehearsal of Starship.

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket continues to pass key tests on its road to sending the Mars-bound launch system up to orbit for the first time.

The private space firm fired seven Raptor engines on its Starship Super Heavy prototype, called Booster 7, on Monday, September 19. As Space.com points out, it is the highest number of next-generation engines ever tested simultaneously.

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Recovery of the Antarctic ozone layer is anticipated to take place sometime around 2070.

The depletion of the ozone layer had a huge impact on humanity for a while. Moreover, the United Nations accepted The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer in 1994.

Every living thing on Earth is shielded from UV radiation by the stratospheric ozone layer. Thus, the Ozone Layer is vital for all forms of life, and we need to protect it without a doubt.

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