🚀 First crewed Boeing Starliner mission lifts off successfully, AI helps find nearly a million potential antibiotic sources in nature, scientists use battery trick to trap CO2 in a charcoal

INTERESTING ENGINEERING SHOP

Two astronauts from NASA have become the first to launch into orbit aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams lifted off at 10:52 am ET on June 5 on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The flight began with the NASA-Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT), the space agency’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The 25-hour mission will culminate in the crew’s delivery to the International Space Station (ISS). For more on this development, check out today’s Must-Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Senior Development Engineer
> Enterprise Requirements & Integration Engineer

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MUST READ

🚀 First crewed Boeing Starliner mission lifts off successfully, heads to ISS

A NASA update informs us that both astronauts are traveling to the space station in microgravity. Several flight test objectives will be carried out, one of which is to pilot Starliner manually.

“With Starliner’s launch, separation from the rocket, and arrival on orbit, Boeing’s Crew Flight Test is right on track,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, in a statement.

The mission was postponed after the team failed to launch on June 2 following a computer abort system malfunction.

💉 AI helps find nearly a million potential antibiotic sources in nature

In a significant leap forward in the fight against antibiotic resistance, an international research team has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover almost a million new potential antibiotic sources in the natural world.

The research team utilized machine learning to analyze over 60,000 metagenomes—vast collections of genetic material from diverse environments, including soil, oceans, and the human gut.

“We used datasets that were publicly available. They had generally been collected for other purposes,” lead scientist Luis Pedro Coelho told Interesting Engineering when asked about the collection and utilization of metagenomic data from diverse environments.

🔋 ‘Crazy idea’: Scientists use battery trick to trap CO2 in a charcoal

Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK have found a low-cost and energy-efficient way to remove carbon dioxide from the air. The team used charcoal, a component of household water filters, to work like a sponge that absorbs CO2 and can release it on demand.

Although efforts are ongoing to reduce the carbon we release every year; scientists also believe there is a need to remove CO2 from the air. Efforts are already underway to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air. The approach uses sponge-like materials that can absorb CO2.

However, the materials used in the process are expensive to manufacture, and releasing the gas from them also requires high temperatures. The researchers proposed charging charcoal to absorb and store CO2 for saving energy and resources used in the process.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> A NASA solar observatory captured a massive solar flare in incredible detail on Monday, June 3. Close inspection of the footage shows that the solar material from the massive eruption flew outwards before crashing back into the sun’s surface. (More)

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ENERGY

> Making significant strides in advancing green energy, China is poised to surpass its national hydrogen targets ahead of schedule. A report indicates that the hydrogen output made using renewable energy is on track to exceed 200,000 tonnes. (More)

> Chinese researchers have developed a new approach for safe, environment-friendly, and energy-efficient recycling of solar panels. (More)

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INNOVATION

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> An innovative and non-intrusive technology developed by wellness company Elemind can help users sleep better by activating a “noise-cancellation” mode in their brains. (More)

> Researchers at ETH Zurich's Robotic Systems Lab recently introduced a new robot design that combines the capabilities of wheeled and legged robots. (More)

VIDEO

> An Australian student has identified Gliese 12b, a possibly temperate Earth-sized planet just 40 light years away. (More)

> The Chilean chapter of the international ecological group Matter of Trust is working with hair salons and dog groomers to turn discarded hair into tools that attract and trap oil and other contaminants in waterways. (More)

> Experiments are being conducted on the International Space Station on how cancer cells react to microgravity and developing drugs aimed at preventing it. (More)

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The answer is: 57

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