Latest Tech News 2022

Despite inflation, geopolitical conflict and climate issues, technology continues its relentless march forwards. In this post, we take a look at some of the latest and most exciting tech news from around the world.

Scientists Develop New Method To Make People Young Again

In 2020, a Harvard University team led by doctor David Sinclair proved that it was possible to reverse ageing in mouse nerve cell tissue using genes called Yamanaka factors, named after the Nobel Prize-winning scientist. Now, researchers at the billionaire-backed Altos Labs are trying to do the same thing in humans.

To the public, the idea of comprehensive age reversal seems implausible. However, to biologists, it is an everyday reality. It turns out that every cell in the body has a master copy of its own DNA, perfectly preserved. These Yamanaka factors help to “clean out” cells so that they can return to their original, youthful state. According to the researchers, “there’s no reason we couldn’t live 200 years.”

Carbon Capture Technology Is Too Expensive To Be Practical, According To Energy Provider

Midwestern energy supplier, PacifiCorp says that carbon capture technology is too expensive to be practical. The Wyoming energy giant says that the new law requiring electricity producers to capture the carbon they emit will put up energy bills significantly and make mains supply unaffordable for many homeowners.

Meanwhile, climate researchers and economists see Wyoming as a testbed for future sustainability policy. Many believe that it is not enough to simply stop emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but that humanity needs to remove it, too.

Wyoming’s energy policy, signed into a 2020 state law, is a step in the direction of making such policies viable. However, scalable carbon capture technology isn’t ready yet, which could make this policy too expensive to implement.

The Biden Administration Looks To Control Chinese Tech

The Biden administration is weighing up the possibility of imposing further restrictions on Chinese firms operating in the U.S. The new rules will focus on the biotechnology and communications sector and are designed to prevent the pariah state from gaining geopolitical advantages.

The move is a series in a long string of policy changes across the western world to limit Chinese power. Both the UK and Europe have also placed restrictions on the country’s firms, with senior bureaucrats at MI6 and GCHQ suggesting that any partnership with the Chinese poses a severe security risk.

Environmentalists Use Sensors To Improve Mangrove Sapling Survival Rates

Environmentalists and researchers are combining forces to improve survival rates for mangrove saplings in an attempt to improve natural ecosystems and flood defences in Malaysia. Mangroves, the team says, are essential during the monsoon season to prevent water from encroaching on human settlements, and more generally for removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

According to World Economic Forum (WEF) research, only around 40 per cent of mangrove saplings survive unassisted. Therefore, the international organisation is using sensors to chart mangrove growth in real-time, monitoring things like soil salinity and pH levels. Using this information, they’ve managed to increase survival rates to around 85 per cent, increasing planting efficiency significantly. Their new goal is to roll out the technology more generally in Southeast Asia to improve flood defences in anticipation of rising sea levels.

New GPS Technology Is Keeping Dogs Safe

New GPS technology is making it easier for dog owners to keep their pets safe, a welcome development as owners relinquish their work-from-home lifestyles and head back to the office.

Halo Collar, a dog safety brand, recently released a GPS system that alerts pet owners if their pup strays outside of a pre-drawn area. Owners can map out invisible fencing on their phones and get a notification if their pup goes out of range.

This development is part of a long-running trend that has seen enormous growth in pet ownership and related tech investment over the last twenty years. Today, the pet tech market cap stands at over $20 billion.

Cloud Robotics Labs Are Speeding Up Drug Discovery

Traditional drug discovery takes between 12 and 18 years to complete and costs pharmaceutical firms between $2 and $3 billion. As such, most candidates never make it into trials.

But that could be about to change. According to GlobalData’s Smart Pharma Survey, a significant proportion of pharmaceutical industry professionals believe cloud robotics could speed up drug discovery and lower costs. The new technology, according to experts, would enable lab technicians to operate robots remotely via a computer platform. Robots could then automatically test and analyse the results using machine learning algorithms to rank molecules according to their drug potential.

Such closed-loop systems have the potential to analyse thousands of compounds per day across hundreds of instruments, automating much of the testing cycle. Full-scale implementation could cause lab costs to fall significantly, allowing firms to bring drugs to market sooner.

The Global Live Chat Software Market Is Expected to Grow At 7.84 Per Cent In 2022

According to Industry Research’s Live Chat Software Market Report, live chat for businesses is expected to grow at around 7.84 per cent per year, reaching a total market cap of more than $1.362 billion in 2027, up from $866 million today. The technology will build on its success over the last decade, a time when users switched channels from phone calls to text messages.

Today’s live chat services are significantly more useful than in the past. Evolving beyond mere text boxes, services such as Click4Assistance, include multi-platform integration and real-time live pop-out windows where agents can explain concepts to visitors in more detail.

Drones Are Being Used As Flying Mobile Masts For Mountain Rescue

Lastly, drones are being used to boost mobile signals for mountain rescue teams looking for accident victims. The vehicles, developed at Snowdonia Aerospace Centre at Llanbedr in the UK, will have both 4G and 5G masts onboard, allowing anyone who needs help to call 999 and get the assistance that they need. The drone has been in development for 18 months, according to the organisation, at a total cost of £500,000.