Our Last Newsletter – All Categories – Monday 8th July

Most people are subscribed to receive only one of our positive news stories. Here’s the place for you to see get an in-brief summary of all 5 of our categories (more coming soon!)

Environment

48.4% of all cars sold in Norway in the first half of 2019 have been electric vehicles, with the Tesla Model 3 leading the way.

The main driver (pun intended) of this world-leading figure appears to be the heavy taxation imposed on petrol-only cars in Norway.

Norway have committed to banning the sale of fossil fuel powered vehicles by 2025.

General News

A beauty pageant in the US took an unexpected turn, when Camielle Schrier donned a white lab coat and performed a science experiment during the ‘hidden talents’ section of the show.

What’s more, Camielle went on to win the competition and become Miss Virginia 2019. Releasing a statement afterwards, she said “To me, talent is not a passion alone, but also a skill which is perfected over years of learning.”

Healthcare

A paper has been published to Nature Communications which states that scientists have, for the first time, completed cured living creatures of HIV.

The team, led by Dr Kamel Khalili cured all traces of HIV from mice using a combination of gene therapy and drug treatments.

Science

In a step towards a more sustainable future, scientists have developed a working prototype of a machine which can generate electricity from seawater and sunlight, whilst also creating drinking water.

Whilst only a proof-of-concept at the moment, the authors of the study estimate that the system could be deployed internationally to provide up to 10% of the drinking water required – particularly in the developing world.

Technology

China’s state-owned railway company unveiled a prototype this week for a ‘magnalev’ train which could reach speeds of up to 600km/h.

China already operate a magnalev train across a 30km stretch of track between Shanghai airport and the city centre, which has been shown to reach a maximum speed of 431km/h.

The company believes that the trains, when deployed nationally, would be a realistic alternative to air travel.