Biotech fit for the Red Planet: New method for growing cyanobacteria under Mars-like conditions. NASA, in collaboration with other leading space agencies, aims to send its first human missions to Mars in the early 2030s, while companies like SpaceX may do so even earlier.
Astronauts on Mars will need oxygen, water, food, and other consumables. These will need to be sourced from Mars, because importing them from Earth would be impractical in the long term. In Frontiers in Microbiology, scientists show for the first time that Anabaena cyanobacteria can be grown with only local gases, water, and other nutrients and at low pressure. This makes it much easier to develop sustainable biological life support systems. "Here we show that cyanobacteria can use gases available in the Martian atmosphere, at a low total pressure, as their source of carbon and nitrogen. Low-pressure atmosphere Anabaena: versatile cyanobacteria grown on Mars-like dust The cyanobacteria grew well under all conditions, including in regolith under the nitrogen- and carbon dioxide-rich mixture at low pressure.
Dare to Invent the Future: Apply to be a UN Young Champion of the Earth. United Nations Environment Programme launches 2020 Young Champions of the Earth prizeCompetition open to environmental entrepreneurs between 18 and 30 years of ageUNEP accepting applications from 10 February to 10 April 2020 Nairobi, 10 February 2020 – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has officially started accepting applications for the 2020 Young Champions of the Earth prize.
The global competition is one of the UN’s most prestigious prizes for young environmental entrepreneurs who have big ideas to solve the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges. Winners selected from seven regions spanning the globe will receive seed money to invest in their projects, as well as mentorship and the opportunity to attend high-level UN meetings to share their innovations with the world. UNEP will follow them on their journeys and provide updates on their progress as they implement their big ideas. About Young Champions of the Earth About UNEP For more information, please contact: UNEP's Young Champions of the Earth prize 2020 - JournalsOfIndia.
In news Vidyut Mohan, an Indian entrepreneur named among UNEP’s Young Champions of the Earth prize 2020 Key highlights Vidyut Mohan, a 29-year-old Indian entrepreneur is among the seven winners of the prestigious “Young Champions of the Earth” 2020 prize given by the UNEP to global change-makers using innovative ideas and ambitious action to help solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.Vidyut Mohan, is the co-founder of “Takachar”, a social enterprise enabling farmers to prevent open burning of their waste farm residues and earn extra income by converting them into value-added chemicals like activated carbon on-site About Young Champions of the Earth prize Young Champions of the Earth aims to celebrate and support individuals aged between 18 and 30 who have outstanding potential to create a positive environmental impact.
It is the United Nations Environment Programme’s leading initiative to engage youth in tackling the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Earthshot Prize - The Earthhot Prize meets the UNEP Young Champions. UNEP unveils Young Champions of the Earth. An engineer who turns plastic rubbish into paving stones.
An activist who is fighting to save endangered salmon. And an inventor who developed a machine capable of pulling water out of the air. These are just some of the winners of the 2020 Young Champions of the Earth prize, announced on 15 December by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Drawn from seven regions around the world, these under-30 activists were heralded for their commitment to tackling some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems.
“Globally, young people are leading the way in calling for meaningful and immediate solutions to the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – we must listen,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. This year’s Young Champions are Nzambi Matee (Kenya), Xiaoyuan Ren (China), Vidyut Mohan (India), Lefteris Arapakis (Greece), Max Hidalgo Quinto (Peru), Niria Alicia Garcia (United States of America) and Fatemah Alzelzela (Kuwait).