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Here's a unique "sponge" that turns used cooking oil into cheap biodiesel

This sponge-like creation is a new type of ultra-efficient catalyst for changing molecules into raw materials, i.e. materials intended for further processing. According to its authors, it is one of a kind, as it allows a number of different chemical reactions to be carried out within one material, with a high degree of control over the results. 'Previously manufactured catalysts can perform multiple reactions simultaneously, but we have seen many times that this approach has little chemical control, making it inefficient and difficult to predict. Our bio approach leans towards nature's catalysts - enzymes - to develop a powerful and precise way to perform many reactions in a specific order. It's like having a production line for nano-scale chemical reactions - all in one miniature and super-efficient catalyst molecule, explains Professor Karen Wilson, co-author of the study.

Cybertruck, however, not so perfect. Tesla will show a new version of the electric pickup truck

Cybertruck has evoked a mixed feeling since its presentation - some people cannot stand its unique futuristic design, while others, on the contrary, are delighted with it. However, it cannot be denied that this is one of the most controversial projects in the history of the automotive industry, and for this reason, it arouses great interest. This is fueling Tesla itself, because as we are just learning from Elon Musk's Twitter account, Cybertruck has recently undergone major changes, the effects of which we will see next month.

The strange behavior of the Model 3 from Tesla with a new autonomous function

One of the lucky owners of the Model 3 posted a very interesting video on the Whole Mars Catalog YouTube channel. The user recorded it during his trip to work. We can see quite difficult road conditions on it, as for autonomous systems. The Autopilot system dealt with them in a rather interesting way.

Samsung abandons the Note series? There will be no new model in 2021

Could Galaxy Note 20 turn out to be the last representative of the recognized Note series? According to the latest information obtained by Reuters, Samsung will most likely not present us a new model next year. Instead, the manufacturer's attention is to focus on Galaxy S smartphones and the line of foldable models with flexible displays, i.e. Z Flip and Z Fold. Interestingly, however, the abandonment of the Note series does not automatically mean the abandonment of the S Pen stylus, because Samsung is said to have plans to introduce compatibility of this accessory with the devices of the above-mentioned series - however, it can be expected that the old ones will not work and will require the purchase of a new one.

AI DeepMind has solved the 50-year-old problem of protein folding

Alphabet's DeepMind entity, and more specifically its artificial intelligence, has just presented its unique skills. It is a system that is capable of predicting the 3D structures of unique proteins, thereby overcoming a problem that has been blocking biologists for over 50 years. By understanding the 3D shapes of different proteins, scientists are better able to understand how they work and how they cause disease, which in turn leads to the development of more effective drugs. In addition, as protein is a central component of the chemical processes of all living organisms, better mapping of 3D structures can benefit many fields of biological research.

Meat from the laboratory will go to the first restaurants this year

More and more people give up eating meat and only in some cases it is about health issues, because definitely more people do not want to simply contribute to the suffering of animals and climate change caused by huge farms. Until now, they most often used vegan and vegetable meat equivalents (e.g. Beyond Burger offers), but soon an alternative will appear in the form of meat grown in the laboratory, and more specifically chicken nuggets, in the production of which no animal suffered. All thanks to the fact that local legislators decided to allow the use of laboratory meat from the American company Eat Just.

Elon Musk will build the Starlink space internet for free. SpaceX got a billion dollars

SpaceX now has close to 1,000 microsatellites of the cosmic internet called Starlink in space. Thanks to it, it will connect the most wild areas of our beautiful planet and without telecommunications infrastructure. It is a historical project that will be an introduction to ensuring faster information exchange between the Earth and the Moon and Mars and the colonies built there.

This unusual species of fish has domesticated shrimp. He lives in coral reefs

We domesticated dogs, sheep, chickens, and even such elusive creatures as bees and parrots, while also forcing wild vegetation such as wheat and corn to grow where we feel comfortable. So we are undoubtedly specialists in domestication, but it looks like we may have competition because we just came across a fish that does the same with shrimp to work on its "farm". This is a species of Stegastes diencaeus that spends most of its days exploring the coral reefs of Central America's Belize coast and feeding on its own algae farms. The fish are very proud of them and chase away all creatures that come too close, except the Mysidium integrum shrimp, which are tasked with fertilizing the crop.