A mysterious liver illness surfaces in children in Europe and the U.S.

Plus: Researchers have developed a new heat engine with no moving parts, New fossil evidence could rewrite the history of life on Earth. 300 million years earlier? Apr 17, 2022 [View in browser]( Mysterious cases of severe liver disease have been witnessed in children in various countries including in the UK, Ireland, Spain, and the U.S. since January. The UK has been investigating at least 74 cases while U.S. health officials say they are looking into nine similar cases, all of which are from Alabama. The usual viruses that cause such infectious diseases were not found in these cases. Therefore, scientists and doctors are investigating other possible causes. Before reading about this uneasy topic, let’s take a look at why Audi is not ready to give up on combustion engines that run on vegetable oil. Good morning. I’m Mert, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Keep reading. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Here's why Audi keeps on producing combustion engines running on vegetable oil]( Is this really going to help the company achieve net climate neutrality by 2050? [Here's why Audi keeps on producing combustion engines running on vegetable oil]( HEALTH [Children in Europe and the US are mysteriously coming down with a strange liver disease]( [Saline intravenous drip in a child patient's hand.]( Nothing baffles people more than a disease that targets kids. - Children in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and the United States have been coming down with a [mysterious liver disease]( that does not stem from hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, the viruses that most commonly cause the illness, [according to a statement]( by the World Health Organization (WHO). Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E excluded. "On 5 April 2022, WHO was notified of 10 cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children under the age of 10 years, across central Scotland. By 8 April, 74 cases had been identified in the United Kingdom. Hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, E, and D where applicable) have been excluded after laboratory testing while further investigations are ongoing to understand the aetiology of these cases. Given the increase in cases reported over the past one month and enhanced case search activities, more cases are likely to be reported in the coming days," warned the WHO. - The cases in the U.S. were all in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) cited a possible association of this alarming hepatitis with Adenovirus 41, a respiratory illness that normally causes a mere cold. The WHO further confirmed that Adenovirus 41 could be involved in the cases. Scientists and doctors in all countries affected continue to investigate. [Read More]( INNOVATION [Researchers have developed a new heat engine with no moving parts]( [A thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell.]( Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the National Energy Laboratory (NREL) [have just released information]( on a new type of [heat engine with no moving parts](. The engine is roughly 40% efficient, and could one day replace conventional steam turbines in the future. Their results have just been published in the journal Nature. - Called a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell, the new engine captures high-energy photons from a white-hot source to generate electricity. It is able to generate power from temperatures between 3,400 and 4,300 degrees Fahrenheit (1,900 - 2,400 degrees Celsius). Revolutionary for the energy industry. TPV cells have a huge potential boon for reducing the global economies' reliance on this old technology and, subsequently, fossil fuels. “There’s definitely a huge net positive here in terms of sustainability,” Asegun Henry, the Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering says. “The technology is safe, environmentally benign in its life cycle, and can have a tremendous impact on abating carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production.” [Read More]( SCIENCE [New fossil evidence could rewrite the history of life on Earth. 300 million years earlier?]( [Oldest fossil discovered]( A team of scientists believes some of the oldest fossils found on Earth contain signs of the earliest life on our planet, [a press statement]( reveals. These samples [predate traditional scientific estimations]( for the beginnings of life on Earth by hundreds of millions of years. - According to researchers, the ancient fossils are between 3.75 billion and 4.2 billion years old. If their belief that the samples are biological in origin is true, it would completely change our understanding of the evolution of life on Earth and ultimately rewrite the timeline for the origin of microbial life on Earth. "A diverse microbial ecosystem on the primordial Earth." A long-held scientific theory suggests life first originated at these ocean vents, which provide the heat and materials required for microbial life to thrive. The new finding might lend weight to this theory, suggesting such vents on other planets could be one of the focal points for future missions aimed at discovering microbial life on other planets. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS No doubt this discovery will broaden our horizons for space exploration as well. Do you think we will manage to find life on alien worlds soon? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [I hope we won't. We already have enough problems.]( [Why not? There are numerous studies carried out on this topic.]( [No, not likely in the near future.]( [Yes, at least they can contact us.]( Yesterday’s Results Following the news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first breath test for COVID-19, we asked if you’d prefer breath tests to PCR. 42 percent say they’d definitely choose breath tests for their quickness. 29 percent, on the other hand, approached the new tests with caution. Definitely. At least it's faster. 42% If the results will be presumptive, no. I need to be sure of its exactness. 29% Yes. I've always hated swabs anyway. 16% I guess it will be dependent on the urgency in this case. 13% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ Modern science has been a voyage into the unknown, with a lesson in humility waiting at every stop. Many passengers would rather have stayed home. ” Carl Sagan in “Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space” AND ANOTHER THING... - Do you have a special interest in auroras? If yes, here are [30+ interesting facts]( the atmospheric phenomena. - New technology 3D prints [glass microstructures with rays of light](. (TechXplore) - Here's why your [digital footprints are more than a privacy risk](. - A study has found that chemicals found in sunscreen lotions are [accumulating in Mediterranean seagrass](. (The Guardian $) - The [luxury space balloon firm debuted]( high-end interior seating. With $125,000 tickets? - A wind farm company [admitted to killing 150 eagles]( in the US and was fined $8 million. Almost all died from being hit by the blades. (Business Insider) - [A massive "space cannon"]( can shoot payloads into space at hypersonic speeds. Prepared by Loukia Papadopoulos and Mert Erdemir Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe [here.]( © Copyright 2021 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]