NASA making oxygen on Mars - Shareables Hope & Optimism #10

This week: no more food allergies, oxygen on Mars, and plastic eating worms [View this email in your browser]( Hey everyone, Today is the 10th issue of Hope & Optimism, marking the 10th week that we've started writing these themed newsletters. Even for our team internally, we've noticed that it's been really helpful with helping to regulate the negativity that bombards us from the media and keeping us focused on the potential of humanity. We've also received some great feedback from you guys, our readers, that we'll continue to iterate on and use to improve the newsletter. As usual, please reach out to us with any thoughts! Let's dive in below. If it's your first time reading or a friend sent this to you, you can [subscribe here](. Image courtesy of Pexels / solod_sha [(1) Food allergies no more?! A potential gene therapy solution]( How many of you know someone with a food allergy? Our guess is nearly every single one of you. Despite how prevalent it is, the medical standard of care is tell patients to simply avoid those foods….until now? David Markusic, an immunologist at Indiana University, was trying to use gene therapy to solve Hemophilia B (blood clotting) when he stumbled across the discovery that allergies could be affected by their gene therapy methodology. Considering the unmet need for reliable allergy therapies, Markusic decided to test further, starting with mice. By using “flaky tail mice,” a breed with skin mutations that are more prone to allergies, the researchers gave the mice egg allergies (ovalbumin) and followed up with an injection containing the gene for ovalbumin. The results were noticeable - treated mice barely showed immune responses, whereas untreated mice exhibited a range of symptoms of varying severity. It’s too early to make a definitive claim on the efficacy of this gene therapy, but the potential of being able to remove existing allergies with a single shot (hopefully, since nobody likes taking boosters) is sure to be exciting and life-changing for many! [(Full article)]( Image courtesy of Flickr / NASA's Marshall Space Flight CenterFollow [(2) NASA is now making oxygen on Mars]( Since February 2021, NASA has been using a lunchbox-sized device, the Moxie machine, to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen using solid oxide electrolysis. As a proof of concept, Moxie is converting Mars’ abundant carbon dioxide atmosphere (96 percent carbon dioxide, 0.13 percent oxygen) into oxygen at the rate of a small tree (10 grams, or 0.022 pounds per hour). MIT professor and Moxie’s principal investigator Jeffrey Hoffman said “this is the first demonstration of actually using resources on the surface of another planetary body, and transforming them chemically into something that would be useful for a human mission.” The researchers are exploring a scaled-up Moxie that could hopefully generate the equivalent of several hundred trees worth of oxygen continuously. The team has tested day and nighttime conditions, but have yet to prove out results during dawn/dusk when temperature fluctuates the most. However, they claim to have an ace up their sleeve which will lead to success, showing that they can truly run the device 24/7. If we think about the human race as a whole, there’s a good argument for a multi-planetary future. If that’s the case, then being able to make oxygen on Mars is hugely impactful and eliminates one worry out of many, many others. [(Full article)]( Image courtesy of PA / CSIC Communications Department [(3) Wax worm saliva rapidly breaks down plastic bags]( There’s been a monumental shift in sentiment around recycling, renewability, and sustainability over the last decade. Everyone has an opinion on how it should be done, but the truth is it will always be difficult to change the long-term behavior and habits of humans. As for treating the symptom, scientists have made an interesting discovery that may help actually eliminate the millions of tons of plastic dumped on Earth every year. In the saliva of wax worms, enzymes were found that rapidly break down plastic bags at room temperature. Specifically, the enzyme breaks down polyethylene which makes up 30% of all plastic production and makes up a substantial part of global plastic pollution. One scientist, also an amateur beekeeper, was cleaning out wax worm larvae infestations from his beehives when the researcher noticed the larvae starting eating holes in the plastic refuse bag. Upon closer examination, the larvae weren’t simply eating the plastic, they were chemically breaking it down! This accidental discovery could potentially revolutionize the immense task that lies before us - to rid the world of the millions of tons of plastic we've created as waste. [(Full article)]( The impact is far-reaching and goes beyond the immediate manufacturing and consumer industries. Take a look at this photo: Image courtesy of Pexels / Ben Phillips You're looking at one of the largest consumers of plastics, consuming an estimated [10 MILLION particles of microplastics per day during feeding season](. It goes without saying that these microplastics are toxic to these whales, and traces of of plastic-derived contaminants have been found in their blubber. The benefits of eliminating plastics will be felt across all types of life around the world; it's important to take a step back, look at the big picture, and visualize the ripple effects. "Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you." - Mary Lou Retton As always, we'd love to hear your feedback regarding the newsletter. Let us know if you have any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas and email us directly at newsletter@sbly.com. If you come across great news that you feel compelled to share, send it over to us [using this form here]( and we'll try to include some submissions in the upcoming emails! Thanks for reading! [:heart:][:wave:] See you in a few days for another happy start to the week! [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [About Shareably Media]( [Email](mailto:newsletter@shareably.net) If you enjoyed today's newsletter, share it with someone by clicking one of the buttons below! 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