A special device (设备) worn on the head that sends electrical charges into the brain may improve the memory abilities of older people. The device may even give them the ability to remember things as well as a person 20 to 30 years younger than them. These are the findings of a study published in Nature Neuroscience earlier this month.

Researchers working on the study found that the age-related damage to working memory can be repaired. This is possible through stimulating (刺激) two important areas of the brain at a special rhythm. Working memory is the information held temporarily for use in immediate activities such as reasoning and decision-making.

42 younger adults aged 20 to 29 and 42 older adults aged 60 to 76 took part in the study. The researchers tested all subjects for their performance in a working memory activity. The findings are still early and only relate to healthy volunteers. But the findings could point to new ways to increase brain operation in older people suffering from diseases that affect these operations, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.

Electroencephalography, or EEG, is a method of observing brain activity. Transcranial alternating current stimulation, or tACS, is the means of sending electrical charges into the brain. Using both EEG and tACS, the scientists stimulated the brains of the group of young and old people. They were able to make small changes to the brainwave connections linked to their working memory.

Without brain stimulation, the older people were slower and less correct in their memories than the younger ones. This was because the younger people had higher levels of connections of certain brain wave rhythms.

Robert Reinhart, a researcher at Boston University, said that when older adults received active brain stimulation, they improved their working-memory test scores to the levels of the younger people. The effect lasted for at least 50 minutes after the stimulation was given.

Twelve wants to make a great number of products greener by changing where the carbon used in their production comes from — taking it from carbon dioxide caught in the air instead of from the ground in the form of fossil fuels. “If we can take the basic carbon molecule (分子) and put new elements around it, in that case, it can be useful in industry,” says co-founder Etosha Cave, “we can basically shift what’s happening with our atmosphere and what’s happening with climate change.” Or, as her fellow co-founder Kendra Kuhl puts it: “Changing carbon changes everything.”

To achieve this transformation (转变), the company created a catalyst, something that breaks down carbon dioxide caught from the air into smaller atomic bits, such as carbon and oxygen, using water and electricity to recombine the elements and for mother carbon compounds (混合物) that make up the basis of a wide range of chemicals and fuels.

Twelve’s carbon transformation system can be added to existing producing processes and it send products used as a direct replacement for standard petrochemicals. That allows other companies to cut their dependence on fossil fuels in production.

“By sourcing carbon from carbon dioxide instead of fossil fuels, we can largely reduce our emissions (排放) while keeping the products we know and love,” says Cave. Brands are taking note. Twelve’s chemicals are currently being used to produce Mercedes-Benz car parts, a line of Pangaia sunglasses and soon.

Twelve also created his own sustainable (可持续的) fuels, E-Jet and E-Marine, which are used to power aircraft and ships.

As reported in the journal Nature, one system can directly remove carbon dioxide from sources ranging from flue gas (烟道气) to the atmosphere by using electricity to induce a water-and-oxygen-based electrochemical reaction. This technological achievement could turn direct air capture (捕获) from edge industry into a promising front for climate change relief.

Most carbon-capture systems involve a two-step process: First, high-pH liquids are used to separate the carbon dioxide, which is acidic, from mixed-gas streams such as flue gas. Next, the carbon dioxide is regenerated from the solution through heating or by injecting a low-pH liquid.

“Once the carbon dioxide is trapped in these solvents (溶剂), you have to regenerate it,” says Haotian Wang, assistant professor at Rice University. “There are literally no chemicals produced or consumed with our process. We also don’t need to heat up or pressurize our device, we just need to put it into a power outlet and it will work.”

Another drawback of current carbon-capture technologies is their reliance on large-scale, centralized infrastructure. By contrast, the system developed in the Wang lab is an extensible, modular, point-of-use concept that can adapt to a variety of scenarios. “The technology can be scaled up to industrial settings-power plants, chemical plants-but the great thing about it is that it allows for small-scale use as well: I can even use it in my office.” Wang says.

Also the reactor can continuously remove carbon dioxide from a simulated (模拟的) flue gas with efficiency above 98% using a relatively low electricity input. Wang notes that the process has “no carbon footprint or a very limited footprint” if powered by electricity from renewable sources such as solar or wind. “This is great news considering that renewablel electricity is becoming more and more cost-effective,” Wang says.