The scientists who re-engineered the plastic-eating enzyme(酶) PETase have now created a new enzyme called “cocktail” , which can digest plastic up to six times faster.

PETase breaks down PET back into its building blocks, creating an opportunity to recycle plastic and reduce plastic pollution. PET is the most common thermoplastic(热塑性塑料) used to make single-use drinks bottles, which takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment, but PETase can shorten this time to days. The initial discovery set up the prospect of a revolution in plastic recycling, creating a potential low-energy solution to tackle plastic waste.

Now, the same trans-Atlantic team have combined PETase and its “partner”, a second enzyme called MHETase, to generate much bigger improvements: simply mixing PETase with MHETase doubled the speed of PET breakdown, and engineering a connection between the two enzymes to create a “super-enzyme”, increased this activity by a further three times.

The team was co-led by the scientists who engineered PETase, Professor John McGeehan and Dr Gregg Beckham. Professor McGeehan said: “Gregg and I were chatting about how PETase attacks the surface of the plastics and MHETase chops things up further, so it seemed natural to see if we could use them together. Our first experiments showed that they did work better together, so we decided to physically link them. It took a great deal of work, but it was worth the effort — we were delighted to see that our new enzyme is up to three times faster than the separate enzymes.”

The original PETase enzyme discovery indicated the first hope that a solution to the global plastic pollution problem might be within grasp, though PETase alone is not yet fast enough to handle the tons of PET bottles. Combining it with a second enzyme, and finding together they work even faster, means another leap forward has been taken towards finding a solution to plastic waste. PETase and the new combined MHETase-PETase both work by digesting PET plastic. This allows for plastics to be made and reused endlessly, reducing our reliance on fossil(化石) resources.

A man paralyzed (瘫痪的) in 2011 has regained the ability to stand and walk with the help of implants (植入物) placed in his brain and spinal cord (脊髓).

The patient, 40-year-old Gert-Jan Oskam of the Netherlands, was told he would never walk again after a biking accident. Now, using the implants, “we’ve read the thoughts of Oskam and translated these thoughts into stimulation of the spinal cord to reestablish voluntary movement,” said Gregoire Courtine, a neuroscientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

The technology “enables natural control over the movements of his legs to stand, walk, and climb stairs,” the study authors write. Oskam can walk more than 330 feet at once and stand for several minutes without using his hands for support. “A few months ago, I was able, for the first time after over ten years, to stand up and have a beer with my friends,” Oskam says. “That was pretty cool.”

The new technique involved placing two implants in Oskam’s brain. When he wants to move, the implants read his brain signals and send that information to sensors on a device on his head. A computer uses these signals to predict how Oskam intends to move, then turns his intentions into commands and sends these commands to another implant in the spinal cord. Finally, the spinal implant stimulates Oskam’s muscles according to his intended movement. Through this “digital bridge,” the researchers re-opened a line of communication between Oskam’s brain and spinal cord.

For now, the device is still at the experimental stage. Next, the researchers would like to be able to make the device’s hardware, which Oskam carries in a backpack, more compact (小巧的). They hope the technology can one day be used to help people regain the capacity for other movements and bodily functions. Harvey Sihota, CEO of the U.K. charity Spinal Research, says the technology still has a long way to go before becoming available to the public, but the results are “very encouraging.”

Putting Movies on Mobiles

Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars. But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm- the first mobile film festival.

The first MoFilm competition received 250 entries from more than 100 countries. Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length-best for viewing and sharing on mobile phones. An independent team of judges then selected a shortlist of five film-makers. The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones.

New Platforms

The awards highlight the increasing influence that mobile phones are showing in the entertainment industry. Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films. They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works.

It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression be seen by a wide audience. Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!

New Technology Advances

MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood. The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size. However this could be overcome as technology advances.

In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone. And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality.

Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the quality of work, the simple ability at story telling，and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere.