From their colossal carbon footprint to their expensive and complex application, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are marred by numerous problems. The EU-funded AT2 project is taking a new, minimalist approach to decentralised payments. The result is a new class of blockchain algorithms that could offer citizens a cleaner, simpler payment system.
Changes to the sugars attached to proteins have been linked with a range of human diseases, but the tools needed to detect this phenomenon have been lacking. The EU-funded GLYCOSURF project developed a new test that can detect these subtle alterations. The technique provides a robust and reliable way to provide early diagnoses.
When it comes to converting light into energy, nobody does it better than nature. By studying how this natural process works, a group of EU-funded researchers hope to create new methods and tools for replicating it in the lab. If they succeed, their work could open the door to building more energy-efficient electronic and photovoltaic devices.
We interact with technology on a daily basis, but almost entirely through our eyes and ears. The EU-funded SenseX project has unveiled a multisensory experience design. This new approach offers citizens technology that incorporates all their senses.
Our modern high-calorie, low-activity lifestyle is wreaking havoc on our bodies, provoking deadly diseases. The EU-funded NutrientSensingVivo project provides a better understanding of how the availability of food changes our metabolism. This knowledge offers new ways to prevent cancer, improve health and extend citizens’ life expectancy.
Understanding how the brain regulates bodily functions is critical for tackling metabolic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The EU-funded WATCH project is shedding light on the molecular mechanisms that underpin this process. The work supports novel therapies that could benefit citizens affected by Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and COVID-19.
At low temperatures and high pressures, water behaves strangely, becoming two distinct liquids. With a pioneering use of X-ray lasers, the EU-funded WATER project explored the behaviour of water in this liminal realm. The findings have potential to improve fuel cells and desalination technology, and may even aid the search for life on other planets.
With land resources overstretched or polluted, humans are increasingly exploring offshore solutions to onshore problems such as a lack of clean drinking water. The EU-funded MARCAN project has created tools to better understand the characteristics of offshore groundwater which are not well understood. The work will help sustainably develop maritime resources for the benefit of European citizens.
Identifying the specific genetic mutations that cause cancer has always been a challenge. The EU-funded NONCODRIVERS project offers a solution with a pioneering approach that applies machine learning based modelling to tumour data. This could lead to more personalised therapies that save the lives of thousands of citizens every year.
Materials used in medical implants such as pacemakers and insulin pumps can be hazardous to the body. The EU-funded BISON project seeks an alternative in self-assembling peptide building blocks. These biological electronics offer citizens safer implants that could be powered by the body itself.
