Chemistry vs. bacteria. # 40, Leprosy
Leprosy control has a long history. Once upon a time the disease was looked upon as a divine punishment, leading to social isolation. Later it developed into an infection that
RMI: decarbonize fast and profitably
For decades, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) spread the message ‘that the energy transition will happen faster and be less costly than many people think’; in the words of CEO
Chemistry vs. bacteria. Episode 39, TBC
Up to early 20th century, many doctors still believe that susceptibility to tuberculosis is determined genetically. Fierce discussions between professors and parliamentary inquests do not resolve the question: bacterial infection
Transport as a Service
Modesty is not one of the obvious virtues of the RethinkX authors. The subtitle of their report Rethinking Transportation 2020-2030 (May 2017) reads: ‘the disruption of transportation and the collapse
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 38. 1980-2000, new successes – really?
The sulfas were a major success; and even more so, the pens and cefs. What next? We are still confronted with infections that cannot – or only ineffectively – be
The disruption of the cow
The second domestication of plants and animals, the disruption of the cow, and the collapse of industrial livestock farming. Nothing could better sum up the pretension of the RethinkX report
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 37. Cephalosporins, the factory
In industrial production of the major cephalosporins, we witness a development quite similar to that in the major penicillins. Using very clever chemistry, the 6-APA nucleus of penicillin is transformed
RethinkX: the essentials
The RethinkX report doesn’t fool around. It starts with a clarion call: ‘We are on the cusp of the fastest, deepest, most consequential transformation of human civilization in history, a
