“It’s exciting to see a phenomenon that no one has seen before,” said Shuqi Xu, a PhD candidate at the Australian National University (ANU). “I don’t want people to think I am a workaholic, but I often come to the lab on Sundays. I can’t wait to find out the results of our experiments.”

Xu’s dedication has led to the world’s first thermal desalination method where water remains in the liquid phase throughout the process. This power-saving and potentially lifesaving approach is detailed in a new study published in Nature Communications.

A groundbreaking development in computing storage, capable of operating at temperatures so high that rock begins to melt, promises to enable computers to function in the harshest environments on Earth and even on Venus for the first time.

Current non-volatile memory (NVM) devices, such as solid-state drives (SSDs), fail at temperatures of 572 degrees Fahrenheit (300 degrees Celsius). However, scientists have now developed a new ferroelectric diode—a semiconductor switching device—that remains functional for hours at a staggering 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius). This advancement means that sensors and computing devices using this diode can be used in extreme environments, such as nuclear plants, deep-field oil and gas exploration, and our solar system’s hottest planet, where previous devices would fail within seconds.

In science fiction, the Grandfather Paradox suggests that traveling into the past and altering key events can dramatically change or even obliterate the future. But what if we flipped this idea on its head? Instead of worrying about the potential disruptions of time travel, we could define a desirable future and then reverse engineer the necessary steps to achieve it. Unlike the Grandfather Paradox, which resides in the realm of sci-fi, the concept of backcasting is not only feasible but also practical.

Backcasting, first outlined by Professor John B. Robinson from the University of Waterloo nearly 35 years ago, starts with a clear vision of the end goal and works backward to identify the steps needed to achieve it. This method contrasts with traditional forecasting, which predicts the future by extrapolating from past trends. In 2014, futurist Thomas Frey presented eight backcasting scenarios to better understand the future. These scenarios included ambitious visions such as controlling hurricanes or extending human lifespan beyond 200 years, and then mapped out the necessary technologies, policies, and actions to realize these visions.

Retired naval officer Joseph Dituri embarked on an extraordinary mission, staying underwater for over three months as part of a groundbreaking scientific study. Researchers sought to understand the effects of living in a pressurized underwater environment on the human body. The results were astonishing: Dituri appeared to have “reversed” his aging by ten years when he resurfaced after more than three months in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

Medical assessments revealed remarkable changes in Dituri’s body. His telomeres, the DNA caps at the ends of chromosomes that usually shorten with age, had grown 20 percent longer. Additionally, his stem cell count increased, and his overall health saw a significant boost. Dituri reported notable improvements in his metabolism as well.