There are amazing new beneficial discoveries and developments happening almost every day, but they seem low on the radar. Day-to-day cost of living, economic speculations, scandals, and the pressures of wars and climate change lead many to gloom. But smiles can flow from celebrating positive developments.
FEED THE WORLD – POLYHALITE, A UK GODSEND
Nothing new in polyhalite apparently, but an article in the Times of 5 July by Ed Conway, and other recent reports, have highlighted a new excitement around this little discussed mineral. The world depends for its food on fertiliser to an unhealthy extent in that the classic fertilisers are a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the form of potash: these are not especially environmentally friendly chemicals, messy to produce, and their widespread use and perhaps overuse is wearing out the soil and its living inhabitants. Also, two of the biggest producers of potash are Russia and Belarus. The dangers of relying on States which are not careful of the rest of the world is a lesson being learnt the hard way today as they seek to annihilate Ukraine. And most of the world’s phosphorous is in North Africa, not the most stable environment.
Polyhalite, however, is it seems a ready-made fertiliser in the form of a crystal with a very low carbon footprint compared to other fertilisers. The biggest known deposits in the world are found in North East England, and it is currently being exported from the Boulby mine all over the world, and other mines in the area are proposed. According to Ed Conway, it will become a major mineral export for the UK, helping the world feed itself. He states that there is enough available in the amount already discovered in England to supply the entire world for a century. Agriculture depends on mining, and polyhalite is perhaps a godsend to the now rather flimsy UK mining industry. Britain should cheer.
FEED THE WORLD – THE GRASS PEA?
Apparently the very nutritious grass pea can be highly dangerous to eat for undernourished people, as it has a poison which can paralyse the vulnerable. On the other hand, it is a very tough plant which can be plentiful in the harshest of growing conditions, such as extreme heat and dryness, or even saltwater flooding. Hardy foods could become critical to feeding the world as environments become more agriculturally hostile. An article in the Observer of 9 July relates, headlined “UK genome work could turn grass pea into a crucial crop”.UK scientists are highly confident they have identified the gene which leads to the poison, and that they can eliminate it without harm to the grass pea’s beneficial characteristics. If current trials are successful, the grass pea will become available as a common legume, highly nutritious being protein rich, for populations living in the harshest of world conditions, leading to improved diet and so better lives. UK scientists again making a potential global contribution.
DRUG AFTER DRUG
It is impossible to keep up with the number of medical developments and potential new remedies, and the increasing speed of research and data analysis to benefit health. For example, here are three new cancer remedies which have had a little but not much publicity recently: dostarlimab which is a new treatment for colorectal cancer, which is becoming more and more common; ribociclib, apparently a very promising game changing drug for breast cancer; and olaparib for early breast cancer and advanced prostate cancer.
And very recently there are possible new drugs, described in the press as ground breaking, to slow the progress of Alzheimers, called donanemab and lecanemab. But they work only on mild cases, and so it is those with an early diagnosis who can benefit. The problem in the UK will be that the facilities are, according to NHS England, as of now inadequate for identifying early stage Alzheimers, and so the fear is that thousands may miss out unless the provision of equipment such as PET scanners can be vastly improved. NHS England is working on that infrastructure problem they say, and again, given that money is not unlimited, available funds may need reprioritising to meet that need. But this discovery is a huge cause for optimism in the fight against Alzheimers.
Medical advances seem to be being made almost daily, as exemplified by a Times article of 28th July headlined “Robot tentacles travel deep into body to terminate cancer cells” – pioneered at the University of Leeds. And all these advances are before the application of Artificial Intelligence really takes off. That will surely speed up the process of discovery and diagnosis. The UK is without question a world leader in research and discovery of medical treatments, and the potential to be an AI front-runner. That should always be celebrated, and Government must be true to its pledge to focus support on this exceptional British advantage.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENHANCING THE UK
There is unanimity that growth is the key pathway out of the financial straitjackets tightening around people, businesses and governments around the world. Part of the UK’s strategy for growth must be in reinforcing and growing its top spot as the investment hub in Europe for tech businesses. Few would resist the proposition that technology is here to stay as a global driver of growth, and few would disagree that the UK is in a pole position to be a considerable force in new advances.
It is heartening that OpenAI which runs ChatGPT is to open its first international office in London. According to an article on U.S. investors in tech in London in the Times of 9 July, this decision to open in London, ahead of other European centres, is thanks to Britain’s “rich culture and exceptional talent pool”. That article highlights too the tax benefits of the UK for start-up/early-stage businesses, and the open regulatory UK regime.
There have been few headlines about the fact that leading U.S. venture capital groups have committed to London, such as Andreessen Horowitz, who according to the Times article are highly influential in their field, and so others would pay attention to their favouring the UK. London is also seen as a gateway for American venture capital looking at wider Europe. Numerous quotes in that article by venture capital people and tech executives espouse London as a hub for U.S. investment in tech, and that more and more American tech people are coming to London, and “the UK tech sector only gaining in stature”. London is for players in the finance industry so much more attractive a place to live than mainland Europe centres, as evidenced by the reluctance of so many to move to Continental Europe despite Brexit. This growth is set to continue, which is the highly positive message from the Times article.
With the cities of both Oxford and Cambridge marked for expansion in science and tech businesses, when combined with London’s European pre-eminence, this is a truly bright horizon for the UK.
As commentators almost exult in terms like “broken Britain”, and bemoan suffering under financial pressures, those with talent, whose energy drives activity, continue with their advances forward and provide lights at the end of dark tunnels. Such people always seek to make things happen and they are to be encouraged as other people depend on their success. That is whether in development of ways to feed the world’s people, medical advances which improve and save lives, or technical creativity, such as artificial intelligence applications. AI most likely will contribute to solving the major world problems such as poverty and climate change, as well as life-threatening disease. It is clear that the UK is well placed to play a considerable role in most major global problems: the opportunity is there for Government, investors and businesses, as well as individuals who care to grab it.
