And poor polluted so our far away solar system neighbor was a planet and then it wasnt what happened. But 1st lets take a look at our planet sun wind and water are almost inexhaustible sources of energy here on earth and we have the technology to tap into them were moving away from fossil fuels to Renewable Energies that much is clear but whats unclear is how to reliably store that energy. Its a problem that needs solving as more and more of our electricity in the future will come from renewable sources. This was engineer has come up with an interesting concept. Andrea petrecki has a vision he wants to build a gravity assisted battery to compensate for the fluctuating nature of solar and wind energy if it works itll be able to store millions of times more energy than a conventional household that are e. Vision is a system for storing large amounts of energy so we can increase the sheriff or nubile energy is in the grid. Or right now its about 30 to 35 percent thats the limit because the sun doesnt shine constantly what we need is a more economical and efficient storage system that and this is what his batteries will look like towers 60 to 120 meters high made of hundreds of cement blocks built around the 6 armed crane when theres excess energy in the grid it will Power Electric motors which move the crane arms to lift and stack the 35 ton blocks. Now the battery is charged. When electricity is needed the blocks are let down again generators in the crane arms turn the potential energy of the stat blocks into Electrical Energy which is returned to the grid this leaves the tower discharged. The cement blocks essentially function the way the water in a pumped storage hydroelectric plant but with the advantage according to the inventors that the towers can be built on any terrain and are cheaper. We can store the energy very cheaply because we use existing Technology Like motors and generators mechanical systems that have been around for a. 100 years. This seemingly simple idea has garnered quite a lot of attention after progressive steam presented the concept at an Energy StorageDevelopers Conference in the us microsoft founder bill gates mentioned the company to his millions of followers he wrote wind and solar wont reach their potential until we vastly improve Energy Storage there are some exciting Companies Working in this space like bill gross and then his energy vault. From bill gates made is known around the world but that wasnt the only factor but after the official presentation there was a lot of interest on the part of many different investors will be. Helped of course. Here in southern switzerland the vision is actually taking shape start up as well financed thanks to a generous investment from Japan Softbank and tata power indias biggest electricity provider has ordered the tower. The one here is a prototype. Andrea has yet to prove that the idea really works because although the concept sounds simple its quite complicated to put into practice. The Intelligence Software that controls the crane autonomously it has to grasp the concrete blocks around reposition them without vibrations and without any human involvement. Once completed this small scale prototype will have the chance to prove itself as a future technology for Energy Storage. Making the switch to renewables is a project that will be with us for years to come. But at the moment most headlines are about the new coronavirus in late 2019 a hitherto unknown corona virus strain appeared in the city of wool one in china it soon spread to other countries again and again virus outbreaks threaten the health of communities and pressure researchers to develop vaccines. Thats the case with many pathogens. Heres a little a. B. C. About. Some 3. 00 to 5000. 00 species of viruses have been classified worldwide scientists believe that millions more have yet to be identified. Viruses are often transmitted by droplet infection theyre microscopic parasites that are neither really dead nor aligned. Theyre not made of cells dont carry out processors and cant replicate outside of the host when viruses enter the body meaning when we become infected they insert their genetic material into the host cells the virus hijacks the cells in order to reproduce. When the host cell dies thousands of new viruses are released and the process starts all. Again. In contrast to viruses bacteria dont need a has to be a pretty is and they perform generally beneficial functions and now bodies when we are infected with pathogenic bacteria we can beat them with antibiotics. Well not necessarily the problem is that bacteria are increasingly developing resistance to antibiotics. Bacteria reproduce by Cell Division every so often theres a replication error such random mutations can drive evolution via Natural Selection usually in there of little consequence the mutated bacterial form eventually dies out in some cases however a mutation can result in resistance to antibiotics and when antibiotics are used the bacteria with the meaty shin proliferate. The antibiotic kills most of the bacteria but the mutated bacteria are unaffected. The resistant bacteria survive and to multiply. The use of antibiotics leads to a population of resistant bacteria. In hospitals antibiotics are prescribed to many patients that increases the chances that a resistant strain of bacteria with the merge and patients sometimes bring antibiotic resistant bacteria with them when theyre hospitalized those super bugs are often washed into the waste water system and then into the environment they end up on crops in domesticated and wild animals and eventually in us its a vicious cycle. Antibiotics are also used in large quantities in livestock farming. That also promotes the rise of resistant bacteria which end up in the environment. New bacterial strains. Can spread around the world quickly even within days to combat the rise of superbugs we need to understand how they spread and we need to develop new drugs to combat them. Antimicrobial substances exist in nature where ever bacterial colonies are trying to survive and thrive like. An ordinary clump of soil brimming with bacteria and fungus they compete with their neighbors for resources and space. Microbes have a secret weapon in their arsenal they produce Chemical Substances that can sweep away the competition. Microbial compounds or antibiotics are of great interest to researchers they isolate the microorganisms to grow them in the lab and extract the antibiotics they produce. In a screening process disease causing bacteria. Then samples of the soil antimicrobial are added to the culture. Of the bacteria grow on the plate except where they encounter an antimicrobial agent that theyre vulnerable to known as a zone of inhibition. Thats evidence that the substance is preventing bacterial growth in the zone one day it could be the basis for a new drug. And new effective drugs could come from a case like this and. Mangroves considered to be one of the most productive habitats on the planet protecting coastal areas from erosion and providing homes to countless species including a diversity of microorganisms. There the object of study by young scientists from indonesia. Shes currently working at a Research Institute in germany. The development of new antibiotics is a race against time most antibiotics were derived from substances produced by soil dwelling microorganisms at the helm of the center for Infection Research in germany semi auto vianna is studying sediment from mangrove swamps to isolate bacteria that produce antibiotic substances the samples come from a Nature Conservation area in indonesia. The microorganisms in this house have adapted to their tidal environment to thrive in the sediment and brackish water theyve evolved to produce a variety of novel unto microbial compounds could this be a new source for the drugs that are so urgently needed. Something. That we all know the world needs new antibiotics than. A growing number of pathogens are developing resistance to the antibiotics used in medicine today. Thats because so many antibiotics are being overused and misused. The but the biologists have been trying to find as many microorganisms as possible that produce antibiotic substances i know work is paid off shes already isolated 28 previously unknown species mostly mixo bacteria. And a mix of bacteria produce a large variety of antibiotic substances. Some of them can even produce compounds that are effective against malaria or viruses. And. The mixer bacteria found among grove ecosystems have also attracted the attention of biologists you washington think. He believes that indonesia which is home to about one 5th of the word. Mangrove ecosystems could be a rich source of useful microbes. The research is still in its infancy but center of yanis project is a promising start then he has done a very interesting work with this mix of materials that this is a special group of book tyria we are. Working on and she has isolated a number of novel specious and characterized them and is now on to states that she can look for bioactive compounds which are used by since the unique are by crawling missiles indonesia is having a huge and wide biodiversity and especially in the field of microland isms this biodiversity is not investigated. Silly octavian his initial findings showed that the mix of bacteria among groups once include many recipe shes. The bioactive compounds they produce will be screened to see if they have until Microbial Properties which could help stem the rise of super bugs that have become a Global Health crisis. Yes sir prescott. They were very surprised to find that nearly every species we identified was a rare one. Surely we only read about them in books or online but here weve been able to work with them directly but im very proud that indonesia has so much potential. 70 october yana will soon complete her project at the helm of the center then she plans to return home to indonesia where shell continue her work on mixer bacteria and the mission to find new antibiotics. Our next report is about a far away planets or non planet. Pluto was discovered 92 years ago a sensational find the same year disney named a cartoon dog after the 9th planet in the solar system. Recently now also sent a mission past few so which took some spectacular pictures that few so its dubbed back in Traverse City a view in tanzania sent in a question about that. Why is pluto no longer a planet. For 76 years pluto was known as the 9th planet in the solar system far out in space orbited our central star the sun pluto was the tiniest of the planets until 2006. Then the International Astronomical union the i. A. E. A. You held its General Assembly in prague and demoted pluto to dwarf planet it was a controversial decision which angered many astronomers the american astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered pluto in 930 and it was feigned as the 1st planetary discovery in the u. S. In 2015 many spice enthuses photo that nasa is new Horizons Programme might restore pluto status as a planet the spacecraft flew past it and took sensational photos. They revealed a complex and dynamic landscape with 3000 meter High Mountains of frozen water juice of frozen methane and possibly even volcanoes spewing ice and it has an atmosphere and its still not a planet even though it all gets the sun just like the remaining 8 planets know because the new definition of a planet includes a criterion that pluto does not fulfill. The i use as a planet has to quote clear the neighborhood around its orbit that means its sweet sour other material in the vicinity to become the dominant object and its all the tools on. The earth has done that as have the others. 7 planets in our solar system but pluto failed to make the grade. Why out there in the region of its orbit there are many other minor planets known as the transnet to me and objects some of them quite similar to pluto like the even more massive heiress it was discovered in 2005 and ultimately led to plutos downfall. Clue showdowns to fuel the other 2 criteria for planet. That hold its a star and has enough mass to take on a nearly round shape that at least makes it a dwarf planet oh well it remains an absolutely fascinating world the far reaches of the song system. On the internet youll find plenty of calls to be returned to the pantheon of planets. Weve picked out too particularly interesting views in support. Rock legends brian may who has a doctorate in astrophysics is strongly pro peter. This list object was discovered and named to planets before he was born and at the time he says planets with thought to be roughly spherical objects that all this at the sun that make spears so a classical planet for him end of story. Nasa administrator jim dryden stein agree. The way should define a planet is based on its intrinsic values not the values that caused that we changed like orbital dynamics just so when i think about pluto and what we got dr new eyes and heres what we know. Pluto has an ocean under its surface. Pluto has. Complex organic compounds on its surface pluto has a multilayer atmosphere and pluto has its own moves im here to tell you as the nasa administrator. I believe pluto is a planet. If outlet is right why are very glad even if you made some questions arent easy to answer but that shouldnt stop you asking them send us your science question as a video text ovoid smell if we dont throw it on the show well send you a little surprise as a thank you come on just ask. Youll find more science stories on our website and to get in touch on twitter and facebook. Our planet has a problem with garbage we asked you on Facebook Whats the situation like in your country do you separate your garbage do you recycle. Rajan writes that there are a lot of initiatives on garbage processing in india many municipalities now separate their garbage including the one where he lives. Andrea says that households in rumania usually dont recycle you can take the garbage to recycling bins yourself but they usually not close by. Binondo posts that imperiled why they are flooded with garbage thats not recycled he sees that as one reason for widespread dengue fever. Reed writes that the university of the South Pacific and lao cholera fiji has been specifically for plastic bottles where they go after that its not clear maybe theyre really used in the factories that produce them. And in a post from nigeria brown says. Its garbage isnt recycled there but burnt which is very hazardous for the environment and people who live in the rivers tend to discharge their waste into the water. Thanks for your comments. Clearly the problem of waste is huge and it could get bigger a study by the world bank forecasts that the amount of garbage will increase by 70 percent by the year 2050 that would be an incredible 3400000000 tonnes. Figures like that show that we have to take action rice where we live our next report takes us to the brazilian capital where garbage is the subject of a University Course back to basics. This patch of land near the capital brasilia used to be the biggest landfill site in latin america in 2018 but dump was closed and the 60 meter High Mountain of garbage was covered with. Construction waste is still being dumped there although thats illegal. The National Waste policy aims to eradicate landfills and promote recycling. But there are still 2 and a half 1000 open landfill sites across the country. Lucy often and its worked here as a waste picker for 20 years she supported her 4 children by selling anything of value she found the family lived in a shanty town right next door at 1st she was very much against the closure of the dam she had little faith in the city authorities pledged to provide jobs for some 750 trash because in new recycling facilities but now thats where she works and shes changed her mind. You know up in say he will say i never thought i might one day have a real job me a simple waste picker with no right. And no social insurance obviously. And now i work here i even have an office. If only i paid a little better it would be perfect as you know my eyes she and her colleagues now belong to a cooperative that operates one of the recycling facilities what they are depends on how much trash they sought lucy often and is a supervisor she makes sure the work is done properly. And never that often not that how many. Half a nice day to come there arent enough people working on the Conveyor Belt a lot of recyclable material gets through and we have to check it to make sure things dont end up in residual waste that dont belong there if i see that happening i put more people on at the end of the belt that the process is set to become more efficient with the help of some students from the university of brasilia until recently that professor apollo says so does race gomes was Deputy Director of the municipal Sanitation Authority he helped restructure brasilia as Waste Management systems. Caught up with about everybody is collecting Something Different shes sorting out glass bottles shes sorting out plastic bottles further along somebody is pulling out the cardboard im afraid its possible the process could be made more efficient if the positions were switched around thats something we need to test this tell us. But not all the trash delivered here to be sorted can be recycled much of it has to be disposed of. The aim of the program is to increase the proportion of waste that can be recycled. Everything that can be stored and soldiers returned to the production chain to the recycling at district if it doesnt end up being dumped so were saving the cost of taking it to the landfill extending the lifespan of that site and reducing emissions. Professor paolo das race has organized across this. Plenary seminar at the university. Students from various fields are working on developing sustainable Waste Management solutions. One approach is to make Waste Sorting more efficient another is to focus on technology trucks sensors logistics others aim to raise environmental awareness how can the public be involved more closely in the Waste Recycling process than use the program bring students together with representatives of the Family SupportSanitation Authority the recycling cooperative and also commercial enterprises. The university of brasilia setting up a Postgraduate Program in Waste Management. Among brazil cities the capital has taken the lead into validating a sustainable Waste Management strategy. Sorting out collection have just been expanded across the city lucier for non there is optimistic about her future will now be more waste delivered to her cooperative to source and that means she and her colleagues will soon be earning more. Thats it for today on our next program a Research Project in iraq heavy studying insect pollinators like beans why are they in danger and how can they be risky and join us for more on somalia to day next week see you then by. Markets. The momentum of the working world. This man made in germany. 30 minutes w. Mistreating murder displaced. Nearly a 1000000 ringa have fled their homes in myanmar and most are now trapped in neighboring bangladesh. Noah is this plan is better than a cleansing and if so who was responsible to a documentary looking for. And so. In 75 minutes on the job you. Ringback read the real pallet resides. I come from there lots of people in fact know that the breathing it is the blood loss is democracy thats one reason im passionate about people and aspirations and they can sense. The television the book is Fried Chicken the name after the 4th of the an inborn am memo thinking at the time if the bubble in broken hill what happened to see her come together and unite for a cause. But i do the news that often confronts difficult situations more conflict between disaster and i see despondent my own shop to confront a good leader as unconscious sees and development to put the spotlight and issues that matter most hunger Food Security question marshall nicely soon. Or not has been achieved so much more needs to be done and i think people have to be at the heart of solutions my name is an exception and i work at least doesnt. Cut. This is news and these are our top stories e. U. Leaders of voted to seal off the block from nearly all International Travel for at least 30 days in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus german chancellor Angela Merkel announced the restrictions after a series of video conferences with other european leaders