The Big Picture

This Startup Is Using AI to Unearth New Smells

“The $30 billion global fragrance industry relies on raw ingredients that are becoming increasingly difficult or controversial to source…Chemists at fragrance companies have figured out how to replicate some natural aromas, but it’s still a largely manual process, and many scents don’t have synthetic substitutes. With $60 million in an initial funding round led by New York-based Lux Capital and GV (Google Ventures), Osmo aims to create the next generation of aroma molecules for perfumes, shampoos, lotions, candles, and other everyday products.” (WIRED)

New DNA Biosensor Could Unlock Powerful, Low-Cost Clinical Diagnostics

“Like other DNA biosensors, the device takes advantage of the fact that a single DNA strand, when not paired with another within the familiar double helix, is primed for chemical bonding. Part of the device is coated with single strands of DNA. When these “probes” encounter DNA biomarkers that have a corresponding, or complementary, genetic sequence, the two strands bind, sending a signal that is picked up by the device.” (NIST)

NASA and DARPA to partner on nuclear thermal propulsion demonstration for Mars rocket

“Neither DARPA nor NASA have disclosed details about the demonstration mission itself, which uses a spacecraft called X-NTRV…the vehicle would operate in orbit at an altitude of at least 700 kilometers, and perhaps as high as 2,000 kilometers, to ensure that any radioactive materials would have decayed to acceptable levels before reentry.” (SpaceNews)

Global energy storage investment jumped 55% in 2022 as funds shifted from private equity to public markets

While overall corporate funding for energy storage increased to record levels in 2022, venture capital invested in energy storage declined by a little over one-third after hitting a record $8.8 billion in 2021.“Cost is where the challenge is,” Mercom CEO Raj Prabhu said. “To get to that next level of growth, the cost needs to come down.” (Utility Dive)