The GE Brief: April 13, 2021

VIRUS HUNTERS
 
A team of scientists at GE Research is working on a tiny smartphone sensor to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, and other pathogens. Led by Radislav Potyrailo, a principal scientist at GE Research in Niskayuna, New York, the team received a two-year research grant from the National Institutes of Health to build a device that could fit on the end of a fingertip.
 
Sensor and sensibility: The group’s success could mean that in the future smartphones and smartwatches equipped with such sensors could help users detect not only SARS-CoV-2, but potentially other pathogens and irritants. “One of the first lines of defense against any virus is avoiding exposure, which is easier said than done when you can’t see it,” Potyrailo says. “Through our project with the NIH, we are developing a sensor small enough to embed in a mobile device that could detect the presence of the COVID-19 virus.”
 
Read more about the project here.

CUTTING BACK ON CARBON
 
There has been a lot of talk in Washington recently about decarbonization and bringing more renewable energy online. But for all the recent growth of renewable energy generation, wind and solar power still account for less than one-tenth of the world’s energy output. And as utilities around the world try to cut back on carbon-intensive coal power, they will need to replace it with energy from sources that not only have low-carbon emissions but also is always available — as we all want electricity on windless, rainy days.

A natural partner: More than two dozen large U.S. utilities have already committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and they have been thinking about their next steps. “There’s no doubt that the electricity sector is the lead horse in decarbonization,” says former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who spoke recently at a Washington Post Live “Future of Energy” event sponsored by GE. One way involves natural gas. A modern gas power plant can quickly ramp up output when the wind stops blowing. Indeed, the transition to gas has been the largest factor in the ability of the U.S. power sector to reduce its carbon emissions by 33% since 2007. “Considering the urgency of the challenge in front of us, we can now do more, faster, and it starts with the power sector,” says Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Gas Power, who participated in the sponsor’s segment of the Washington Post Live event.
 
Find out how natural gas and renewables are working to speed up decarbonization here.

COOLEST THINGS ON EARTH ?
 
1. Mood Markers
Researchers at Indiana University developed a blood test “that can distinguish how severe a patient's depression is, their risk of severe depression in the future and their risk of future bipolar disorder.” It can also help recommend medication.
 
2. Cracking The Case
Engineers at MIT showed how ultrasound waves could physically damage coronaviruses’ trademark spike proteins.
 
3. Seeing Is Believing
Patients with genetic blindness had notable, long-lasting vision improvements after University of Pennsylvania researchers injected an RNA therapy directly into study participants’ impaired eyes.
 
Learn more here about this week’s Coolest Things On Earth.

— QUOTE OF THE DAY —

“The holy grail is to detect a single virus particle.”
 
— Radislav Potyrailo, a principal scientist at GE Research in Niskayuna, New York, who is working on a sensor to detect COVID-19 

Quote: GE Reports. Images: GE Research, Getty Images.