Written by: Nathaniel Tok, Peak Associate
China unveils massive sea bridge
Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world, connecting Hong Kong and Macau to Zhuhai in southern China.
The bridge, spanning over 54 kilometers and featuring an undersea tunnel, took almost 10 years and $20 billion dollars to build. As the bridge reduces travelling time in the critical Pearl River delta manufacturing hub, China hopes it will help grow the economy.
While China views the bridge as a mark of national pride and “China’s engineering prowess”, Claudia Mo, a Hong Kong democratic politician, pointed out that the bridge’s practical use is outstripped by political significance. Mo stated that the bridge can be seen as reminder of their connection from China to Hong Kong.
This bridge comes a month after a new Hong Kong-China railway was finished.
With files from NBC News.
2400-year-old shipwreck found in the Black Sea
A 23-meter-long Greek merchant ship, from more than 2400 years ago, has been found in the Black Sea, 80 kilometers from Burgas, Bulgaria.
The ship, including its rudder, rowing benches, and cargo, was found 2000 metres below sea level, but it was unusually well-preserved because it was submerged in oxygen-free water. It is believed that the ship was one of the several ships tracking between Mediterranean and Greek colonies, on the coast of the Black Sea.
The British-Bulgarian team which found the ship hopes to keep studying it to see what it can reveal about technology and trade in the region during that time period.
With files from BBC News.
AI-created art sells for $432,500
A painting called “The Portrait of Edmond Belamy” created by artificial intelligence (AI) was sold at Christie Auction House for $432,500 to an unknown buyer.
According to Christie, the painting, which depicts what appears to be a French churchman, was the first painting created by AI to be sold. The selling price beat Christie’s estimate of around $7,000 to $10,000 by over 40 times.
The French art collective known as Obvious, who were behind the painting, stated that they had used an altered version of code from artist Robbie Barrat to make the painting. This has led other AI artists to call the painting unoriginal.
With files from USA Today and The New York Times.
New antibiotic in development
Pharmaceutical company Shionogi Inc. has made a new antibiotic named Cefiderocol.
When infected, the human body creates an “iron-poor environment,” according to Dr. Simon Portsmouth, and the affecting bacteria try to counter this by increasing their intake of iron. Cefiderocol drug acts like a Trojan horse in this situation, as it binds to the iron which the bacteria uptakes. The antibiotic then kills the bacteria cell from the inside.
The drug has shown promise in clinical trials involving 448 people with kidney or urinary tract infections.
New antibiotics are difficult to develop and antibiotic-resistant bacteria make infections hard to treat. Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections could kill 10 million people each year by 2050.
With files from BBC News.
