10 Weird Solutions to Global Problems

The one thing we may all have in common is that we have problems. In fact, the world has no shortage of problems. Many of them are global in scale and effect, including dwindling resources and undwindling diseases—the grocery store being out of Chips-Ahoy-stuffed Oreos (or vice versa) doesn’t count as a real problem.

Though some issues may seem insurmountable, and perhaps will be for some time, we’re fortunate enough to have lots of smart, innovative people working on solutions. And sometimes, the weirdest solutions may prove the most effective. After all, if not for NASA going to space, we may not have ear thermometers.

The following solutions may not be from space, but they’re definitely “out there.”

Related: 10 Energy Breakthroughs That No One Is Talking About

10 Printing New Skin to Heal Wounds

For most, 3D printing is a fun gimmick for making novelties or, at its most useful, a replacement knob for the stove before shunting the printer in the closet next to the Ab-Cruncher 2000. But printing can be a transformative technology in healthcare.

To that end, scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi are developing a potentially revolutionary biological advance: bio-printing. Like a 3D printer uses melted plastics to create tiny Gandalf figurines, this technique would use body-boosting “bio-inks.”

These bio-inks are derived from human stem cells, so they would be able to differentiate into various tissues, such as organ-like structures. Given that the skin is an organ (fun fact!), this means bio-printing could improve treatments for common injuries such as burns, chemical exposure, and others that damage the skin, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Plus, printed tissues and materials could protect and treat soldiers, potentially via future applications like protective contact lenses. Equally importantly, bio-printed tissues could allow accurate biomedical testing, so it would no longer have to be done on animals.^[1]

9 The Suicide Trick for Killer Weeds

Parasitic weeds are a global detriment. They steal nutrients from the honest, hard-working crops that feed the world. In certain locales, including sub-Saharan Africa, entire fields can be lost to parasitic weeds and exacerbate existing food shortages.

So researchers from the University of California, Riverside, are finding ways to get parasitic weeds to self-destruct. It requires manipulating a thing weeds already do: springing to life when they sense plant hormones called strigolactones, which are released through a plant’s “skin.”

The scientists’ strategy is to use those hormones to trick the crop-ruining baddies, causing the parasitic weeds to sprout pre- or post-maturely, when there’s insufficient nutrition. As a result, they basically starve to death before they can drain the crops of their nutrients.^[2]

8 AI Knee Film That Reads Your Moves

Achy knees are among the most common global pains. Knee pain afflicts 25% of people, and its prevalence has grown by 65% over the last 20 years, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. It can result from injuries, genetic predispositions, poor movement patterns, or generally being overweight.

So getting to the root of the cause is part of the battle—for example, by studying the everyday forces that impact the joint. But that’s a complicated affair that requires a laboratory setting or clunky equipment. Therefore, scientists have designed a wearable device, like a film, that can be slapped (gently) onto the knee to analyze the force signals generated by movements.

It’s light, cheap, easy to use, and AI-enabled to derive insights based on the forces acting upon the knee during everyday movements or extended Call of Duty sessions.^[3]

7 Gel Film That Drinks Desert Air

Air is full of water, relatively, but there’s no great way to harvest it—not even with a really narrow straw.

Fortunately, the University of Texas invented a “low-cost gel film made of abundant materials” to draw water vapor from the air using an open-pore, hydrophilic (water-loving) structure.

This gel sucks out moisture from even the most arid air, which could help innumerable individuals around the world: water is becoming scarcer everywhere, and one-third of the global population resides in drylands that face routine water shortages.

Yet the gel film only costs about a dollar per pound, and each pound can yield approximately 100–200 fluid ounces (a pint is 16 fluid ounces), depending on relative humidity. Increasing its thickness or assembling it in arrays could help produce even more water for the many communities that desperately need it.^[4]

6 Soil That Waters Itself

That advance wasn’t as recent as others. Has anything even been done with it? Oh yeah. The researchers infused this hydrogel into the earth, creating “smart soil” that waters itself and releases fertilizer in a controlled fashion.

The result? Larger, healthier plants while saving resources: smart soil plants had 138% greater stem length with about 40 % less water usage. This can lessen the burden on farmers, who require vast amounts of water and fertilizer (and a rugged, can-do attitude, according to salsa commercials).
As mentioned, water is becoming scarce, and agriculture can account for 70 % (or more) of global freshwater use. In developing countries and places with booming populations, this figure may reach 95 %. Altering the soil itself may offer an effective, innovative way to tackle a global issue by lessening the need for irrigation and other resources.^[5]

5 Whale-Tail Ships That Save Fuel

Scientists noted that whales are pretty good swimmers, especially for creatures that used to be dog-like ground-dwellers a mere 40–50 million years ago.

And while nature doesn’t perfect things—because it doesn’t have to—science can perfect things, like propulsion systems. For example, global automation firm ABB is toying with a more efficient new propulsion system for the marine industry.

Named Dynafin, it’s inspired by millions of years of evolution: the swimming motions of whale tails. This electrified system can reduce energy consumption by 22 %. ABB hopes this and similar technologies can contribute toward the marine industry’s goal of helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 % by 2050.^[6]

4 Turning Cow Poop into Truck Fuel

Methane is a major greenhouse gas, 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe, and cows are major methane producers. Though cows are adorable and feed the world, their burps, farts, and poo release loads of methane.

And, as populations and waistlines boom, Big Beef is birthing and killing ever-larger numbers of cows, who yield ever-larger amounts of poo. One way to lessen its impact is to cover cow manure with a large, balloon-like tarp. There are more than 130 of these “digesters” in use across California dairies, and they can cut atmospheric methane emissions by over 80 %.

Normally, manure pits release methane, so by covering them with a gas-tight membrane, farmers can trap this methane, clean it, and use it in fuel systems for long-haul trucks.^[7]

3 The Android App That Detects Earthquakes

Earthquakes are a lethal natural danger and an inescapable consequence of our tectonic planet. To save lives, scientists are developing a global early alert network, composed of Android smartphones, that collectively track seismic activity to predict earthquakes and provide early warnings.

This innovative warning system relies on Androids, which make up 70% of the global phone population. These phones, just like the official seismic sensors placed in the ground, can detect shaking. Though obviously, they aren’t as sensitive as dedicated geological devices.

Overall, the project is promising. Over its first three years (2021–2024), the Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) initiative detected 312 earthquakes per month on average, from magnitude 1.9 to magnitude 7.8, throughout 98 countries. For earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or higher, it sent alerts, equaling around 18 million alerts per month.

To reach full life-saving potential, the timing still needs work, with 36% receiving the alert before, 28% during, and 23% after the onset of ground motion.^[8]

2 Hair-Thin AC Membrane That Cuts Emissions

We’re all hot, sweaty, and need constant AC to prevent swampy bodily conditions and rashes. But building-cooling systems account for 4 % of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is, surprisingly, twice as much as all air travel.

The problem isn’t going away, either. As the globe continues warming, it’s forecast that air conditioning demand will surge by up to 40 % by 2030. Therefore, Harvard is transcending the vapor-compression tech that has powered ACs—and remained largely unchanged—for over a century.

Instead, the tech known as Trellis Air is a membrane, similar to a coffee filter, only incredibly thin: at only 15 microns, it’s several times thinner than a human hair. Like an AC, it cools the air while pulling moisture without the exorbitant energy use and associated emissions.^[9]

1 3D-Printed Pen That Detects Parkinson’s

Scientists have developed a 3D-printed magnetic pen that can offer early diagnoses for Parkinson’s, a scourge that affects more than 10 million people worldwide. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that impairs motor movements, causing tremors, rigidity, and mobility issues, robbing individuals of their agility and fluidity of movement.

Detecting these impaired movements can help doctors make earlier diagnoses, but these issues are not always evident. Enter the pen, which doesn’t physically write on paper, but does transfer its users’ motions into an electrical signal. This signal is analyzed by AI models to detect irregularities, tremors, and other telltale signs of Parkinson’s development, with an accuracy of up to 96.22 %.

Better yet, the pen is cheap and easy to produce, making this a viable diagnostic tool for all regions of the world. And though there’s sadly no cure for Parkinson’s, early detection can lead to preemptive treatment and more effective support strategies.^[10]