💊 Scientists make engineered bacteria convert plastic waste into Parkinson’s drug

For the first time, researchers from the University of Edinburgh have developed a new method to transform common plastic into a medication used to treat neurodegenerative Parkinson’s disease. Instead of simply disposing of plastic, this approach upcycles environmental waste into a high-value medical resource.

The team have developed a process that dismantles PET plastic waste into its primary building block, terephthalic acid, to serve as a sustainable raw material. This acid is then fed to engineered E.coli bacteria, which act as microscopic factories to rearrange the carbon molecules. Through a series of programmed biological reactions, the bacteria synthesize L-DOPA from these fragments. Levodopa is the most common drug doctors prescribe to replace the dopamine lost in Parkinson’s disease, as it turns into dopamine in the brain.

“By converting discarded plastic into a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, the team has demonstrated how carbon that would otherwise be lost to landfill or pollution can be turned into high value products that improve lives,” - said Professor Charlotte Deane Executive Chair, UKRI EPSRC.

@QSIMedia

❌ Hyundai stops sales and recalls 68,500 2026 Palisade models because the power seats can crush you

Hyundai issued a stop-sale order for the 2026 Palisade in top Limited and Calligraphy trims following an incident that killed a two-year-old child in Ohio on March 7. Full details about the incident have not been released and an investigation into the matter is underway. A recall for 68,500 Palisades is being finalized, according to Hyundai.

The issue stems from the power-operated second- and third-row seats not detecting contact with a human or object, which could result in the power-folding seats crushing an occupant or item. 🤯 The company is urging consumers to use caution when using the second- and third-row power seat.

@QSIMedia

⚡️🇺🇸🇨🇳 Trump says he asked China to delay Xi summit due to Iran war

President Donald Trump said he had requested China delay a summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for about a month, saying it was important for him to remain in Washington to oversee the Iran war. The meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies is currently set to begin from March 31 to April 2.

“We’re working on that right now. We’re speaking to China. I’d love to, but because of the war, I think it’s important that I be here,” - Trump said Monday during a White House event when asked about potentially rescheduling the high-profile summit. “And so we’ve requested that we delay it a month or so, and I’m looking forward to being with them. We have a very good relationship."

The decision to delay the summit may not be a major disappointment for Beijing, as China had previously proposed a later date to allow more time for preparations.

@QSIMedia

🤖 Jensen Huang expects Nvidia to sell $1 trillion of AI hardware through 2027

Jensen Huang expects his company to earn $1 trillion selling AI hardware through 2027, he revealed at his keynote at the GTC 2026 event. If this happens, then Nvidia will be the first company in history to earn $1 trillion by selling AI hardware, which will once again prove its strong position as an indisputable AI hardware market leader.

At its GTC developer conference, Nvidia unveiled a new central processor and an AI system built on technology from startup Groq. Groq specializes in fast and cheap "inference" computing work, in which an AI model takes what it has already learned and uses it to answer a question or make a prediction in real time. Huang also made the argument that part of Nvidia's competitive advantage ​was its CUDA chip programming software.

"The installed base is what attracts ​developers who then create (the) ⁠new algorithms that achieve the breakthrough" technologies, Huang said. "We are in every cloud. We're in every computer company. We serve just about every single industry."

@QSIMedia

💊 43-year study finds coffee may help protect the brain from dementia

Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard conducted a large prospective cohort study involving 131,821 participants. Some participants were followed for as long as 43 years.

The analysis found that moderate intake of caffeinated coffee (2-3 cups a day) or tea (1-2 cups a day) was linked to a lower risk of dementia, slower cognitive decline, and better preservation of cognitive abilities. Coffee and tea contain several biologically active compounds, including caffeine and polyphenols. These substances may help protect the brain by reducing inflammation and limiting cellular damage, both of which are associated with cognitive decline.

Among the more than 130,000 people included in the analysis, 11,033 eventually developed dementia. Men and women who consumed the highest amounts of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of dementia compared with those who reported little or no intake.

@QSIMedia

🇺🇸 US planning first new coal power plant since 2013 in Alaska

Terra Energy Center is pouring $1 billion into a deal for a planned coal project in Alaska, marking the first investment in new US coal power in more than a decade. The agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries Power Systems for an order of power-plant boilers was described in a US Interior Department fact sheet. The transaction is one of several that advanced during talks at the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum in Tokyo this weekend.

The US coal industry has been declining as utilities turn to cheaper and cleaner power sources, including natural gas and renewables, with coal now supplying about 16% of the nation’s electricity. The move is part of Trump’s expansive plan to reshape the US energy landscape, promoting fossil fuels over intermittent renewables, especially with electricity demand set to surge as power-hungry data centers run AI.

@QSIMedia

🇬🇧 Reeves pledges fastest AI adoption in G7 in UK Growth Vision

British finance minister Rachel Reeves said that the government would spend up to 1 billion pounds ($1.33 ​billion) on powerful quantum computers to help develop ‌the quantum sector and boost the wider economy. Rachel Reeves vowed the UK will adopt AI faster than any other Group of Seven nation.

“AI is the defining technology of our era,” Reeves is due to say. “In a world defined by technological change, Britain cannot afford to stand still. I believe we can approach the future with confidence — with the technologies for the future invented, built and deployed here in Britain.”

The UK and Europe are investing heavily in quantum computing, betting that the nascent technology can bring breakthroughs in fields like drug discovery and protect against future national security risks.

@QSIMedia

⚡️🇺🇦🇪🇺 Ukraine says it accepted EU mission to restore Druzhba oil flows

Ukraine will allow European Union experts into the country to help restore Russian oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, signaling a potential easing of tensions that put key financial aid for his country in jeopardy.

"The EU has engaged in intense discussions with its member states and Ukraine at all levels to restore the flows. European experts are available to start their work in Ukraine immediately," - von der Leyen said in a post on X Tuesday.

The flows through the Druzhba pipeline, which runs from Russia across western Ukraine and is a key supply route for landlocked Hungary and Slovakia, have historically averaged some 200,000 barrels a day in winter. Druzhba has been hit more than 20 times during the war.

@QSIMedia

🔥🇧🇷 Ripple looks to expand crypto and payment services in Brazil

Ripple is expanding its digital asset services in Brazil while preparing to apply for a license with the country’s central bank, a move that would place it under the nation’s new crypto framework.

The company is rolling out an integrated platform for banks and fintechs that combines cross-border payments, crypto custody, brokerage and treasury tools. Ripple also plans to apply for a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license with the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB), in line with the country's new virtual asset regulatory framework.

"Latin America has always been a priority market for Ripple — not just because of the scale of the opportunity, but because Brazil has built one of the most advanced and forward-thinking financial ecosystems in the world,” said Monica Long, President at Ripple. "We've spent more than a decade building the trust, licensing, and technology required to operate in regulated markets. Now, with our expanded platform, we can meet institutions across the region with everything they need to compete in the modern financial system."

#Stellar

@QSIMedia

🤝 OpenAI clinches AWS deal in bid to win government contracts

OpenAI signed a deal to work with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to sell its AI products to the U.S. government for classified and unclassified work. The deal could unlock more enterprise contracts, since companies often see government contracts as a stamp of trust and reliability.

The tie-up also expands OpenAI’s federal footprint well beyond its Pentagon deal, positioning the company to serve multiple government agencies through AWS’s existing cloud infrastructure. AWS, a major cloud provider to U.S. agencies, has agreed to distribute OpenAI products across its public-sector customer base.

@QSIMedia

⚡️🇨🇴🇪🇨Colombia accuses Ecuador’s forces of bombing across joint border

Colombia and Ecuador traded accusations over alleged bombing along their chaotic joint border, raising tensions that were already high due to a trade war. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that a bomb had been dropped from an aircraft close to the frontier, and that he had asked US President Donald Trump to intervene to rein in his Ecuadorian ally.

“Bombs have appeared, one bomb dropped from an aircraft, very close to the Ecuador border,” - Petro said at a a cabinet meeting late Monday.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa rejected Petro's claims, saying Ecuador's armed forces were combating criminals within its own territory, bombing hideouts for groups that infiltrated from Colombia.

@QSIMedia

🆕 Google’s Personal Intelligence feature is expanding to all US users

Google announced today that it’s expanding Personal Intelligence, its feature that allows its AI assistant to tailor its responses by connecting across your Google ecosystem, such as Gmail and Google Photos, to all users in the U.S. Previously only available to paid users, Personal Intelligence is available today in the U.S. for AI Mode in Search and it’s starting to roll out in the Gemini app and Gemini in Chrome for free-tier users.

“Whether you’re looking for a specific brand of sneakers you previously purchased, or planning a family getaway based on your hotel confirmations and past travel memories, Personal Intelligence helps you find exactly what you need without having to give all the context,” - Google explained in a blog post.

@QSIMedia

🇺🇸🇮🇪 Trump meets with Irish Prime Minister at White House to celebrate St. Patrick's Day

President Donald Trump met with the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin, at the White House on Tuesday morning as part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Here are some takeaways from the meeting:

❗️The Strait of Hormuz: "Well, we don’t need too much help, and we don’t need any help, actually."
❗️Trump on Macron: "He’ll be out of office very soon."
❗️The Middle Eastern countries: "Qatar has been great. The UAE has been absolutely great. Saudi Arabia has been terrific. Bahrain has been very good. The Middle Eastern countries have been very strong in their support."
❗️Trump on Iran: "We can knock out their electricity in a matter of minutes if we wanted to. There’s nothing they can do about it. If we left right now, it would take them 10 years to rebuild. But we’re not ready to leave yet. We’ll be leaving in the near future — in pretty much the very near future. Iran is just a military operation to me."
❗️Trump on Joe Kent: "When somebody is working with us that says they didn't think Iran was a threat — we don't want those people."
❗️Cuba: "Cuba right now is in very bad shape. They’re talking to Marco. And we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon."
❗️Trump on Europe: "Bad things have happened to Europe, very bad things, and you better do something about immigration, and you better do something about energy, or you won't have a Europe."
❗️President Trump won't rule out leaving NATO following most of America's allies refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz against Iranian aggression - says he doesn't need Congressional approval to pull out of the alliance.

@QSIMedia

🇨🇺🇷🇺 Cuba’s worst fuel crisis in decades may get relief from Russia

A tanker carrying Russian crude appears headed to Cuba as the country seeks a reprieve from a fuel shortage. Data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler Ltd. shows a tanker carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude is expected to arrive in Cuba by the end of the month.

Cuba’s electrical grid suffered a total collapse on Monday leaving the island’s 10 million residents in the dark. The Russian oil would be a test of the US embargo on the island and it’s unclear if any vessels will be able to deliver crude. The arrival of the tanker could be the first major fuel delivery to Cuba after a lengthy halt, but the crude would need to be refined before it can be used.

@QSIMedia

❌ Rural Ohioans seek to ban data centers through constitutional amendment

Residents in rural Ohio are pushing a constitutional amendment to ban large data centers over 25 megawatts, citing concerns about energy use, water consumption, and lack of transparency around proposed projects.

"My biggest concern is because I love Adams County," Nikki Gerber told. "What it feels like they are doing is just taking advantage of the unzoned rural areas of Ohio, where they can go ahead and put in whatever they want."

Nikki Gerber and a handful of residents from Adams and Brown counties gathered about 1,800 signatures in eight days to start the ballot process. They submitted those petitions to the Ohio attorney general’s office on Monday. That’s the first step before supporters can begin collecting signatures statewide.

@QSIMedia