eugene to you tomorrow today the science show on d w coming up. could this tower be a solution to the problem of renewable energy storage. we meet a scientist who is searching for new antibiotics from microorganisms. and poor pluto our faraway solar system neighbor was a planet and then it wasn't what happened. but

1st let's take a look at our planet's sun wind and water are almost inexhaustible sources of energy here on earth and we have the technology to tap into them we're moving away from fossil fuels to renewable energies that much is clear but what's unclear is how to reliably store that energy. it's a problem that urgently needs solving as more and more of our electricity in the future will come from many of those sources. a swiss engineer has come up with an interesting concept. andrea petrecki has a vision he wants to build a gravity assisted battery to compensate for the fluctuating nature of solar and wind energy if it works it'll be able to store millions of times more energy than a conventional household battery. vision is

a system for storing large amounts of energy so we can increase the sheriff or nubile energies in the grid. right now it's about 30 to 35 percent that's the limit because the sun doesn't shine constantly what we need is a more economical and efficient storage system that and this is what his batteries will look like towers 60 to 120 meters high made of hundreds of cement blocks built around the 6 armed crane when there's excess energy in the grid it will power electric motors which move the crane arms to lift and stack the 35 ton blocks. now the battery is charged. when electricity is needed the blocks are let down again generators in the crane arms turn the potential energy of the stat blocks into electrical energy which is returned to the grid this leaves the tower discharged.

the cement blocks essentially function the way the water in a pumped storage hydroelectric plant but with the advantage according to the inventors that the towers can be built on any terrain and they're cheaper. we're going to store the energy very cheaply because we use existing technology like motors and generators mechanical systems that have been around for a. 100 years. this seemingly simple idea has garnered quite a lot of attention after projects his team presented the concept at an energy storage developers conference in the us microsoft founder bill gates mentioned the company to his millions of followers he wrote wind and solar won't reach their potential until we vastly improve energy storage there are some exciting companies working in this space like bill gross and then energy vault.

tweet from bill gates made is known around the world but that wasn't the only factor. after the official presentation there was a lot of interest on the part of many different investors. helped of course. here in southern switzerland the vision is actually taking shape started as well financed thanks to a generous investment from japan soft bank and tata power india's biggest electricity provider has ordered the tower. the one here is a prototype and has yet to prove that the idea really works. because although the concept sounds simple it's quite complicated to put into practice. it is the intelligence software that controls the crane autonomously it has to grasp the concrete blocks and reposition them without vibrations and without any

human involvement. and once completed this small scale prototype will have the chance to prove itself as a future technology for energy storage. making the switch to renewables is a project that will be with us for years to come. but at the moment most headlines are about the new coronavirus in late 2019 a hitherto unknown corona virus strain appeared in the city of wool one in china it soon spread to other countries again and again virus outbreaks threaten the health of communities and pressure researchers to develop vaccines. that's the case with many pathogens. here's a little about viruses. some $3.00 to $5000.00 species of viruses have been classified worldwide scientists believe that millions more have yet to be

identified. by researchers are often transmitted by droplet infection their microscopic parasites that are neither really dead nor aligned. they are not made of cells don't carry out metabolic processes and can't replicate outside of the host when viruses enter the body meaning when we become infected they insert their genetic material into the host cells the virus hijacks the cells in order to reproduce. in the host cell done thousands of new viruses are released and the process starts all over again. in contrast to viruses bacteria don't need a has to be pretty and they perform generally beneficial functions and now bodies when we are infected with pathogenic bacteria we can beat them with antibiotics. well not necessarily the problem is that bacteria are increasingly developing

resistance to antibiotics. bacteria reproduce by cell division every so often there's a replication error such random mutations can drive evolution via natural selection usually they're of little consequence the mutated bacterial form eventually dies out in some cases however a mutation can result in resistance to antibiotics and when antibiotics are used to bacteria with the meaty and proliferate. the antibiotic kills most of the bacteria but the mutated bacteria are unaffected. the resistant bacteria survive and multiply. the use of antibiotics leads to a population of resistant bacteria. in hospitals antibiotics are prescribed to many patients that increases the chances that

a resistant strain of bacteria with the merge and patients sometimes bring antibiotic resistant bacteria with them when they're hospitalized those super bugs are often washed into the waste water system and then into the environment they end up on crops in domesticated and wild animals and eventually in us it's a vicious cycle. antibiotics are also used in large quantities in livestock farming that also promotes the rise of resistant bacteria which end up in the environment. new bacterial strains can spread around the world quickly even within days to combat. the rise of superbugs we need to understand how they spread and we need to develop new drugs to combat them. anti-microbial substances. where every bacterial colonies are trying to survive and thrive. and ordinary clump

of soil is brimming with bacteria and. they compete with their neighbors for resources and space. the microbes have a secret weapon in their arsenal they produce chemical substances. the competition . microbial compounds or antibiotics are of great interest to researchers they isolate the microorganisms grow them in the lab and extract the antibiotics they produce. in a screening process disease causing bacteria. then samples of the soil and. are added to the culture. the bacteria grow on the plate except where they encounter an anti-microbial agent that they're vulnerable to known as a zone of inhibition. that's evidence that the substance is preventing bacterial

growth in the zone one day it could be the basis for a new drug. and new effective drugs could come from a case like this. mangroves considered to be one of the most productive habitats on the planet protecting coastal areas from erosion and providing homes to countless species including. microorganisms. there the object of study by young scientists from indonesia. she's currently working at a research institute. antibiotics is a race against time most antibiotics were derived from substances produced by soil dwelling microorganisms at the helm of the center for infection research in germany selly oak have yana is studying sentiment from mangrove swamps to isolate bacteria that produce antibiotic substances the samples come from

a nature conservation area in indonesia. the microorganisms in this house have adapted to their tidal environment to thrive in the sediment and brackish water they've evolved to produce a variety of novel unto microbial compounds could this be a new source for the drugs that are so urgently needed. something. but then we all know the world needs new antibiotics that. a growing number of pathogens are developing resistance to the antibiotics used in medicine today. well that's because so many antibiotics are being overused and misused. but the biologists have been trying to find as many microorganisms as possible that produce antibiotic substances and no work has paid off she's already isolated 28

previously unknown species mostly mixo bacteria. that makes the bacteria produce a large variety of antibiotic substances. some of them can even produce compounds that are effective against malaria or viruses. and. the mixer bacteria found among grove ecosystems have also attracted the attention of biologists you washington think. he believes that indonesia which is home to about one 5th of the world's mangrove ecosystems could be a rich source of useful microbes. the research is still in its infancy but certainly a view on this project is a promising start then he has done a very interesting work with this mix of materials that this is a special group of bacteria we are. working on and she has isolated

a number of novel specious and characterized them and is now on to states that she can look for bioactive compounds which are used by since the unique are by crawling missiles in a nice saving and wide biodiversity and especially in the field of microland ism's says biodiversity is not investigated. simply octavian as the initial findings showed that the mix of bacteria among groups once include many recipe she's. the bio octave compounds they produce will be screened to see if they have gone to microbial properties which could help stem the rise of superbugs that have become a global health crisis. we were very surprised to find that nearly every species we identified was a rare one. surely we only read about them in books or online

but here we've been able to work with them directly but i'm very proud that indonesia has so much potential. certainly october yana will soon complete her project at the helm center then she plans to return home to indonesia where she'll continue her work on mixer bacteria and the mission to find new antibiotics. the next street course is about a far away planet or non planets she said was discovered 90 years ago a sensational find the same year disney named a cartoon does the after the 9th planet in the solar system. recently now also sent a mission past pluto which took some spectacular pictures that's futile is done by can travel see if you in tanzania sent in a question about that. why

is pluto no longer a planet. for 76 years pluto was known as the 9th planet in the solar system far out in space orbited our central star. pluto was the tiniest of the planets until 2006. then the international astronomical union the i you held is general assembly in prague and demoted pluto to dwarf planet it was a controversial decision which angered many astronomers the american astronomer clyde tombaugh discovered pluto in 930 and it was feigned as the 1st planetary discovery in the u.s. . in 2015 many spice enthuses hope that nasa is new horizons programme might restore pluto status as a planet the spacecraft flew past it and took sensational photos. they revealed

a complex and dynamic landscape with 3000 meter high mountains of frozen water junes of frozen methane and possibly even volcanoes spewing ice and it has an atmosphere and it's still not a planet even though it all gets the sun just like the remaining 8 planets know because the new definition of a planet includes a criterion that pluto does not fulfill. the i use as a planet has to quote clear the neighborhood around its orbit that means it's sweet soft other material in the vicinity to become the dominant object and it's all the tools on. the earth has done that as have the others. 7 planets in our solar system but pluto failed to make the grade. why out there in the region of its orbit there are many other minor planets known as the transnet chuni

and objects some of them quite similar to pluto like the even more massive heiress it was discovered in 2005 and ultimately led to pluto's downfall. pluto dance for field the other 2 criteria for planets showed. that it all gets a star and has enough mass to take on a nearly round shape that at least makes it a dwarf planet oh well it remains an absolutely fascinating world the far reaches of the song system. on the internet you'll find plenty of calls for plato to be returned to the pantheon of planets. we've picked out to particularly interesting views in support. rock legends brian may who has

a doctorate in astrophysics is strongly pro puter. this mystical object was discovered and named to planets before he was born. and at the time he says planets with thought to be roughly spherical objects that obey said the sun that makes a classical planet for him end of story. nasa administrator jim brighton stein agrees the way should define a planet is based on its intrinsic values not the values the constantly changes like orbital dynamics just so when i think about pluto and what we got back from new horizons here's what we know. cluedo has an ocean under its surface and pluto has complex organic compounds on it surface pluto has a multilayer atmosphere and pluto has its own moves i'm here to tell you as the

nasa administrator. i believe pluto is a planet. the problem is right where you are very glad to meet you maybe some questions on easy to answer but that shouldn't stop you asking them send us your science question as a video text ovoid smell if we own through it on the show we'll send you a little surprise as a thank you come on just ask. you'll find more science stories on our website and to get in touch on twitter and facebook. our planet has a problem with garbage we asked you on facebook what's the situation like in your country do you separate your garbage do you recycle. ranch on rights that there are a lot of initiatives on garbage processing in india many municipalities now separate their garbage including the one where he lives.

andrea says that households in romania. usually don't recycle you can take the garbage to recycling bins yourself but they're usually not close by. that imperiled why they're flooded with garbage that's not recycled he sees that as one reason for widespread dengue fever. wreak riots that the university of the south pacific and locale of fiji has been specifically for plastic bottles where they go after that is not clear maybe they're really used in the factories that produce them. and in a post from nigeria brown says garbage isn't recycled there but burned which is very hazardous for the environment and people who live in the rivers tend to discharge their waste into the water. thanks for your comments.

clearly the problem of waste is huge and it could get bigger a study by the world bank forecasts that the amount of garbage will increase by 70 percent by the year 2050 that would be an incredible 3400000000 tonnes. figures like that show that we have to take action rice where we live our next report takes us to the brazilian capital where garbage is the subject of a university course back to basics. this patch of land near the capital brasilia used to be the biggest landfill site in latin america in 2018 but dump was closed and the 60 meter high mountain of garbage was covered with. construction waste is still being dumped there although that's illegal. the national waste policy aims to eradicate landfills and promote

recycling. but there are still 2 and a half 1000 open landfill sites across the country. lucy often and it worked here as a waste picker for 20 years she supported her 4 children by selling anything of value she found the family lived in a shanty town right next door at 1st she was very much against the closure of the dump she had little faith in the city authorities pledged to provide jobs for some 750 trash because in new recycling facilities but now that's where she works and she's changed her mind. you know. will say i never thought i might one day have a real job. me a simple waist picker with no rights and no social insurance. and now i work here i even have an office up if only i paid a little better it would be perfect as you know my eyes she and her colleagues now

belong to a co-operative that operates one of the recycling facilities what they are depends on how much trash they sought lucy often and is a supervisor she makes sure the work is done properly. it never got off the map at how many. faffing nice day to come there aren't enough people working on the conveyor belt a lot of recyclable material gets through then we have to check it to make sure things don't end up in residual waste that don't belong there if i see that happening i put more people on at the end of the belt that the process is set to become more efficient with the help of some students from the university of brasilia. until recently that professor pollo says so does race gomez was deputy director of the municipal sanitation off already he helped restructure brazilian's waste management systems. everybody is collecting something different she's sorting out glass bottles she's sorting out plastic

bottles further along somebody is pulling out the cardboard it's possible the process could be made more efficient if the positions were switched around that's something we need to test this tell us. but not all the trash delivered here to be sorted can be recycled much of it has to be disposed of. the aim of the program is to increase the proportion of waste that can be recycled. everything that can be stored and soldiers returned to the production chain to the recycling at district if it doesn't end up being dumped so we're saving the cost of taking it to the landfill extending the lifespan of that site and reducing emissions. professor paolo's race has organized across disciplinary seminar at the university . 1000 students from various fields a working on developing sustainable waste management solutions. one approach

is to make waste sorting more efficient another is to focus on technology trucks sensors logistics others aim to raise environmental awareness how can the public be involved more closely in the waste recycling process than use the program brings students together with representatives of the kindness of sanitation authority the recycling cooperatives and also commercial enterprises. the university of brasilia setting up a post-graduate program in waste management. among brazil cities the capital has taken the lead into valid thing a sustainable waste management strategy waste sorting and election have just been expanded across the city. for non-dancers optimistic about her future they'll now be more waste to live it to her co-operative to sort and that means she and her colleagues will soon be earning more. that's it for today on our next program

a research project in morocco is studying insect pollinators like bees why are they in danger and how can they be risky and join us for more on smart today next week see you then. the book in. the book. to.

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relief organization once. you get there donations support projects around the world . but some of these charity organizations have political goals too. should relief organizations be required to be. in 75 minutes on d w. i'm not laughing at the japanese because sometimes i am but those that love him with them and i think deep into the german culture of. new jersey we pick those grandmas down the east coast it's all out there in the time rachel joined me i mean the japanese of course. each still in the balance my story.

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the body. this is d.w. news live from berlin germany starts to lock down its borders as it tries to control the spread of coronavirus we'll talk to our reporter who is at a franco german crossing point if you look behind me you can see there are already long lines coming from france this traffic jam is going kilometers into friends road no. also coming up the shutdown continues to tighten up across europe spain imposes almost total lockdown telling residents to remain in.