Will we ever be able to fly with a clean conscience again? The good news: Technologies for zero-carbon aviation are already available today. The bad: It will take years to bring them to market.

Robert Langer (73) has saved millions of lives with his research: His work with messenger RNA provides genetic blueprints with which the human body can produce antiviral proteins itself. This research forms the basis for the most successful Covid 19 vaccines, such as the vaccine produced by the manufacturer Moderna. Langer is a co-founder of the company and has become a billionaire since the Corona pandemic.

Never before have flexible solar cells been so efficient: A team from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) has created a flexible thin-film solar cell with a record-breaking efficiency of 20.8 percent.