Beginning at NYU in Jan 2013 within the context of a Patents Translation course delivered online, this blog seeks to uncover the patents that rock our daily lives....
The Cambridge Dictionary Word of theYear (WOTY) is “perseverance” (without a capital “P”) although related to Perseverance (with a capital “P”), the robotic geologist-astrophysicists rover that
landed on planet Mars, on February 18, 2021. Indeed, the selection was based on word search counts,
which increased to 243,000 at the Cambridge Dictionary website, in 2021. A significant increase in visibility of the word, including a spike of 30,487 searches
between Feb. 19th and 25th, 2021, corresponding to the extraordinary footage (below) of the Perseverance
rover entry, descent and landing sequence (EDL), broadcasted
from planet Mars, 300 million miles away, and edited for viewing during that timeframe.
Thus, whereas Perseverance the rover
was named to capture triumph on the shoulders of the many who dared to stumble in
the odyssey of Mars exploration, the term perseverance also undoubtedly took on heightened significance
in 2021. A year where the will of the people also triumphed in the face of
pandemic adversity, despite the more than 5 million lives lost to the SARS2- CoV19 (WHO Dashboards).
Crowned Word of the Year
2021, perseverance thus celebrates the human spirit under very different
circumstances. The YouTube video included below captures the triumph of
perseverance in space exploration with video footage of mesmerizing clarity, witnessing
Perseverance’s EDL. In other words, entry
into the Martian atmosphere at 12,500
mph, with a registered heat peak,
measured at 2370degrees Fahrenheit (1300 degrees Celsius) caused by massive
speed deceleration to
1000 mph, using Martian atmosphere. The footage also shows the perfect
orchestration of parachute deployment, separation of the heat shield and aeroshell protection, firing of the descent stage retro-rockets, and separation
from the descent stage to touchdown.
Otherwise, on planet Earth, perseverance was certainly put to test everywhere.
As usual, in the Word of the Year contests of major dictionaries, the press and
esteemed linguistic societies, the list of competing terms is just as interesting
as the winner of them all. Below, the list of candidates, from which you
might select your top three, for the People’s Choice Macquarie WOTY 2021. This
year the Macquarie will post the People’s Choice WOTY, together with the Dictionary’s
Committee results, on November 30th.
List (extracted)
brain tickler: noun colloquial, a nasopharyngeal swab, used for
COVID 19 testing.
brick-bait: noun, a strategy designed to encourage customers to
shop at bricks-and-mortar rather than online, as by providing personalized
service, pleasant surrounding etc.
delta: noun, variant (B.1.672.2) of the coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID 19.
dignity suit: noun, adaptive clothing in the form of a jumpsuit,
elasticized at the waist with a sip in the back, designed to prevent the wearer
from undressing, especially designed for people living with dementia, Alzheimer’s
disease etc.
dry scooping: verb, the practice of ingesting dry pre-workout
supplements or protein powder, without mixing with water or milk as directed.
dump cake: noun, a cake which is prepared by combining the
ingredients directly in the tin or dish in which it is baked.
front-stab: verb(t) colloquial, to betray (someone) openly,
without subterfuge.
hate-follow: verb (t) Internet, to link oneself (to a site on a
social network), even though one dislikes, or disagrees with the content being
shared.
humane washing: verb, the misleading marketing of a product sourced
from animals, deceptively giving the impression that the animals have been
treated humanely.
last chance tourism: noun, tourism to locations with endangered landscapes
or geographical features, or which are habitats for endangered species
menty-b: noun
colloquial, a breakdown of one’s mental health.
NFT: noun, non fungible token, aunique digital
certificate, which uses blockchain technology to certify ownership, authenticity
or scarcity of digital asset, such as a digital image, video, tweet, domain name etc.
porch pirate: noun colloquial, a person who steals parcels
which have been left outside a home by a deliverer.
range anxiety: noun, the stress experience by the driver of an
electric vehicle when they are unsure of reaching their destination, or a
recharging point before the vehicle’s battery runs out of power.
shadow pandemic: noun, an increase in mental health problems and
domestic and family violence attributed to living with the stresses and
restrictions of the COVID 19 pandemic.
sober curious: adjective,
having an interest in reducing one’s consumption of alcohol or in giving it up altogether.
strollout: nouncolloquial (humorous), the rollout of
COVID 19 vaccination program in Australia, with reference to the perceived lack
of speed.
third place: noun, the social environment where people spend
time outside of work or home, also third space.
wokescold: verb (t),1. To rebuke (a person) for having beliefs
perceived as accepting of prejudice or discrimination; noun, 2. A person, who
issues such rebukes.
The almost
200-year-old luxury fashion brand Hermès, known
for its exceptionally crafted leather goods and scarves, has designed, a Victoria(1) weekender bag, made of canvas, Sylvania Fine Mycelium™ alternative leather, and
calfskin (see image below). For a family-run company that originally became famous
for the fabrication of award-winning horse harnesses and saddles, keeping this tradition alive to date through
its logos and branding, the use of alternative leather comes as an almost inconceivable step.
Chief among
the reasons that may account for the use of alternative leather are kindness to
animals, and a care about environmental footprints, whether in term of
industrial toxin spills or energy use. In turn, increasing numbers of consumers
hold businesses accountable for responsible practices. However, one additional
factor might also provide alternative
leather with fulcrum power: advances in technology.
In this particular case, advances in the sustainable engineering of an alternative to leather, finally good enough to be endorsed by leaders in leather fashion. An alternative leather that possesses such requisite qualities as "softness, drape, thickness, shape, texture, flexibility, strength, and density" (Mycoworks). Qualities, satisfying enough for designers to want to design and experiment with the new alternative. In this case also, a leather that is neither animal, nor plastic, but organic. Indeed a lab-grown product made of mycelium, aka mushroom roots.
The Sylvania Fine Mycelium™ alternative leather, used for the HermèsVictoria weekender bag, is lab-grown in the San Francisco Bay Area by MycoWorks. A company specializing in directed and controlled tissue development and post-growth processing, in particular fungal materials and objects, in partnership with designers and other interested parties. Once produced, the Fine Mycelium™ sheets are tanned and fashioned to specification in France by Hermès artisans, according to the company’s guidelines for quality control.
MycoWorks' alternative leather is patented. Interestingly, unlike plants which photosynthesize
nutrients directly from sun rays, mushrooms obtain their nutrients and water
from plants and trees, in fusion with them. Because of the mushroom’s inability
to photosynthesize chlorophyll from the sun, mushrooms are thus said to have more in common with
animals than with plants. Indeed, before mushrooms pop-up, out of the earth, or attach to barks, mushroom bodies are formed as filaments called hyphae. Hyphae which interconnect into webs called mycelium, beneath the earth, in fusion with tree
roots or plants, that are providing them with a source of nutrients and
water for growth, inside the soil.
Growing fungal tissue in a lab thus takes advantage of the way mushrooms fuse with their sources of nutrients in mycorrhizal relationship, in order to control the growth and properties of the mycelium that will be expressed. A process, where not only the nutrients are controlled, but also light, humidity, and temperature, as well as gases, to which the organisms are exposed. Thus, fungal tissue might be lab-grown in enormous quantities, given the right conditions. Fungal tissue is also responsive to varying stimuli. Thus, different properties might be expressed depending on the "gravitropic, thermotropic, thigmotropic, phototropic, and hydrotropic stimuli", all of which are part of the patented processes of fabrication, recited for example in the patent US10842089B2, titled Objects made from fungal materials.
Below, a list of some of the patented inventions connected to the Fine Mycelium™ platform, together with an image of the Hermès Victoria weekender bag, arising out of one of the MycoWorks’ partnerships.
US10842089B2 - Objects made from fungal materials.
US9410116B2 - Method for producing fungus structures.
MX2019014919A - Fungal composites comprising
mycelium and an embedded material.
CA3074740A1 - Deacetylation and crosslinking of chitin
and chitosan in fungal materials and their composites for
tunable properties
CN112912488A - Improved penetration and adhesion of finishing
agents for fungal materials through solubilization, emulsion, or dispersion in
water-soluble materials and the use of surfactants.
EP3869938A1
- Monokaryon mycelial material and related method of production.
WO2020018963A1- Mycelium with reduced coefficient of
friction and abrasion resistance through mechanical alteration of mycelial surface microstructure.
WO2021158678A1 - Novel microstructures of mycelium and
mycelium-based materials.
Note
(1) The product designation Victoria refers to Zimbabwe's famous waterfalls, the Victoria Falls. The HermèsVictoria collection was launched in 1997, on the occasion of Hermès' Year of Africa celebration (Hermès website).
The National Dictionary Center, at the Australian National University (ANU), selected 'strollout' as the 2021 Word of the Year (WOTY). The neologism refers to how slow the vaccine rollout unfolded in Australia. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary, Sally McManus, is credited as the person who coined the term 'strollout' to express the frustration of Australians, who saw vaccines as a 'path to freedom' from 'lockdowns', and the constraints of the 'new normal' (Burnside, Nov. 16, 2021).
In keeping with the mission of the ANU National Dictionary Center, which is to conduct research on Australian English, and to advise the Oxford University Press on matters of Australian English, the ANU National Dictionary Center, was motivated to select the WOTY 'strollout' as a uniquely Australian term, of considerable local frequency. A selection criterion that contrasts with the overriding high-frequency criteria, usually invoked to select WOTTIES. In sum, the term 'strollout' was selected as an Australian English WOTY, within the state of the 2021 global pandemic context, which has had such a massive planetary effect, including on language use.
The COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact, approved by 200 nations, reaffirmed the 2015 Paris Agreement commitment to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, and
to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels [Section IV, paragraph (20)]. A reaffirmed commitment, despite the parties' expressed “alarm and concern” [I(3)] that global warming
had already reached 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level.
Consistent
with the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, the Climate Pact recognizes that the consequences of climate change
will be far less at 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial temperatures, than those at 2 degrees Celsius.Thus, the Climate Pact calls for a 45%
decrease in global carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 [IV(22)], in order to achieve
net-zero (1) by 2050. The Climate Pact also calls for deep cuts in other sorts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as
methane, inviting nations to further reduce their emissions by 2030 [IV(37)].
For the first time in history, the UNFCCC Climate Pact explicitly addressed "the elephant in the room", setting forth a controversial ‘phasing out” of coal and fossil fuels, held primarily responsible for global warming. Despite opposition from developing nations, who are relying on coal for development, and large producers of coal, who would prefer to see “phasing-down”, the Climate Pact [IV(36)]:
"Calls upon Parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems […] including accelerating efforts towards the phase out of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” [italics mine].
An unprecedented call that is mindfully un-dissociated from both the concept of climate justice, specifiedin the preamble, an the need for just transition to clean energy (specified in several instances: [IV(32)], [IV(36)] and [VII(85)].
The Glasgow Climate Pact also “Urges developed country Parties to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing country Parties from 2019 levels by 2025” [III(18)]", while noting subsequently with “deep regret” the failure of developing nations to meet the Paris Agreement goal of jointly mobilizing 100 billion USD per year by the year 2020 [V(44)]. Funding to have been provided to developing nations, for the purposes of mitigating the effects of climate change, for which developed countries are held responsible. Thus, the Climate Pact also urges developed nations to renew their commitment, in view of fully delivering on their Paris Agreement promises of 100 billion USD per year through to the later date of 2025, while calling for more clarity and specificity on each of the nation’s pledges in this regard [V(45)]. The Climate Pact also explicitly calls for financial flows to urgently support pathways to low-emissions and climate-resistant development, within the context of the UN sustainable development program, and the eradication of poverty [V(54)].
The Climate Pact also includes a whole section VI on Loss and Damages, already incurred as a result of climate change. In this regard,
the Santiago Network (2), is to be provided with
funding for the purposes of further addressing,
averting, minimizing, supporting and compensating climate-related Loss and
Damages [VI(67)].
A Climate Pact that concludes with a section VIII, re-iterating the welcomed collaboration between Parties (i.e. nations) and Civil Society, including explicit mention of indigenous people, local and regional communities, women, youth, and other Non-Party Stakeholders. A Climate Pact where the final paragraph places a contingency on all the climate action specified, based on the availability of financial resources [VIII(97)].
Disappointing for those who believe the urgency of the situation, and see the pact as not enough to avert the disastrous consequences of climate change; heralded as a breakthrough by others (e.g., Aljazeera, Nov 14, 2021; Jordans, AP New Nov. 13, 2021; Rathi & Shankleman, Nov. 13, 2021). The final word on the UNFCCC COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact was spoken by António Guterres, Secretary-General to the United Nations:
The COP26 outcome is a compromise, reflecting the interests, contradictions & state of political will in the world today. It's an important step, but it's not enough. It's time to go into emergency mode. The climate battle is the fight of our lives & that fight must be won. (Guterres, Nov. 13, 2021)
Indeed, if the Secretary-General spoke the truth at the conclusion of COP 26, then the Climate Pact compromise is short on delivering all the hope and possibilities expressed in Sir David Attenborough's spirited send-off address, on Nov. 1, 2021, at COP 26, in Glasgow, UK.
Notes (1) "Net-zero refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere." (Net Zero Climate)
(2) The Santiago Network, previously set forth during COP25, in Madrid, under the presidency of Chile, was designed to bring together multiple parties for technical assistance, in connection with reports of climate-related loss and damages, occurring particularly in developing and vulnerable countries. The Santiago Network is accessible via the UNFCCC portal (Santiago Network, UNFCCC).
References
Aljazeera Staff (Nov 14, 2021). Betrayal of people planet: World reacts to COP Climate Pact.
The most dramatic intervention at COP26 was the pre-recorded speech of the Minister of Justice, Communications, and Foreign Affairs, Simon Kofe of the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu. The Minister spoke, knee-deep in the waters, rising around the Island nation of Tuvalu. Waters threatening the existence of Tuvalu's population of 12,000, with no hope of ever-receding, as a direct consequence of climate change. Kofe stated:
Kofe, S.(Nov. 8, 2021). Pre-recorded video address, delivered on the occasion the UNFCCC COP26 meeting in Glasgow, UK, Nov. 1-12, 2021. https://youtu.be/icbyIsXi1RM
Early October 2021, Stella McCartney
took the runways of the Paris Fashion Week by storm with a Spring 2022 collection,
celebrating sustainable mycelium fashion (Friedman, Oct. 5, 2021), aka patented recombinant mushroom technologies.
Scroll forward to COP26 in Glasgow UK, and the hottest cruelty-free House of
British fashion was also present, exhibiting: The Future of Fashion. A showcase of fashion
innovation powered with such sustainable
patented technologies as Mylo™ leather and Microsilk™ (Mitchie, 2021). An exhibit that brought together the fashion industry, responsible for an estimated 18% of GHG, into sharp
focus.
Indeed, lab-grown mycellium and silk thread
technologies have a much smaller carbon footprint. A smaller footprint compared to the millions of animals in cattle ranching, whose hides are used to manufacture shoes, accessories and apparel; or compared to the use of
silkworms, and the impossible use of spiders.
More deeply, however, lab-grown Mylo™
leather and Microsilk™ are 100% cruelty-free,
the hallmark of Stella McCartney fashion (Stella McCartney). A truly synergistic hallmark that brings together climate change,
sustainability, ethical treatment of animals, and the best of the fashion world,
all under a single banner.
The fashion industry’s commitment “to
net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 in line with keeping global warming below 1.5
degrees Celsius”, consistent with the provisions of the UNFCCC(1) 2015 Paris Agreement, was initially set forth in the UNFCCC 2018 Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, launched during COP24 in Katowice,
Poland. However, as Stella McCartney pointed out in an
interview on Nov 4th 2021 with CNN, the fashion industry is “the
most unfashionable” in terms of sustainability, as it still lags far behind
with no regulations in sight for monitoring emissions, setting deadlines,
implementing accountability, or for supplying incentives for change.
A viewpoint that appears largely shared by other fashion
industry leaders, since according to Vogue, the COP26 Fashion Charter event resulted not
only in additional signatories to the existing group of 130 brands(2), but also
a renewed commitment to more concrete, more ambitious, and much stronger action
in view of achieving the goals set forth in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate
action (Chan, 2021). Tighter control, such as phasing out coal from tiers one and two
suppliers by 2030, and no new coal by 2050, or requiring brands to submit plans
for climate action. A COP26 takeaway in
the form of an amended UNFCCC Fashion Charter for Climate Action, considering that, according to The Global Fashion Agenda the Fashion industry’s emissions, at their
current pace, are set to rise to 2.7
billion tons by 2030, which is double
the amount required to keep climate warming below the 1.5 degrees (Fashion on Climate Report, 2020).
The patented
technologies driving Stella McCartney's Future of Fashion include Mylo™ leather, and Microsilk™, both produced by the California Bay Area company
Bolt Threads. Leather that meets the Stella McCartney criteria of “ cruelty-free
alternatives that look and feel luxurious and have [in this case] an environmental impact that is up to 24 times
lower than animal leathers.[ilalics mine]" (Stella McCartney). Likewise, Microsilk™ is a vegan product, made entirely from yeast, sugar and DNA, with high tensile strength, softness, elasticity
and durabulity, fabricated using green chemistry practices to minimize the environmental
footprint.
Indeed, according to Stella McCartney, there are no sacrifices in The Future of Fashion. Quite the contrary, when technology, ethics and sustainability are
synched, The Future of Fashion is invigorated, and more stunning than ever, as evidenced in the included clip of the Stella McCartney Spring 2022 show (Cohn, 2021).
Imagine now what might happen, considering that the fashion Houses of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, Celine, Loewe, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, and the like of luxury and prestige, belonging to the LVMH group, are all on board (i.e.; signatories) for climate action!
Notes
(1) UNFCCC - United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention. (UN on Climate Change)
(2) The LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton)conglomerate which groups 75 luxury Houses such as Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy,
Kenzo and Fendi signed on to the Charter.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) selected the term "vax", short for vaccine, as the 2021 Word Of The Year (WOTY). The term vax not
only increased frequency of usage by 72% compared to 2019, vaxxes no doubt saved humanity from
extinction during the COVID 19 pandemic. Indeed, as of Nov. 1, 2021, according to the WHO Dashboards, the SARS-COV2 pandemic killed almost 5 million people worldwide, including 750,000 in the
US alone (NYTimes COVID 19 Maps).
With synonyms
jab,shot orFauci-Ouchi, the term vax (noun and verb) inflects with a double “ x “
as in “ vaxxed” or “anti-vaxxer”. Neologisms associated with the term
include such items as:
vaxxie (n): selfie taken while getting a COVID -19 vaccination (Urban Dictionary).
vaxinista (n): person who gets the vaccine, and flaunts it with high-end shopping, trips and parties (Urban Dictionary).
vax(x)(i)cation (n): after getting vaccinated, vacation taken without wearing a mask in 2021 (Urban Dictionary).
vax-a-thon (n): administration of a record number of jabs at a dedicated event.
vaxxident (n) (unrelated to chewing-gum): post-vaccine automobile accident on roadways, caused by mini-strokes and blood clots in the brain(Urban Dictionary).
On the occasion of the OED WOTY 2021 announcement, Oxford Languages also released a Report into the language of vaccines. Oxford Languages claims that "no word better captures the atmosphere of the past year than vax."
