A New Sodium Ion Battery Might Reshape the EV Industry

The Daily Quote podcast page The Great News Podcast page The Great News Letter Voicemail feedback line – 1-877-636-1474 CONTACT ME Recorded in my secret underground layer, here are the latest great news stories from greatnewspodcast.com. Brought to you by the Daily Quote - a podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way . Tired of all the Doom and Gloom news from Mainstream Media? You'll get none of that here... Instead, you'll find inspiring stories and developments making the world a better place. I'm Andrew McGivern and this is the Great News Podcast. Today... What if a new technology could reshape the EV industry. A New Sodium Ion Battery may do just that! That's our lead story today, plus we have iPS Cells showing early promise for Parkinson's treatment and Engineered Brain Cells offer new hope for Alzheimers. And stick around to the end for the speed round where we'll dive into even more great news. Our lead story comes from the world of electric vehicles, where a major player is set to introduce a battery technology that could reshape the industry. Chinese battery giant, Contemporary Ampere Technology (CATL) , the world's leading EV battery producer, just unveiled a new sodium-ion battery line called Naxtra—and it could shake up the electric vehicle industry. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion tech promises lower costs, better safety, and strong cold-weather performance—a big win for EV drivers in colder climates. The first Naxtra units, expected to roll out this June, will power heavy-duty vehicle starters. But by December, CATL plans to scale up for use in fully electric and hybrid passenger cars, offering a 500 km or 310-mile range per charge. With comparable energy density to current lithium iron phosphate batteries, Naxtra could be a real competitor—especially if it delivers on CATL’s vision to replace half of today’s lithium-based batteries. The only roadblock? U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports might slow down adoption in North America. Still, with CATL batteries already powering over 18 million cars globally, this move could mark a major turning point for the EV future. Now.. If you like the great news podcast, you'll love the great news letter. Because the great news podcast is great, but the Great News Letter is Greater. Moving to the health sector, Good news for people with Parkinson’s disease: A new clinical trial in Japan is showing promising results using a breakthrough treatment that involves transplanting lab-grown brain cells. Scientists used special stem cells to create dopamine-producing brain cells—the kind that are lost in Parkinson’s. They then carefully implanted these cells into the brains of seven patients aged 50 to 69. After two years, these new cells were still alive, working properly, and helping improve movement in the patients. Here’s what’s exciting: The treatment appeared safe. No one had any serious side effects like infections, tumors, or hospitalizations. Most side effects were mild, like itching where the treatment was given. And the results showed real benefits: Patients moved better, with a 20% improvement off their meds and nearly 36% improvement when on medication. Brain scans showed a major increase in dopamine—the chemical that helps control movement and is lacking in Parkinson’s. The transplanted cells were carefully chosen to match the patients’ immune systems, reducing the risk of rejection. After 15 months, doctors even stopped giving immune-suppressing drugs, and the cells still worked without causing problems. What’s next? The study was small and didn’t include a placebo group, so more research is needed. But this trial is a major step forward, showing that replacing lost brain cells might one day become a real treatment for Parkinson’s. And while we are on the topic of Neurological Health our next story offers a glimmer of hope for Alzheimers. Scientists may have found a smart new way to treat Alzheimer’s—by turning brain cells into tiny delivery vehicles. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have engineered special immune cells in the brain, called microglia, to act like couriers that deliver medicine directly to where it’s needed. These lab-made cells are designed to detect early signs of brain disease, like the toxic plaques seen in Alzheimer’s, and respond by releasing proteins that help clean them up. Here’s how it works: Using stem cells and CRISPR gene editing, scientists created microglia that release a plaque-busting enzyme only near problem areas in the brain. In mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, these engineered cells reduced plaque buildup, protected brain cells, and lowered signs of inflammation and damage. This approach offers big advantages: It bypasses the blood-brain barrier, a major hurdle in brain treatment. It only activates where there’s disease, making it precise and safe. It might even work for other conditions like brain cancer and multiple sclerosis, based on early tests. Though human trials are still a ways off, this strategy holds real promise. Because the cells come from a patient’s own body, it might also lower the risk of rejection. In short, scientists may have found a way to turn the brain’s own immune system into a high-tech treatment team, opening up new hope for Alzheimer’s and beyond. And now for a quick rundown of even more great news in the speed round. Fighting cancer with gentle electricity? New research shows that using low-power electrical pulses—not strong enough to destroy tumors—might still help the body fight cancer in a powerful way. This approach, called sub-ablative H-FIRE, doesn’t aim to kill cancer cells directly. Instead, it works by subtly reshaping the tumor’s environment, making it easier for the immune system to recognize and attack the cancer. Here’s what scientists found: Within a day, more blood vessels formed around the tumor. By day three, more lymphatic vessels—which help move immune cells—also appeared. These changes may act like turning the tumor into a “beacon,” helping immune cells find and fight it more effectively. This technique could be especially useful when combined with immunotherapy treatments, such as checkpoint inhibitors or T-cell therapies, potentially making them work even better. In short, instead of blasting tumors with high-powered energy, this gentler method invites the immune system to do the fighting—and may boost the success of other cancer treatments in the process. And also in health news... CRISPR gene editing just got a lot safer and smarter—thanks to machine learning. Scientists at Mass General Brigham have developed a powerful computer program called PAMmla that can predict how millions of gene-editing enzymes might behave. CRISPR is a revolutionary tool that lets scientists edit DNA, but it’s not perfect. Sometimes it makes changes in the wrong place, which can be risky. That’s where PAMmla comes in. It uses machine learning—a form of artificial intelligence—to analyze about 64 million possible enzyme variations and predict which ones are safest and most accurate for specific tasks. This means: Fewer off-target mistakes when editing genes A much bigger selection of enzymes tailored for different medical or research uses In short, PAMmla gives scientists a smarter way to choose the best tools for gene editing, making future treatments safer and more precise. And finally... A decades-old vitamin mystery has just been solved. Scientists have confirmed a theory from 1958 that vitamin B1 (also known as thiamine) can turn into a special type of molecule called a carbene—a highly reactive chemical that helps spark important reactions in the body. Until now, this carbene was thought to be too unstable to exist in water. But researchers finally found a way to keep it safe: they created a special "suit of armor" around the molecule to protect it from breaking down. As a result, they were able to see the carbene stay intact in water for months—something no one had done before. This is a big deal for both science and real-world applications: It confirms a theory that had been unproven for 67 years. It could lead to greener ways to make medicines and materials, by using water instead of harmful chemicals in the process. So not only did scientists solve a long-standing mystery—they may have opened the door to more eco-friendly chemistry in the future. And my favourite quote of the day from the Daily Quote Podcast this week is from Judy Garland , who once said: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” To get a Daily Quote everyday check out the link in the show notes. That's gonna do it for this episode of the Great News Podcast. From new Sodium Ion batteries revolutionizing the EV industry to cutting edge breakthroughs in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. The future is looking incredibly bright. The take away - science and innovation are moving faster than ever. Solving problems we once thought were insolvable. And the best part, these aren't distant future technologies.. we are seeing them happen right now. If you love this content be sure to follow, subscribe, share and send it with someone who needs a little more positivity in their world. Until next time, keep looking for the good in the world because it isn't only there... its everywhere!