Supreme Court Case On Regulation Of Vapes | Predicting Lithium-Ion Battery Explosions

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Dec 6, 2024

Rachel Feltman, host of Popular Science's "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week," dives into scorching topics like the Supreme Court's looming decision on FDA regulations for flavored vapes, which could reshape the landscape for youth nicotine addiction. She also sheds light on startling advancements in AI that predict lithium-ion battery explosions, addressing their potential dangers. Additionally, the conversation touches on impressive cervical cancer rate declines thanks to the HPV vaccine and surprising insights about Venus's ancient climate.

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INSIGHT

Supreme Court Case on Flavored Vapes

The Supreme Court heard arguments on the FDA's power to regulate flavored vapes.
The case involves two vape companies arguing against the FDA's denial of their flavored products.

INSIGHT

Cervical Cancer Rates Decline

Cervical cancer death rates have significantly decreased, especially among women under 25.
This decrease likely correlates with the introduction of the HPV vaccine.

INSIGHT

Ice-Free Arctic

The Arctic Ocean could see its first ice-free day before 2030 in a worst-case scenario.
An ice-free Arctic would have less than a million square kilometers of ice, impacting solar energy reflection.

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The Supreme Court hears a case centering on the FDA’s denial of applications for nicotine-based vapes containing flavored liquid seen as addictive for young people. And, damaged lithium-ion batteries can cause deadly explosions. An algorithm could help detect when they’re about to happen.

Supreme Court Hears Case On FDA Regulation Of Flavored Vapes

On Monday, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could change the Food and Drug Administration’s power to regulate nicotine-based vapes. It revolves around the FDA’s denial of applications from two vape companies that sell flavored liquids in their products, citing that the liquids presented a danger in addicting young people to nicotine. But a lower court rejected that denial, saying the agency was inconsistent in its approval process. The decision could impact the FDA’s regulatory power to ban the sale of some of these vapes in the US.

Ira Flatow is joined by Rachel Feltman, host of the Popular Science podcast “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week,” to talk about the health implications of the case. They also discuss other top science stories of the week, including why there’s been a large decrease in cervical cancer rates over the past decade, why Venus probably wasn’t able to support ancient life (contradicting some hopeful theories), and new information about when humans might’ve started to wear clothing, thanks to some clues from lice.

A Warning For When A Lithium-Ion Battery Is About To Explode

Lithium-ion batteries are used in all sorts of electronics, like smart phones, laptops, and e-bikes. That’s because they can store a lot of energy in a small package. Unfortunately, this also means that when a battery is damaged, there’s a lot of energy to expel, which can lead to explosions and fires.

While there are no national statistics available, in New York City alone, there have been 733 fires started by lithium-ion batteries since 2019, which killed 29 people and injured 442. Most of these fires are a result of e-bike or scooter batteries catching fire.

Now, researchers have trained AI algorithms to be able to better predict when a lithium-ion battery is about to explode. The battery makes a hissing sound two minutes before an explosion.

Ira talks with two researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology about their work on the subject: Dr. Andy Tam, mechanical engineer in the Fire Research Division, and Dr. Anthony Putorti, fire protection engineer and leader of the Firefighting Technology Group.

Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.

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