Spiegel Deutschland1 hour agoScience2 min readGermany

Orexin discovery, Crispr success and French debt problems at a glance

Quick Look

The discovery of the neuropeptide orexin is considered a hot contender for the Nobel Prize in medicine, while Crispr technology helped a 19-year-old patient at Berlin's Charité hospital repair his immune system.
France's debt ratio is rising to 118 percent of GDP, with political candidates like Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon making costly promises.
At the same time, rising energy prices warn of an expensive winter, for which an interactive calculator was developed.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The orexin discovery relates to a neuropeptide that regulates sleep-wake cycles and appetite. Crispr technology was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 and enables genetic modification. France's debt ratio is currently 118 percent of GDP and rising.

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Predicting possible winners here would be dubious speculation. So just this: If you come across the word orexin during the day today, then you've heard it here first! This is the name of a neuropeptide involved in the control of sleep-wake cycles and appetite, and its discoverers are hot candidates for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Let's see. Maybe it will also affect the discoverers of the active ingredient in the weight loss injection.

Incidentally, a patient in the Berlin Charité is currently benefiting from a method that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Six years ago, two biochemists won the prize for developing the genetic scissors technology Crispr, and the invention helped repair 19-year-old Mohammed's immune system so that he no longer needs blood transfusions.

While most southern European countries have managed to reduce the debt ratio in recent years, France is moving in the other direction: the ratio of debt to gross domestic product is currently 118 percent and rising.

My colleague Tim Bartz predicts that the French debt problem could soon get even worse: If a new president is elected in the spring, then as things stand, Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon have the best chances. The right-wing extremist wants to lower the retirement age, which, according to calculations, would cost over 100 billion euros. Per year. And the left-wing extremist wants to delete government bonds on a large scale, which would probably mean that hardly anyone would want to lend money to France.

While we're on the subject of bad financial news, I have a bad one and a good one for you. First the bad, but you already know it: energy prices are rising. Heating (more on that here), refueling, electricity, everything is becoming more expensive. The good news: You can now estimate how much more expensive it will be for you.

My colleagues Max Heber, Henning Jauernig, Chris Kurt and Bernhard Riedmann have developed an interactive energy price calculator in which you only have to enter the size of your household, the heating method and your vehicles and you already know how high the additional costs are likely to be.

But I'm afraid that the calculator won't produce cost reductions under any circumstances. Maybe not such good news after all. But at least you'll know.

To the cost calculator here: This is how expensive the energy winter could be for you

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

France's debt ratio will rise further if a new president is elected who makes costly promises such as lowering the retirement age or canceling government bonds.
Likely · Within months
Energy prices will continue to rise in the coming months, meaning households can expect higher heating and electricity costs.
Very likely · Within months

Open Questions

When will the Nobel Prize in Medicine be awarded and who are the official candidates?
How exactly does Crispr-based therapy work for Mohammed and what are the long-term consequences?
What concrete impact would Le Pen and Mélenchon's proposed policies have on the French economy?
How exactly does the energy price calculator work and what assumptions are it based on?