• Smart glasses and AI pose growing threat to exam integrity, says Ofqual

    Gadgets including smart glasses and invisible earpieces could undermine the legitimacy of the exam system by making it easier for students to cheat, the chief of Ofqual has warned. Chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham, who leads the body that regulates Britain’s qualifications and examinations, said that Ofqual had to “move really fast, because technology is moving fast”. The regulator’s own data showed that mobile phone and smart device offences accounted for 2,225 malpractice cases in the summer 2025 exam series, or 44.3% of all cases. It has been the most common category of cheating in every summer exam series since 2018. Devices such as Monorean Pro explicitly advertise their ability to “cheat on a test without getting caught”, incorporating miniature Bluetooth earpieces and device controls…

  • Floating 400kW solar farm powers up at Cheshire quarry

    A 400kW floating photovoltaic (FPV) array has been installed at Bathgate Silica Sand’s Cheshire quarry to supply the industrial sand producer with renewable electricity. Made up of 650 floating solar panels on North Arclid Lake, the array was installed over a six-month period by Scottish marine energy firm Nova. Developed in partnership with environmental engineering firm RSK Group, work on the project began in December 2025, with first power delivered in May 2026. Quarry operations were able to continue as normal during the entire project installation. The array, which is the size of two Olympic swimming pools, will help Bathgate Silica Sand to decarbonise its century-old quarry operations and reduce its energy bills. While conventional solar farms sometimes attract controversy because…

  • Train passengers being forced ‘off grid’ by poor mobile phone signals, warns Ofcom

    Ofcom is calling for a nationwide effort to improve mobile connectivity across the UK rail network. The UK communications regulator measured mobile performance across 24 segments of key railway lines covering England, Scotland and Wales. The research revealed that mobile performance was poor on between 58% and 83% of tests carried out on trains, depending on mobile network. Good performance is defined as achieving minimum download speeds of 5Mbits per second, upload speeds of at least 1.5Mbits per second, and a response time of 50 milliseconds or less. This would typically allow people to make video calls, stream content or scroll social media. EE met those good performance standards 42% of the time, Three met them 21% of the time, O2 20% and Vodafone only 17%. Ofcom says that these…

  • Airbus begins testing passenger aircraft capable of non-stop UK-Australia flights

    The first of a new breed of aircraft designed to fly for up to 22 hours to enable non-stop travel between Australia and the UK has completed its initial test flight. Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, has ordered a total of 12 modified A350 aircraft that can make the flight without needing to refuel. The first of this batch has now completed a test flight in Toulouse, France, where it flew for three hours 43 minutes reaching an altitude of slightly above 41,000 feet. The aircraft was fitted with special flight test instrumentation and flown by a dedicated Airbus flight test crew. The A350-1000ULR variant will be able to travel a distance of almost 10,000 nautical miles once fully deployed, enabling non-stop flights between Sydney, New York and London for the first time. This is made possible…

  • Google plans to release 32 million ‘good’ mosquitoes in US

    Google’s Debug programme is seeking federal approval to release up to 32 million non-biting mosquitoes in Florida and California in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases. The tech giant has issued an application to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking approval to release up to 16 million male mosquitoes annually for two years. The EPA is reviewing the permit request, which comes as health officials in California recently reported detecting West Nile virus in mosquito samples. The Debug initiative aims to “stop bad bugs with good bugs”. For more than a decade, its scientists and engineers have been developing technology to mass-produce and release sterile male mosquitoes to eliminate disease-spreading mosquitos. Mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animal, killing…

  • Switzerland hosts world’s largest underground battery to store excess energy

    Switzerland has finished digging a massive hole on the German border that will be used to house the world’s most powerful underground battery. Energy firm Flexbase will be building the giant redox flow battery. which is expected to be connected to the grid at some point in 2029 and will be capable of storing up to 2.1GWh of energy at any one time, with a power output of 1.2GW. The facility will be based on vanadium flow battery technology developed by Invinity Energy Systems. Many grid-scale batteries are underpinned by lithium-ion technology, which is also used in electronics and electric vehicles. Redox flow batteries on the other hand store energy in large tanks of liquid electrolytes. They are typically non-flammable and do not degrade over decades of heavy cycling, unlike lithium-ion…

  • Power dense 100kW superconducting motor brings electric aviation a step closer

    Researchers have demonstrated a 100kW fully superconducting axial-flux motor that could help pave the way for lighter, more efficient hydrogen-electric aircraft. Developed by researchers at the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory (ASL) at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, the prototype system uses high temperature superconducting (HTS) technology to carry very large electrical currents with almost no resistance when cooled to cryogenic temperatures: 20 Kelvin (K) or -253°C. This could allow aircraft motors to achieve much higher power density than conventional electrical machines, a key requirement for future hydrogen-electric and fully electric aircraft. One of the main challenges with developing electric aircraft is ensuring sufficient power is generated while keeping propulsion…

  • National Grid aims to boost nature recovery alongside grid upgrades

    National Grid has launched a new market mechanism to connect electricity infrastructure projects with suppliers delivering biodiversity and habitat restoration. As National Grid embarks on The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations, it will work with suppliers to help meet its environmental and biodiversity commitments. The launch of the new Qualifying Utilities Dynamic Market (QUDM) scheme will see pre-qualified suppliers deliver nature-based solutions at scale as major infrastructure projects are delivered. Creating a marketplace for nature restoration projects means that National Grid will be able to meet its environmental commitments, including achieving a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) on all new projects requiring planning permission…

  • Former UK Paralympian could become first disabled astronaut to live in space

    Former Paralympian John McFall could become the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit on the world’s first commercial space station. Haven-1 is a planned space station in low-Earth orbit that is in development by US aerospace company Vast. If launched, it will be the first ever commercial space station and is currently scheduled for a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 early next year. The UK Space Agency has signed a deal with Vast to find potential sponsorship opportunities for McFall to live aboard the station and conduct research into human physiology, prosthetics in microgravity and movement in space. The findings could have benefits for disabled people on Earth, such as the design of lighter, more adaptable prosthetics, and an improvement to our understanding of conditions…

  • Faster shift to renewables could save EU billions, study finds

    Accelerating the roll-out of renewable energy could generate up to €600bn in net benefits across the EU, according to a study. An international study, led by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) in Germany, has evaluated how different responses to rising and volatile fossil fuel prices could affect Europe’s energy systems, economic development, air quality, climate and public health. The team took a holistic approach with their study, combining a number of established models to evaluate the overall societal and economic impact of different short-term measures and long-term strategies. The results show that a long-term strategy of rapidly shifting to large-scale renewable energy will not only close the energy supply gap but also help mitigate climate change and improve…

  • AI-monitoring system could help tackle overcrowding on UK train network

    An AI-monitoring system that can track passenger numbers on trains to prevent overcrowding has been developed by Loughborough University computer scientists. The technology uses depth-sensing cameras and onboard AI to monitor passenger numbers and movement throughout the network. Rather than recording conventional video footage, it captures depth information only, allowing passenger flow to be monitored without identifying individuals. The researchers, who worked with rail technology company TrainFX on the technology, said the system could help operators better manage capacity, improve passenger information and reduce overcrowding across the network. Currently, operators often rely on delayed or incomplete data, meaning some carriages become overcrowded while others still have space available…

  • Hinkley Point C’s second reactor lifted into place by world’s largest crane

    The world’s largest crane lifted Hinkley Point C’s second nuclear reactor into place before its precision installation inside the reactor building. The crane, known as Big Carl, made lifting the 500-tonne cylinder a simpler process than the installation of the first reactor, which required a bespoke, temporary lifting system. The power station received its first nuclear reactor in 2023, which has subsequently been installed and welded in place on Unit 1 of the power station. Once inside the Unit 2 reactor building, the 13-metre-long reactor pressure vessel was lifted and rotated into a vertical position by the large internal ‘polar’ crane and lowered carefully on to a support ring with just 40mm clearance on either side. Work on Unit 1 has moved on to the fitting-out of pipes, cables…

  • Recycling rare earth magnets from old wind turbines ‘real opportunity’ for UK

    Recycling the UK’s offshore wind turbines when they are decommissioned could produce enough magnets to build a million electric vehicles (EVs) a year, according to a report. The magnets within wind turbines contain a large amount of neodymium, a critical material used in EVs, aircraft systems and wind turbines. Current neodymium supplies are geographically limited, meaning sourcing is expensive and vulnerable to supply shocks. A new report – Windfall: the recovery and remanufacturing of neodymium magnets from UK wind turbines – published by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) and led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, finds that the UK has a real opportunity to secure a sovereign capability in manufacturing by recycling neodymium. The report features analysis commissioned…

  • Record internet speeds achieved using pre-existing fibre-optic network in London

    Researchers have achieved record-breaking data speeds of 450 terabits per second over a standard fibre-optic network in London. To put that in perspective, the fastest widely available consumer connection in the UK is 1Gbps, which is roughly 450,000 times slower than the connection achieved by the team from the National Institute of Information. The 450Tbps data rates achieved during the experiment surpasses previous records of 402 Tbps and 430 Tbps, set in 2024 and 2025 over laboratory fibres. Unlike those earlier demonstrations, the new experiment used real, already-installed fibres from the UK National Dark Fibre Facility (NDFF) and is therefore the closest demonstration to date of how the full capacity of existing fibre infrastructure could be unlocked, potentially paving the way…

  • Kuwait gives go-ahead to high-speed rail link to Saudi Arabia

    Kuwait’s Municipal Council has approved the route corridor for a high-speed railway linking the country with Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. The approval designates the land required for the railway project within Kuwait, a section that extends about 85km from the country’s south-western border with Saudi Arabia to the Shadadiya area near Kuwait’s new university campus. The railway line forms part of a broader 500km Saudi-Kuwait high-speed railway project designed to link Kuwait City and Riyadh. With the right-of-way approval granted, implementation works are expected to begin later this year, with the railway expected to become operational by 2030. According to Gulf News, trains are expected to operate at speeds of up to 300km/h, reducing journey times between Riyadh and Kuwait to under…

  • China’s largest offshore shallow oilfield now fully operational

    China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has announced that Phase I of the Kenli 10-2 oilfield, China’s largest offshore lithologic oilfield, has entered full production. Located in the south Bohai Sea, offshore of northern China, the Kenli 10-2 oilfield holds over 100 million tonnes of proven reserves. According to CNOOC, China’s biggest offshore oil producer, the field is producing more than 2,800 tonnes of crude per day, or roughly 20,000 barrels, following full operational deployment. Kenli 10-2 has an average water depth of 20 metres. It is what is known as a shallow-lithologic oilfield, meaning the oil is trapped within relatively shallow rock formations. It’s a highly complex geology that makes extraction more challenging than conventional reservoirs as the oil and gas are…

  • New Glenn destroyed in test blast, raising uncertainty over Artemis programme

    A New Glenn rocket made by Blue Origin has exploded on a Florida launchpad during a hotfire test. The cause of the explosion is not yet clear, with Jeff Bezos’ firm simply saying there was an “anomaly” during the test and that all employees have been accounted for. “It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Blue Origin said on X. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.” The rocket was being prepared for its fourth flight, scheduled for next week, that would have deployed 48 Amazon Leo internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. The satellites themselves were not on the rocket during the test. Initial reports show that severe damage was inflicted on Launch Complex 36, which is Blue Origin’s only…

  • Chinese firm’s sodium battery rivals Tesla’s lithium-ion design, researchers find

    A sodium-ion battery made by Chinese firm Hina has been found to be broadly comparable to lithium-ion batteries used by Tesla in its electric vehicles (EV). Long-term forecasts suggest that lithium demand will continue to outstrip supply globally for the foreseeable future as it underpins many of the technologies needed for decarbonisation including EVs and renewable technology. Since sodium is much more abundant and widely available than lithium, using it for batteries could cut raw material costs for manufacturers and reduce long-term supply chain risks. Sodium-ion batteries also perform well under load at low temperatures, making them an appealing option for both stationary power storage and mobile applications in cold climates. Moritz Schütte, a researcher at RWTH Aachen University…

  • New method of moving heat could transform electronic devices – new study

    Carefully engineered metamaterials boost heat transfer between objects by as much as four times, according to a new study. Led by Carnegie Mellon University, researchers have been able to confirm that heat transfer can be actively designed and enhanced. At the core of the discovery is a phenomenon called near-field radiative heat transfer. When two objects are brought extremely close together – just a few hundred nanometers apart – heat doesn’t simply radiate away in the usual sense. Instead, it can tunnel across the gap through electromagnetic waves, dramatically increasing how much energy flows between them. While this effect has been known about for years, scientists haven’t been able to show it experimentally. Using metamaterials, this new study has been able to. “Unlike conventional…

  • GCHQ unveils AI cyber security system as UK enters ‘moment of consequence’

    GCHQ has introduced a blueprint for a national cyber defence capability amid increased threats from adversaries. Anne Keast-Butler, director of GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence, cyber and security agency, has delivered the first annual lecture at Bletchley Park. Her speech marked the 80th anniversary of the UKUSA intelligence agreement, which later evolved into the Five Eyes security alliance between the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. “It’s rare for any head of an intelligence agency to speak in public, but I’m doing so to you today because we are at a moment of consequence – where the actions we take and the partnerships we build are ever more critical given the threats we face,” said Keast-Butler at the start of her lecture. She emphasised the importance of international partnerships…

  • Uber reconsiders AI usage as cost of tokens mount

    Ridesharing firm Uber has struggled to justify the high cost of AI versus reducing headcount, the firm’s COO Andrew Macdonald has admitted. The Information previously reported that Uber blew through its entire 2026 AI budget by April after encouraging its 5,000-strong engineering team to utilise Anthropic’s Claude Code to speed up their workflows. But in an interview with the Rapid Response podcast, Macdonald said the spend has made the firm reconsider whether the high cost of AI tools is always worth it. “We’re going to have to start talking about token consumption and the associated cost versus headcount and making trades on that as an engineering organisation,” he said. “If you’re not actually able to draw a direct line to how many useful features and functionality you’re shipping…

  • Taiwan opens world’s longest single-mast bridge equipped with anti-earthquake tech

    Taiwan’s 920-metre-long Danjiang Bridge has opened to the public and now holds the world record for the longest single-mast cable-stayed bridge. The main section of the bridge, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is around 30 metres longer than the Yugra Bridge in Surgut, Russia, which had held the record since 2000. Danjiang Bridge spans the mouth of the Tamsui, the major river flowing through Taiwan’s capital Taipei, and will provide a direct link with Bali District in New Taipei City. Its installation will also reduce traffic congestion on local roads by connecting several highways and expressways on both sides of the river. Taiwan is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the boundary of active tectonic plates. As a result, Danjiang has been built to withstand earthquakes…

  • Fusion simulations run 50 times faster with new method

    Researchers have been able to accelerate fusion energy simulations by up to 50 times while preserving critical physical detail. A team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), a major German research facility, have developed a new method to speed up complex simulations of how matter behaves under extreme conditions, reducing the computational demands on supercomputers. For instance, fusion energy is being researched around the world as a potential source of almost limitless, clean energy. However, before it is anywhere near deployable, researchers need to fully understand what temperatures and pressures are present in such extreme states of matter. To understand what happens, researchers use X-ray scattering. Essentially, a high-intensity X-ray beam penetrates the sample and…

  • Nasa details trio of missions to prepare the lunar surface for future Moon base

    Nasa has detailed a series of lunar rovers, drones and equipment that it plans to send to the Moon as part of plans for a crewed landing and eventual Moon base. The agency also outlined plans to send the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) instrument to the Moon later this year. This will study how rocket exhaust displaces lunar soil during a spacecraft’s descent and landing. As the Artemis programme shifts to launching larger, heavier payloads and building sustained structures at the lunar south pole, engineers must predict how thruster plumes interact with the ground prior to the manned landing that will take place in 2028. In addition to SCALPSS, Nasa plans to deploy an instrument called the Laser Retroreflective Array, which helps orbiting spacecraft determine a…

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