Photosynthetic algae can convert CO₂ into high-performance carbon fibre composites
Researchers have taken a ‘major step’ towards sustainable industrial carbon fibre production using CO₂-absorbing microalgae.
Researchers have taken a ‘major step’ towards sustainable industrial carbon fibre production using CO₂-absorbing microalgae.
French clean-tech company HelioRec has reached a significant certification milestone for its near-shore floating solar system.
A woman fitted with a chip in her brain has been able to write her name for the first time in 20 years using only her thoughts.
The pace of gaming innovation between the years 1990 and 2010 saw a drastic shift from 2d sprites moving linearly across flat la
Former President Joe Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act already had flaws, but now his successor’s administration’s approach is complicating matters further.
Since 2002, all of Earth’s continents have experienced “unprecedented freshwater loss” driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts, new satellite observations have revealed.
Great British Railways is a “solution looking for a problem” and could see the UK repeating mistakes made under British Rail.
Researchers at Meta are developing a wristband capable of controlling devices using subtle hand or finger gestures. A team from Reality Labs at Meta – Meta Platforms’ dedicated division for building hardware, software and research – have been working on another way to interact with technology on-the-go that does not require any input devices such as keyboards, just a wristband and hand gestures. This includes being able to move a cursor, open apps and send messages by writing in the air as if using a pencil. As the company said in a blogpost, “we believe that surface electromyography (sEMG) at the wrist is the key to unlocking the next paradigm shift in human-computer interaction (HCI)”. sEMG is a non-invasive method to measure muscle activity via sensors on the skin surface. Using…
Nasa is testing how 5G could help future air taxis communicate with each other and reduce the risk of collisions. 5G networks are capable of managing masses of data at once and have very low signal latency compared with satellite systems – features that lend themselves well to providing location data between aircraft in busy city skies. Ground antennae and networks in cities can help air taxis stay connected as they fly over buildings, making urban flights safer. But 5G is also poor at penetrating walls and buildings – especially at the higher-frequency, mmWave end of the spectrum. This can make it prone to signal dropouts that have the potential to hamper air taxis. “The goal of this research is to understand how wireless cellphone networks could be leveraged by the aviation industry…
Successive governments have failed to tackle the dangerous health, environmental and economic impacts of nitrogen pollution in England, a House of Lords report has warned. The pollution is mainly caused by agriculture, sewage, transport and industry, but a lack of regulation and enforcement has allowed it to proliferate. The cross-party Environment and Climate Change Committee has created a report with a number of recommendations for key sectors. On agriculture, it advocates low-emission spreading techniques for manure, digestate and urea by 2027, improved enforcement of existing rules around water and fuel usage and extending environmental permitting regulations to large dairy and beef farms within two years. On tackling pollution from rivers and water bodies, the report calls on more…
The fusion industry raised $2.64bn in private and public funding in the past 12 months – a 178% rise from the previous year – according to a report by the Fusion Industry Association (FIA). Now in its fifth year, the annual Global fusion industry report tracks growth in the fusion sector and progress towards commercial fusion deployment. Fusion is a potential source of almost limitless clean energy, which is seen as vital for energy security and the climate crisis. It uses the same process that powers the Sun by combining two forms of hydrogen and heating them at extreme temperatures. For the report, the FIA, which is based in Washington DC in the US, surveyed 53 fusion companies and found that the total funding for these companies stands at $9.7bn – a five-fold increase since 2021. …
An unmanned seaplane designed to detect imminent earthquakes has been developed by University of Tokyo researchers. Megathrust earthquakes occur on faults found along the boundaries between tectonic plates. The Nankai Trough is a megathrust earthquake zone lying off the south-west coast of Japan, and experts estimate that this zone could generate a potentially devastating large earthquake (magnitude 8 or 9) within 30 years. Added to the direct catastrophic impact of such a powerful quake, a seismic event of this magnitude could trigger cascading hazards such as destructive tsunamis. Traditionally, seafloor measurements have been obtained using transponder stations located on the seafloor that communicate with satellites via buoys or ocean-going vessels to produce accurate positional information…
The new MachLab rocket-testing facility has opened in Scotland, aiming to support the research and development of new rocket engines capable of delivering up to one tonne of thrust. Established by researchers from the University of Glasgow with backing from industry and the UK Space Agency (UKSA), MachLab features custom-built facilities to test rocket designs. The facility was built in partnership with space technology experts Exotopic and is located on the site of the former RAF Machrahanish airbase near Campbeltown in south-west Scotland. Professor Patrick Harkness at the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School said: “MachLab is ready to play a key role in the UK’s strategy to return to vertical launch, ensuring that students and researchers can access hotfire facilities in a safe…
Construction of the 1.4GW NeuConnect UK-Germany power link has entered its next phase with a cable-laying vessel entering UK waters to put down 140km of subsea cabling. The €2.8bn NeuConnect project is a direct power interconnector between the UK and Germany. It consists of 725km of land and subsea cables that will connect the energy grids of the two countries for the first time. The 1.4GW cable system will run between the Isle of Grain in Kent and Wilhelmshaven in northern Germany. It will help boost energy security while also promoting the efficient use and integration of renewable energy sources in both Germany and the UK. In 2022, Prysmian, a global cable solutions provider, was awarded a €1.2bn contract for the turnkey design, manufacturing, installation, testing and commissioning…
The UK government’s overseas operations are to make use of OneWeb’s satellite broadband network to enable access to secure, reliable communications across the world. International diplomatic missions such as British embassies and high commissions will be able to route their internet traffic through the service to mitigate issues such as unreliable local broadband. FCDO Services, the Foreign Office’s trading fund, said that crisis response teams in areas hit by natural disasters could also use the service. OneWeb’s original aim was to provide satellite internet worldwide, but by 2020 it was on the brink of bankruptcy, having launched just 74 of its planned 648 satellites. The UK government rescued the business by buying a major stake, alongside Indian telecommunications firm Bharti Global…
The world’s first fast neutron nuclear reactor is a step closer to reality following a €23m funding round. French start-up Stellaria has announced it has raised a further €23m to build a new kind of nuclear reactor called Stellarium in Grenoble, France. This brings the company’s total funding to €33m, including €10m through the France 2030 program. Founded in 2023 as a spin-off from the French nuclear research commission CEA and energy management company Schneider Electric, Stellaria has been raising investment to build the Stellarium fast neutron molten salt reactor. This fourth-generation reactor will be capable of operating in a closed fuel cycle using molten salt technology and nuclear isogeneration. It has a target capacity of 110MWe (110 megawatts of usable electric power) …
The government has agreed a funding package with private investors to help it spread the cost of the upcoming £38bn Sizewell C nuclear plant, although it will remain the largest shareholder in the project. In June, energy secretary Ed Miliband confirmed an initial £14.2bn in funding for the plant as part of plans to kickstart a “golden age” of nuclear energy in the UK and decarbonise the electricity grid. But the massive scale of the project has meant the government wanted to find external investors to help spread the financial burden. In total, the taxpayer will take an initial 44.9% stake, while the new shareholders include investment group La Caisse with 20%, Centrica with 15% and Amber Infrastructure with an “initial” 7.6%. This comes alongside French energy giant EDF taking a 12…
ChatGPT’s paid subscribers will have access to ChatGPT agent, a new tool capable of actively completing tasks instead of just answering questions. Agentic AI is considered to be the next generation of AI. As its name suggests, agentic AI refers to large language models (LLMs) that have the agency to act on their own initiative. OpenAI has launched an example of an agentic AI in the form of ChatGPT agent. It describes this new tool as “Agentic AI = LLM + planning + tools + the ability to act. It’s not just generating text – it’s doing things on your behalf.” Built on its core LLM (GPT-4.5), ChatGPT agent is “wrapped in an agentic layer that lets it act, browse, fill forms, run code or connect to services”. It works by accessing the internet through its own browser or “virtual computer…
Manufacturers have urged the government to revive the northern section of HS2 in order to allow an expansion of rail freight in the UK. Rail freight usage will need to rise at least 75% by 2050 in order to remove lorries from UK roads and decarbonise the transport sector. However, a report from Make UK and Barclays Corporate Bank warns that domestic rail capacity is simply too low to accommodate the amount of additional rail freight needed. It calls for the sections linking Birmingham with both Leeds and Manchester to be revived as a way to shift goods around the manufacturing hubs in the North of Great Britain, as well as helping to meet demand for their products in the South. It advocates for a series of logistics hubs along the HS2 corridor that would link major ports such as Felixstowe…
A major report into the England and Wales’ ‘broken’ water industry has set out recommendations for reform, including scrapping the current water regulator Ofwat. The UK water sector has been under fire for several years. Last month MPs called for ‘root and branch’ reform of the ‘failing sector’, while a report in April found that there were almost 600,000 confirmed sewage discharges in 2024. The Independent Water Commission, which delivers recommendations to the government on reforming the water sector, has now published a major report setting out 88 recommendations to bring about “fundamental reform”. Commission chair Sir Jon Cunliffe said: “In this report I have considered what is best for the long-term future of water. “Restoring trust has been central to our work. Trust that bills…
Nature Towns and Cities has launched to bring nature and green spaces closer to people living in urban areas across the UK. Nature Towns and Cities is a partnership initiative between Natural England, the National Trust and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The aim is to support local authorities and community partners with capacity and resources to create more accessible green spaces in towns and cities. The initiative’s first phase will involve £15.5m being invested in 40 towns and cities across the UK. These 19 partnership projects will install green spaces in urban environments to help bring residents closer to nature. Eilish McGuinness, chief executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “This exciting initiative, working with partners right across the UK, will give…
Britain’s most powerful supercomputer, the £225m Isambard-AI, has been officially launched in Bristol with promises that it could enable breakthroughs in areas such as medicine, robotics and climate change. The supercomputer went from conception to deployment in just under two years and houses a colossal 21 exaflops of AI performance, powered by 5,448 NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips. Isambard-AI is more than 10 times faster than the UK’s next fastest supercomputer and has more computing power than all other UK supercomputers combined. Scientists at Bristol University believe it could open the door to a range of applications, such as faster, more accurate cancer diagnoses and new clean energy innovations. It is already being used to analyse recordings from wearable cameras and other…
This is article was written for E+T Magazine by Matt Himsworth, chief scientific officer at Aquark Technologies. In engineering, we’re always searching for more precise tools, more accurate measurements, and more innovative approaches to solving complex problems. The good news is that quantum technologies are emerging as powerful additions to our toolkit. Quantum is not merely a series of distant theoretical concepts; it’s providing us with practical applications ready for implementation across a range of engineering disciplines right now. Although quantum computing captures most of the headlines, the immediate use cases for quantum technologies in engineering lie elsewhere. Unlike in quantum computing, where valuable applications are still a few years away, quantum sensing and quantum…
Glacier monitoring using satellites is helping scientists to track ice melt and launch early warning systems to prevent climate-related disasters. Formed from snow that has accumulated on land over centuries, glaciers store around 70% of the planet’s fresh water. Their high reflectivity has a regulating effect on the climate as they reflect the Sun’s rays back into space, reducing the absorption of solar energy on the Earth’s surface. Climate change and rising temperatures are causing glaciers to melt at an alarming rate, the consequences of which scientists have warned us about for some time. A study published in February 2025 in Nature reported that between 2000 and 2023 the world’s mountain glaciers on average lost 6,542 billion tonnes of ice. This glacier ice loss has directly contributed…