• Engineer to take helm of Apple as Tim Cook steps down

    Tim Cook is to resign as Apple CEO, with head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding him on 1 September. Cook, who succeeded Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011, will stay on at the company in the role of executive chair. The announcement was made on Apple’s website, where Cook said that his tenure as CEO had been the “greatest privilege of my life”. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative and deeply caring people,” he said. Cook has been at Apple for 28 years, having joined in 1998 to oversee the company’s worldwide operations, including its global supply chain and manufacturing. He became chief operating officer in 2005, before succeeding Steve Jobs as CEO six years later…

  • Finland opens one of the world’s longest car-free bridges

    A 1.19km-long bridge that will exclusively serve pedestrians, cyclists and trams has been opened in Helsinki. On Saturday 18 April, over 50,000 people attended the official opening weekend of the city’s new Kruunuvuorensilta Bridge, the longest and tallest bridge in Finland. It is also notable on a global scale as it is exceptionally long for a bridge that will exclude all car traffic. Connecting Kruunuvuorenranta in Helsinki’s eastern island suburbs with the city centre, the bridge forms part of a wider urban development initiative called the Crown Bridges Light Rail project, which includes three bridges and a new tramline connecting the city centre to Laajasalo island. The bridge was designed by London-based architectural practice Knight Architects and structural engineers WSP Finland…

  • £56bn boost to UK economy from expanding onshore wind supply chain

    Expanding the UK’s onshore wind supply chain could add £56bn to the economy, according to a new report by RenewableUK. Projections indicate that the UK’s current operating fleet of onshore wind turbines could potentially triple by 2050 from 16GW now to over 50GW. With a strong pipeline of onshore wind projects due to come online, the report from the UK trade body finds that if the domestic supply chain expands in line with these projections, onshore wind could contribute an additional £56bn to the UK economy, taking its total value to £154bn. It’s not just new wind farms – much of the additional onshore wind generating capacity will come from ‘repowering’ the UK’s older onshore wind farms. This will mean replacing older turbines with newer and more powerful models. Expanding the supply…

  • Fusion power may struggle to compete with renewables on cost

    The cost of fusion technology is likely to fall more slowly than previously predicted, raising doubts about its ability to compete with renewable energy. Researchers at Swiss university ETH Zurich set out to explore whether assumptions about the cost-effectiveness of fusion power were realistic. “Our paper is the first to provide an evidence-backed range of experience rates (ERs) for fusion power plants and has notably shown a large discrepancy between previous ER assumptions and a sensible ER range for the technology," said Lingxi Tang, doctoral researcher in the energy and technology policy group at ETH Zurich and first author of the study. Fusion has been heralded as a potential source of almost limitless clean energy, which is seen as vital for energy security and the climate crisis…

  • Blue Origin achieves rocket reuse milestone but fumbles satellite deployment

    For the first time, Blue Origin has successfully landed its New Glenn booster rocket, which had been flown on a prior mission, but the satellite payload that came with it was shunted into an incorrect orbit. The launch marked a technical milestone for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space firm, with Blue Origin now only the second company, after SpaceX, to land a booster that had been used in another launch. But New Glenn’s upper stage placed a satellite from AST SpaceMobile into a lower-than-planned orbit. While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will de-orbited. The mixed results show that Blue Origin is still trailing behind its biggest rival SpaceX, even if the mission did…

  • EU cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 40% but transport remains a weak spot

    The EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions have now fallen by 40% since 1990, according to official data. The latest statistics, which show a 3% fall between 2023 and 2024, underline a continued trend of declining emissions largely driven by a larger share of renewable energy, the use of less carbon intensive fossil fuels, improved energy efficiency and structural economic changes. According to a briefing from the European Environment Agency, almost all member states have contributed to the emission reductions. The most significant players were primarily from the Eastern side of the continent – former Soviet Union countries that have transitioned from carbon-heavy industrial economies after 1990. Estonia has seen a roughly 72% reduction since 1990, followed by Lithuania (62%) and Latvia (61…

  • Venice could be moved inland as rising seas outpace flood defences

    Relocating Venice to a new site has been mooted as one possible option to protect it from rising sea levels as the increasing number of flooding events threaten to overwhelm the city’s infrastructure. Scientists have been assessing potential adaptation strategies for Venice as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth assessment report. Other possibilities include the installation of movable barriers, ring dikes and closing the Venetian Lagoon entirely. Venice is a particularly stark example of the challenges that many low-lying coastal areas face globally – with other areas such as the Maldives, the Netherlands and coastal cities also facing challenges in the future. Venice’s current flood defences include a trio of movable barriers at the lagoon’s edge, but the city…

  • JET uses robot workforce to undertake world-first decommissioning of a fusion plant

    This article has been provided by Salvador Pacheco-Gutiérrez, head of technology at RAICo, with additional input from Nick Jones, head of decommissioning at JET Decommissioning and Repurposing (JDR). Fusion decommissioning does not have the same problems as fission. Fusion machines will create far less radioactive waste, most of which is lower-level and shorter-lived. Nonetheless, dismantling a fusion machine at its end-of-life – as is now happening at JET in Culham – is a complex task with many hazards, with many materials that need to be removed, taken apart, packaged, and stored with the utmost caution. The nuclear industry knows a thing or two about these challenges. In particular, it has spent much time exploring how robots and AI can help deal with hazardous materials, whilst keeping…

  • Geely's new EV battery sets 10% to 80% charging record in just over five minutes

    Chinese automaker Geely has unveiled a new electric vehicle (EV) battery capable of charging faster than any other current EV charging system on the market. The 900V Energee Golden Brick Battery will feature in the new Geely-owned Lynk & Co 10+ electric sedan. The vehicle’s high-voltage architecture and battery pack will enable it to charge at peak charging power of 1.1MW. According to figures released by Geely, the vehicle will be able to charge from 10% to 70% in four minutes and 22 seconds, from 10% to 80% in five minutes and 32 seconds and from 10% to 97% in eight minutes and 42 seconds. Automakers across China are racing to develop the fastest EV battery-charging technologies. Less than a month ago, BYD, the world’s largest manufacturer of EVs, unveiled battery and charging technology…

  • 430-metre-deep underground nuclear waste facility set to open in Finland

    A permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel is to begin operations in Finland, safely storing waste for up to 100,000 years. The facility, called Onkalo (Finnish for ‘cave’ or ‘hiding place’), is located in Eurajoki, in the west of the country. Engineered underground tunnels have been built into 1.9 billion-year-old bedrock more than 430 metres below the surface. Onkalo is expected to operate until the 2120s and is designed to contain spent nuclear fuel for up to 100,000 years. Following two decades of construction, Finnish nuclear waste management firm Posiva said the facility was set to receive final approval within months. Tuomas Pere, a geologist at Posiva, said: “The isolation from nature and civilisation on the surface is important because of the radiation caused…

  • E+T Podcast: Episode 22 | The evolution of mapping and its role in tomorrow’s technology

    What does it mean to map the future? In this episode, E+T regulars Tim Fryer and Jack Loughran are joined by Tom Gray from Ordnance Survey to explore how mapping has evolved into a critical layer of modern technology. Now largely digital, Ordnance Survey’s data is constantly updated - capturing everything from major infrastructure projects to small, everyday changes - and powering systems far beyond traditional navigation. The conversation looks at how tools like AI and machine vision are enhancing mapping, and how geospatial data is being used to plan EV charging networks, support autonomous vehicles, and optimise infrastructure like data centres. They also dig into the National Underground Asset Register and the challenges of mapping what lies beneath our feet, before touching on the…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • World’s first milk chocolate bar made with lab-grown cocoa butter

    Israeli-based tech start-up Celleste Bio has unveiled a milk chocolate bar made using real cocoa butter grown in a bioreactor. Celleste Bio has developed a technology capable of producing chocolate-grade cocoa butter that is bio-identical to conventionally sourced cocoa butter. Food company Mondelēz International, owner of Cadbury and Toblerone, has now used this lab-grown cocoa butter to make a dozen chocolate bars. While these bars may look like the real deal, would this chocolate taste as good as the genuine article? Indeed, no difference was detected in terms of texture, melt profile and sensory experience. Having achieved this milestone, Celleste Bio now expects to scale production of its cocoa butter to market-ready quantities within the next two years. Cocoa is traditionally…

  • Drax power plant claims £1bn in subsidies despite being UK’s largest carbon emitter

    The Drax power plant in Yorkshire claimed £999m in subsidies from the government in 2025 despite the controversial nature of its claims to be a low-carbon energy generator. The figures, calculated by the Ember think tank, showed that Drax received £728m through the Renewables Obligation (RO), which covers three of the four generating units, and Contracts for Difference (CfD) payments for the remaining units, worth £271m. The 2.6GW facility now uses biomass as its primary fuel following a lengthy conversion process from its roots as a coal-fired power plant. The wood pellets burned by the power plant have an equivalent carbon intensity to coal – which is considered to be the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel – but are burned at higher volumes due to their low energy density, meaning that…

  • Decommissioned oil fields offer new life as hydrogen storage sites

    Depleted oil fields could be used to contain liquid hydrogen as much of the infrastructure already in place can be repurposed, researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have said. Hydrogen is a clean-burning gas that could help to tackle climate change by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels as it can be produced from water using renewable energy. But storing and transporting the gas is typically very expensive and involves a number of technical challenges such as high-pressure gas tanks or cryogenic systems that operate at very cold temperatures. The oil industry is currently in a peak period of decommissioning, with assets installed between the late 1970s and early 1990s reaching the end of their 30-40-year design lives. The decommissioning market is…

  • 10,000 UK manufacturers to see electricity bills cut by up to 25% from 2027

    The UK government has announced it will expand the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) to cover 10,000 electricity-intensive manufacturing businesses from 2027. In June 2025, the government launched BICS to boost UK industry’s competitiveness by reducing high electricity costs. At the time it said that from April 2027, 7,000 businesses in manufacturing sectors such as automotive, aerospace, steel and pharmaceuticals would see their electricity costs reduced by up to 25%. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has now announced that the scheme will be expanded to a further 3,000 eligible businesses. A one-off payment in 2027 will cover support firms would have received if BICS had been in place from April 2026. Reeves said: “Today’s announcement will cut energy bills for over 10,000 manufacturers…

  • Rolls-Royce unveils two-seater electric convertible

    Rolls-Royce has revealed Project Nightingale, the first vehicle in its ultra-exclusive Coachbuild Collection programme. The British luxury car maker will create just 100 Project Nightingale vehicles, a 1920s-inspired electric convertible. They will be hand-built at its headquarters in Goodwood, West Sussex, with deliveries to its invitation-only client base expected to start in 2028. “Some of the most discerning Rolls-Royce clients in the world asked us for our most ambitious work. We responded by bringing three things together that have never coexisted within our brand: the complete design freedom of coachbuilding, our powerful, near-silent all-electric powertrain, and a uniquely potent yet serene expression of open-top motoring – an experience that only this technology makes possible…

  • Portable atomic clock could keep ships on course without GPS

    A portable atomic clock that has been successfully tested at sea could change the future of marine navigation. Highly precise clocks could support future positioning systems that work even when satellite signals are unavailable or disrupted. In telecommunications, they could improve the synchronisation of large networks that transmit enormous volumes of data every second, while scientists have proposed using them in radio astronomy, where extremely accurate timing helps link observations from telescopes around the world. Adelaide University researchers have created a portable optical atomic clock that uses laser-cooled atoms of the element ytterbium to keep time with extreme precision. By cooling the atoms with lasers and measuring a very specific atomic transition, the clock can track…

  • £1.3bn UK fusion strategy sets out path ‘from lab to grid’

    Government-owned firm UK Fusion Energy (UKFE) has unveiled a strategy setting out how the country can move fusion energy from research to commercial deployment. The strategy in particular sets out how the UK will deliver its first-of-a-kind prototype fusion power plant, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP). The plant is currently under development at a site in north Nottinghamshire and is targeted to be operational by 2040. UKFE, a subsidiary of the government’s UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), is overseeing the design, build and delivery of the plant, bringing together industrial partners, research expertise, and advanced digital and AI capabilities. Lord Vallance of Balham, minister for science, innovation, research and nuclear, said: “The government completely backs…

  • Amazon moves into satellite race with $11.57bn Globalstar acquisition

    Amazon has announced an $11.57bn deal to buy Globalstar as it looks to increase its space presence and compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink. Globalstar operates a satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit for phone service, low-speed data transmission and Earth observation. The firm should enhance Amazon Leo’s satellite broadband services to help it compete with Starlink, which is the current market leader. In particular, Globalstar’s technology would enable Leo to offer direct-to-device (D2D) services that allow smartphones to connect to space-based 4G and 5G networks without any additional hardware. “There are billions of customers out there living, travelling and operating in places beyond the reach of existing networks, and we started Amazon Leo to help bridge that divide,” said Panos…

  • Eccentric Engineer: Building a jet in 143 days

    War demands instant solutions. Kelly Johnson understood that if the US military wanted a jet fighter immediately, the engineering had to come first. Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson seemed born to do aeronautical engineering, winning his first aircraft design prize aged just 13. All that could possibly have held him back was his attitude. In a famously collaborative vocation, Johnson was a little, well, brusque. Indeed, he got the nickname Kelly at junior school after breaking the leg of a child who had the temerity to call him ‘Clara’. Yet this rather forthright attitude would prove his making. In particular, he didn’t have much time for onerous management or ‘groupthink’ – as he demonstrated as a student, when he had the confidence to tell his professor that the Lockheed Model 10 Electra airliner…

  • Urban methane emissions surge linked to hidden sources detected from space

    Methane emissions from the world’s largest cities have unexpectedly risen 6% since 2019, according to satellite data, suggesting that some sources are unaccounted for. The study, led by University of Michigan researchers, found that urban emissions of methane are rising faster than ‘bottom-up’ accounting estimates anticipated. The discrepancy was found with satellite measurements of methane over 92 major cities around the world. For 72 of the cities, there was sufficient data to track changes in methane emissions between 2019 and 2023. Overall, global urban methane emissions in 2023 were 6% higher than 2019 levels and 10% higher than 2020 levels, although they tended to decrease in European cities. In contrast, accounting methods that tally emission estimates of individual methane sources…

  • Leafy vegetables could ‘mine’ toxic yet valuable metals from soil

    Leafy green vegetables could be used to extract toxic metals from contaminated soil for use in electronics and medical technologies, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia have used advanced scanning techniques to show how kale accumulates trace amounts of the heavy metal thallium from polluted soil. Brassicaceae – which include kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts – are hyperaccumulators of thallium. They extract the metals through their roots and shoots, accumulating it in a crystallised form in their leaves and stems. Thallium is a highly toxic heavy metal fatal to humans and animals. Before the 1970s it was commonly used in rat poisons and insecticides, but has since been recognised as a major environmental pollutant. Despite its high toxicity…

  • Evil Engineer: Just how big a boat can I build?

    This month, the Evil Engineer offers practical tips to a villain in search of a bigger boat – a much bigger boat. Dear Evil Engineer,Despite having been in the villainy industry for less than 10 years, I have already been forced to move my business between countries eight times. Wherever I go, I’m made to feel unwelcome as a villain. So many communities preach tolerance, then clutch their pearls when I have a rival CEO and his family fed to my pet orca. I’m sick of being forced to accept the constraints placed upon me by society – so I’m going to found my own country. Having considered all the possibilities, I am most intrigued by the idea of forming a self-governing nation on a ship, ever roaming the lawless seas. Could you advise me how large a ship I could build? Yours,An Oppressed…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Fully electric cruise ship could cut emissions by up to 95%

    German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has unveiled a cruise ship concept that would run entirely on batteries. While still in the concept phase, Meyer Werft says project ‘Vision’ could become a reality by the early 2030s. The vessel is planned to be over 275 metres long, weigh around 82,000 gross tonnage and accommodate 1,856 passengers. The aim behind the project was to demonstrate how cruise ships could reduce CO2 emissions and contribute to decarbonisation. According to the shipbuilder, the design could enable a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of up to 95%. Global shipping is responsible for around 3% of the world’s GHG emissions and, with global trade predicted to quadruple by 2050, these emissions will increase rapidly without urgent action. The shipping sector is considered…

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