• Self-healing asphalt made from biomass waste could help cut UK pothole costs

    A type of self-healing asphalt made from biomass waste could help to cut the UK’s massive pothole bill, which is estimated at £143.5m annually. A team of scientists from Swansea University and King’s College London used machine learning to design the material, which is able to mend its own cracks without the need for maintenance or human intervention. Recent figures from RAC revealed that pothole-related breakdowns jumped by a fifth (17%) in the final three months of 2024 compared with the previous quarter. Cracks form when bitumen – the sticky black material in the asphalt mixture – hardens through oxidisation, but the exact processes behind this are not entirely known. The team has found a way to reverse cracking and develop methods to ‘stitch’ asphalt back together, creating more…

  • Warming climate is accelerating urban rat population growth, study finds

    The warming climate is driving an increase in urban rat populations and increasing the strain on infrastructure and pest control, researchers say. A team from the University of Richmond in the US analysed public complaint and inspection data from 16 cities around the world and found strong links between rising numbers of rats and human population density, urbanisation of cities and warming temperatures. Of the cities assessed, 11 had “significant increasing trends” in rat numbers, including Washington DC, New York and Amsterdam. Only three cities assessed during the study experienced decline: Louisville, Tokyo and New Orleans. In particular, cities experiencing greater temperature increases over time saw larger increases in rat numbers, while those with denser human populations and more…

  • French railway operator tests solar plant prototype on unused train tracks

    The French railway operator SNCF has commenced six months of performance testing of a new prototype that generates energy from PV panels placed on non-operational railway tracks. SNCF possesses vast land reserves in France – more than 113,800 hectares. By 2030 it plans to install 1,000MWp (megawatt peak) of ground-based PV capacity on this land. AREP, a subsidiary of SNCF, has been developing a container-based, portable solar power plant that can be placed on non-operational railway tracks and then relocated as needed. The aim of the project – known as Solveig – is to minimise the footprint of solar installations on the ground while enhancing the solar potential of unused rail lines. The project’s prototype, which includes eight PV panels together with inverters, storage batteries and…

  • Cutting carbon will take ‘concerted effort’ across all modes of transport, new analysis shows

    The Green Alliance has outlined policies to enable the transport industry to drastically reduce its climate impact. In its new report, Mind the gap: Cutting UK transport’s climate impact, the think tank says that decarbonising UK transport is possible but requires “concerted effort across all modes of transport”. In the UK, transport is responsible for around a third of greenhouse gas emissions. While steps are being taken to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, the Green Alliance argues that policy is still falling short of what’s needed to meet the UK’s climate commitments. For instance, the report calls on government to deliver on its promises to cut the emissions of high-polluting vehicles such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and coaches. In its analysis, the Green Alliance…

  • UK’s largest historic rail festival to mark 200 years of passenger trains

    The UK’s largest gathering of historic rail vehicles is set to take place later this year to mark 200 years since the construction of world’s first passenger train service. The three-day festival is taking place at Alstom’s Derby site and aims to raise thousands for Railway 200 charities and the rail heritage sector. The site, which is home to Britain’s biggest and oldest remaining train factory, will be open to the public for the first time in over 50 years. It will showcase more than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways. The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened on 27 September 1825 and was the first rail line to use steam locomotives. It connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton in County Durham and operated for nearly 40…

  • Microsoft signs deal to offset carbon emissions through mass tree-planting in the US

    Microsoft has signed an agreement to offset its carbon emissions through mass tree-planting initiatives. Chestnut Carbon sells carbon credits based on mass tree-planting projects in the US. The firm plans to plant “hundreds of thousands of acres of new US forestland”, primarily in southern states such as Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. The Microsoft agreement will take place in multiple phases over the next 25 years and will result in more than seven million tons of US-based carbon removal credits being generated. Chestnut Carbon estimates it will restore 60,000 acres of land by planting over 35 million native hardwood and softwood trees. “We’re excited to be expanding our collaboration with Microsoft given their market leadership in net zero commitments, and the signing of a second agreement…

  • Hinkley Point C urged to reinstate fish protection plan because of ecosystem concerns

    Hinkley Point C is facing a backlash from environmental campaigners over its possible negative impact on local aquatic life. In order to cool its reactors, the new nuclear power station will need to draw the equivalent of three Olympic swimming pools of cooling water each minute from the Severn estuary, which is a nature conservation site. But fish can also be sucked into the system through this process, damaging local populations while clogging intakes and filters, resulting in costly shutdowns and damaging the surrounding ecosystem. Plans were initially drawn up to install an acoustic fish deterrent (AFD) to keep aquatic life away from the intake vents. This system would use 280 speakers to make noise louder than an airliner – 24 hours a day for 60 years. But Hinkley Point C owner EDF…

  • Search underway to find suitable underground sites to bury hazardous nuclear waste

    Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) has announced it has identified areas within the UK suitable to host a geological disposal facility (GDF). NWS, which is part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group, is embarking on a GDF programme to find a suitable underground facility in which to dispose of radioactive waste deep underground. While radioactive waste can be safely stored above ground, it is recognised as not being a safe and permanent solution. It is believed that a better solution is storing the waste in a geological environment below ground. In its process to find such suitable sites, NWS has now identified three areas of focus. These areas have been identified using a range of information, such as geological data, areas of environmental protection and consideration of built-up…

  • UK water companies pledge to clean up environment and invest in infrastructure

    The Environment Agency (EA) has secured the largest ever environmental commitment from water companies to clean up the environment and invest in new infrastructure since privatisation. The EA, the UK’s environmental regulator, has published its latest report Water industry national environment programme (WINEP). The report sets out over 24,000 actions water companies must take over the next five years to meet their legal requirements for the environment. Developed in collaboration with Ofwat, Natural England and water companies, these actions will help improve water infrastructure to secure future supply, as well as improving habitats and biodiversity. According to the EA, these actions represent £22bn of investment in England to benefit the water environment and customers. For example…

  • Vodafone makes first space-based 5G video call using a regular smartphone

    Mobile network Vodafone says it has made the world’s first space-based video call using a normal 5G-equipped smartphone and coverage from commercial satellites. The firm said its service is the only satellite technology to offer a full mobile broadband experience in areas of no mobile coverage. The technology can allow multiple users in these areas to make and receive video calls, access the internet and use online messaging services, and could help to close gaps in mobile coverage. The service is provided by Texas-based start-up AST SpaceMobile, in which Vodafone became a lead investor in 2019. It has been slowly building up its space-based cellular broadband network since September 2023, when it demonstrated the technology on a 5G voice and data connection. The firm is similar to Elon…

  • OpenAI ‘reviewing evidence’ that China’s DeepSeek used its AI tech to train rival model

    Concerns over a potential IP breach are growing as US-based OpenAI looks into whether Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek harvested large amounts of data from ChatGPT-4 to train its model. DeepSeek’s breakthrough ChatGPT-like AI model made headlines earlier this week. As its R1 app shot to the top of the download charts, it triggered shockwaves in the stock market. It also shook the tech industry with claims that it developed its R1 model at a fraction of the cost of its rivals. There has now been accusations that DeepSeek used a technique known as ‘distillation’ from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to build its rival model. In a video interview with Fox News, White House AI and crypto ‘czar’ David Sacks said: “There’s a technique in AI called distillation ... when one model learns from another model [and…

  • Eccentric Engineer: How Grace Hopper defied limits to shape modern computing

    Grace Brewster Hopper blazed a trail in the 20th century by simply not taking no for an answer. Some children are born to be engineers, much to the dismay of their parents. Grace Brewster Murray (later Hopper) was just seven when she decided to take apart a family clock to see how it worked. But as many an engineer has found to their cost, taking a machine apart is a lot easier than putting it back together again. Grace was not dismayed, however, and proceeded to take apart another six clocks to see if she could work it out. Another child might have expected a firm word or two when they were discovered in a pile of cogs in a now timeless house. But Grace’s parents were different. Her mother had wanted to follow her own father into engineering – he was a senior civil engineer for the city…

  • Industry insight: Why web scraping is vital to the internet and digital business

    Mindaugas Čaplinskas, co-founder of proxy provider IPRoyal, discusses the process of web scraping, how it supports the internet and its value to digital businesses. Web scraping, the practice of automatically extracting information from web pages at scale, is an often misunderstood concept. This is primarily because most of us deal with the end result of web scraping – the business side – and not with the underlying process. The current iteration of the internet, however, would be almost impossible without the existence of web scraping and web crawling. Many people are inherently suspicious of automated data extraction from the public internet, yet use the services enabled by web scraping every day. How web scraping works Web scraping relies on two essential turning points: automated…

  • DNA and RNA building blocks found in samples retrieved from asteroid Bennu

    The building blocks of DNA and RNA, essential precursors to life as we know it, have been discovered in samples returned from asteroid Bennu by Nasa’s Osiris-REx mission. In September 2023, Nasa successfully landed a capsule back on Earth containing a 121g sample of rocks and dust collected from Bennu. The sample was originally collected some three years prior by Osiris-REx after undergoing a two-year journey to intercept the asteroid en route out of the Solar System. Some theories suggest that asteroids could have contributed to the accumulation of the water and chemical building blocks of life to Earth billions of years ago. An international team of scientists analysing the Osiris-REx sample reported the discovery of ammonia- and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter which includes all…

  • US civil supersonic jet breaks sound barrier in historic test flight

    Colorado-based Boom Supersonic successfully achieved its supersonic mission when its XB-1 demonstrator reached Mach 1.122 during its latest test flight. The XB-1 demonstrator’s test programme began in March 2024, with the aim of reaching Mach 1 after a series of supersonic test flights. Each of the 11 test flights was undertaken to evaluate the aircraft’s performance and handling qualities as the flight envelope was expanded to reach increased speeds. The flight took place from California’s Mojave Air and Space Port. The XB-1 jet entered the supersonic corridor and reached an altitude of 35,290 feet before accelerating to Mach 1.122 (652 KTAS or 750mph). This is a historic achievement as it marks the first time an independently developed jet has broken the sound barrier. Blake Scholl…

  • Scottish rocket set to launch in 2025 gets £20m funding boost from UK government

    The UK government has invested £20m in Orbex to help it launch the first UK-made orbital rocket from SaxaVord in Scotland. Spaceflight company Orbex, headquartered in Forres in northern Scotland, is developing rockets to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland. The company is on a mission to build sustainable small- to medium-sized space rockets that will support the European space industry to launch satellites into low-Earth orbit. It plans to launch its 19-metre long, two-stage rocket, known as Prime, later this year. Orbex’s rocket technology is powered by biopropane, a renewable bio-fuel, which the company claims allows the rocket to reduce carbon emissions significantly compared to other similarly-sized rockets being developed elsewhere around the world. The rocket is also designed…

  • Controversial third runway at Heathrow Airport gets firm backing from Chancellor

    UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has finally given the go-ahead for a controversial third runway at London’s Heathrow airport. “I can confirm today that this government supports a third runway at Heathrow and is inviting proposals to be brought forward by the summer,” Reeves said as part of a speech outlining her plans to boost economic growth in the UK. The £19bn project has been embroiled in turmoil ever since the Department for Transport first proposed the expansion under the previous Labour administration in 2006. Those fledgling plans were later cancelled by the coalition government soon after coming into office in May 2010. The project was then finally given the go-ahead in 2018 under Prime Minister Theresa May after years of legal wrangling. But again, it faced further delays from legal…

  • UK government faces growing cyber threat as resilience gaps and skills shortages persist

    The cyber threats facing the UK are becoming increasing severe and gaps have been identified in the government’s defence infrastructure, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). It found that 58 critical government IT systems assessed last year had “significant gaps in cyber resilience”, while a further 228 ‘legacy’ IT systems could also be vulnerable. If successful, cyber attacks can have devastating effects on government organisations and public services, and the citizens who rely on them. In June 2024, a cyber attack on a supplier of pathology services to the NHS in south-east London led to two NHS foundation trusts postponing 10,152 acute outpatient appointments and 1,710 elective procedures. Meanwhile, the British Library, which experienced a cyber attack in October 2023, has…

  • Green energy transition must address 600 million Africans living without electricity

    The global shift to renewable energy must not leave behind those in African countries who currently lack electricity, warn University of Huddersfield researchers. While the world is transitioning towards renewable energy systems, there are about 600 million people across Africa who still lack access to reliable and affordable energy. A study by researchers at the University of Huddersfield found that this energy poverty creates barriers to development and human rights concerns. For example, it stifles industrial growth, reduces agricultural efficiency (for example, irrigation systems need energy), denies access to technologies that rely on electricity to charge and affects healthcare. Oyeniyi Abe, study lead and research fellow at the Centre for Comparative Law in Africa, said: “Our…

  • Battery-powered electric ferry service to connect Spain and Morocco

    The first-ever ‘green’ ferry service carrying passengers from mainland Spain to Morocco has been announced by Spanish operator Baleària. The firm will launch two 100% electric, zero-emission fast ferries connecting the cities of Tarifa, Spain, and Tangier, Morocco. Both vessels will be built at the Armon shipyard in north-west Spain and will take roughly two and a half years to build. The boats will be fuelled by battery power outputting around 16MW of energy to four electric propulsion units. With a total capacity of 11,500kWh, the ships will be able to complete the 18-mile journey entirely on battery power. They will then be charged up for the return journey during a one-hour stopover. Charging will be carried out by two autonomous robotic arms in each port, which will be connected…

  • Low-cost Chinese AI model DeepSeek-R1 triggers shockwaves in stock market

    The emergence of DeepSeek’s breakthrough ChatGPT-like AI model has rocked Wall Street, causing shares in Nvidia to tumble. DeepSeek, a Chinese start-up less than a year old, is developing open source AI models similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. On 10 January 2025 it launched its latest model DeepSeek-R1, and within a week the free smartphone app had surged to the top of the download charts. By 25 January, the R1 app was downloaded 1.6 million times and ranked No 1 in iPhone app stores in Australia, Canada, China, Singapore, the US and the UK, according to data from market tracker Appfigures. What has shaken the tech industry is DeepSeek’s claim that it developed its R1 model at a fraction of the cost of its rivals, many of which use expensive chips from US semiconductor giant Nvidia to train…

  • Amazon seeks UK approval for same-day drone deliveries from Darlington warehouse

    Amazon has sought permission to launch drones from its Darlington fulfilment centre as it looks to bring automated delivery services to UK customers. The online retailer’s Prime Air service aims to use autonomous drones to carry out same-day 30-minute deliveries from warehouse to customers’ homes across the area. Amazon started a similar service in Arizona, US, last year that gave customers access to “over 50,000 everyday essentials”. The available products included household and beauty items as well as office and tech supplies, and customers who lived near the warehouse could purchase any eligible item weighing 2.2kg or less for delivery in under an hour. The MK30 drones, which were developed in-house over a two-year period, were designed to operate autonomously, with sense-and-avoid…

  • Rethinking AI: Revisiting old methods to push beyond large language models

    With AI starting to hit natural limitations imposed by the large language model approach, do we need to revisit some of the earlier AI methodologies? AI’s family tree continues to grow. “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” So said the late Emerson M Pugh, physics professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. The years since his passing in 1981 have seen researchers strive to prove Pugh wrong and, in the current AI wave, spend more than ever on the effort. The endgame is, supposedly, artificial general intelligence (AGI) – machines as smart as we are – or even the ‘singularity’, when machines surpass human intelligence and become self-advancing. More realistically, researchers want better, more trustworthy AI…

  • Remotely operated firefighting robot to start tackling blazes in Kent

    Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is to trial a new firefighting robot in a bid to protect fighters, free up resources and resolve incidents more quickly. The technology, which resembles a bomb disposal robot, can be remotely operated from 600 metres away and has a hose attachment that can spray up to 2,000 litres of water a minute. The robot can be sent into hotspots that are difficult and risky for humans to enter, such as fires at industrial and commercial sites. Equipped with a camera and thermal technology, the robot can gather information to give firefighters a better understanding of the type of incident they’re facing. Other features integrated into the robot include audio capability to give instructions and the ability to help remove people from areas on a stretcher. Mark…

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