• Atmospheric CO2 levels now 50 per cent higher than pre-industrial era

    According to measurements from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CO2 levels peaked at 424 parts per million in May this year, an increase of 3.0ppm over the same period the year before. The measurements were recorded at Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, located on the Mauna Loa volcanic island in Hawaii. The station, which has been operating since 1958, was built there because it is 3,397 metres above sea level and located far from any continent. These factors ensure that air samples collected there represent a good average for the central Pacific. The contamination from local volcanic sources is sometimes detected at the observatory, then removed from background data. The carbon dioxide data on Mauna Loa constitutes the longest record of direct measurements…

  • BBC, Boots, British Airways among victims of mass cyber attack

    The hackers exploited a flaw in the MOVEit Transfer application, used by companies such as payroll provider Zellis to transfer documents. Zellis has said eight of its client firms have been affected by the breach. Although no official attribution has been made, Microsoft said it believed the criminals responsible are linked to the notorious Cl0p ransomware group, thought to be based in Russia. The company said the hackers responsible have used similar techniques in the past to steal data and extort victims. The victims of the hack include private companies such as the BBC, Boots, British Airways and Aer Lingus, as well as public bodies such as the government of Nova Scotia, in Canada.  Companies affected were warned that their staff's personal data - including ID numbers, dates of birth…

  • AI advances could put human lives at risk, Prime Minister’s adviser warns

    Clifford, a member of the UK's AI taskforce, has stressed the need for regulations that prevent AI tools from becoming  “very powerful” systems that humans could struggle to control. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's adviser commented on the technology's rapid development in an interview with TalkTV, where he stated that even the short-term risks that come with AI were “pretty scary”.  “You can use AI today to create new recipes for bio weapons or to launch large-scale cyber attacks," he said. "These are bad things." Since the interview was published, Clifford has stated headlines based on the TalkTV interview – which quoted him stating that AI could kill many humans within two years' time – do not reflect his views. 1/3 Quick thread on AI risk: there’s a story in The Times today headlined…

  • AR app to help blind passengers navigate stations receives share of £2m funding

    The Department for Transport has announced a £1.96m fund to improve accessibility in the UK’s transport systems. Makesense Technology is receiving part of the fund to create an app that uses augmented reality to create bespoke walking routes to help visually impaired travellers get around railway stations. Other projects include a system that uses large kites to tow ships at the same speed as a traditionally powered craft, which could help reduce the use of polluting engines and decarbonise shipping. Start-up IONA Logistics will explore how autonomous drones based out of small delivery hubs can be used to deliver small packages faster and cheaper to hard-to-reach rural areas Port of Tyne is exploring the viability of using remotely controlled, and in some instances automated, electric…

  • IBM to open quantum computing data centre in Europe in 2024

    The facility will be located in Ehningen, Germany. It  will host multiple IBM quantum computing systems, each with utility-scale quantum processors of more than 100 qubits, the company has said.  The quantum data centre will serve as IBM Quantum’s European cloud region, with the goal of providing access to these new technologies for research institutes, companies and public organisations in the region.  “Our goal is to bring useful quantum computing to the world. To me, that means we have to bring access,” Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and Vice President of IBM Quantum, told reporters in a briefing.  While most computers process data in bits, with a binary value of either zero or one,   quantum computers   use a two-state unit for data processing called a qubit,   which represents several…

  • Apple unveils the ‘first spatial computer’, the Vision Pro

    The Apple Vision Pro headset is designed to blend digital content with the physical world, introducing a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by natural, intuitive inputs — the user’s eyes, hands, and voice. Vision Pro features an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two displays, driven by custom Apple silicon in a dual-chip design. Apple also introduced another operating system for the headset, visionOS, calling it the world’s first spatial operating system. Vision Pro is designed to let users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space, so they have an infinite canvas for apps that go beyond the boundaries of a traditional screen display. The headset is intended to offer the user infinite…

  • SSE fined nearly £10m for breaching its generation licence

    The firm was found to have secured “excessive payments” from National Grid ESO in exchange for reducing output at Foyers pumped storage power station during periods of what is known as ‘transmission constraint’.  When constraints on the electricity transmission system exist, the ESO will take action to manage flows across the network, including using the balancing market to increase and decrease the amount of electricity produced by different generators. Situations which could cause transmission constraints might include times where there is insufficient network capacity to transport power out of a particular area in which local generation exceeds demand.  During these times generators can, in theory, exploit their position by charging the ESO excessive prices to reduce their output,…

  • Air quality stations accidentally collected valuable DNA samples for decades

    An international team of researchers has discovered that thousands of ambient air quality monitoring stations around the world are unwittingly recording environmental DNA (eDNA). Global warming has been known to cause severe loss of biodiversity, but researchers have struggled to quantify its effect due to the lack of infrastructure for tracking extinction rates - until now.  A vital source of biodiversity data has been identified by new research in air quality monitoring stations. These stations have been collecting dust and pollution particles for decades. However, their filters have also accidentally collected valuable samples of eDNA, which can be used for analysing the progression of climate change.  As part of this research, scientists found evidence of eDNA of over 180 plants and…

  • Global fungi network could store a third of fossil fuel carbon emissions

    Mycorrhizal fungi are responsible for holding up to 36 per cent of yearly global fossil fuel emissions below ground - more than China emits each year. The fungi make up a vast underground network all over the planet underneath grasslands and forests, as well as roads, gardens, and houses on every continent on Earth. Researchers are now calling for fungi to be considered more heavily in conservation and biodiversity policies, and are investigating whether we can increase how much carbon the soil underneath us can hold. The underground network of fungi stores over 13 gigatonnes of carbon around the world, roughly equivalent to 36 per cent of yearly global fossil fuel emissions, according to new research. It is widely believed that mycorrhizal fungi could store carbon, as the fungi form…

  • UK car parks could ‘collapse’ under the weight of EVs, report warns

    Over recent years, vehicles have increasingly gotten heavier, with their average weight rising from 1.5 tonnes in 1974 to almost 2 tonnes today. As a result, old multi-storey car parks might be at risk of collapse. This increase in weight could prove fatal, and might have caused the death of one person in the collapse of a multi-storey car park in New York City in April 2023. The incident is still under investigation.  To prevent the situation from causing further harm, t he Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) commissioned a team of 10 engineers to update design recommendations for multi-storey car parks. The review's conclusions proposed that car park owners have their buildings inspected by engineering firms to see if they need to be strengthened. If this was not possible…

  • Blood test for ‘zombie’ heart cells could help to boost organ transplants

    Currently, hearts from donors aged over 65 are not accepted for donation due to the likelihood of a poor clinical outcome. While hearts age at different rates, age isn’t necessarily the best indicator of heart health.  Newcastle University researchers are working to develop a test which may help clinicians determine quickly whether a donor heart may still be suitable for transplant. With around 320 people currently waiting for a lifesaving heart transplant, it is hoped this new test would help to increase the number of hearts available. The research has shown that people with heart disease have more senescent – or ‘zombie’ – cells than those without, after they found higher levels of ‘zombie’ cell markers in their blood. ‘Zombie’ cells aren’t dead, but they don’t work as they should.…

  • Caltech team achieve wireless energy transfer in space

    The achievement was made by MAPLE (Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment), an array of flexible lightweight microwave power transmitters with precise timing control.  MAPLE is one of the three experiments carried out by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as part of its Space Solar Power Project (SSPP), an ambitious plan to deploy   a constellation of space solar panels that could harvest solar power in space and beam the energy back to Earth.  "Through the experiments we have run so far, we received confirmation that MAPLE can transmit power successfully to receivers in space," said Ali Hajimiri, Bren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering and co-director of SSPP. "We have also been able to program the array to direct its energy toward…

  • Robot ‘chef’ watches videos to recreate recipe

    The robot was programmed with a ‘cookbook’ of eight simple salad recipes, and after watching a video of a human demonstrating one of them it could identify which was being prepared and make it. The videos also helped the robot incrementally add to its cookbook. At the end of the experiment, it was able to come up with a ninth recipe on its own. The researchers said their results demonstrate how video content can be a valuable source of data for automated food production, and could enable easier and cheaper deployment of robot chefs. Several commercial companies have built prototype robot chefs, although none of these are currently commercially available, and they lag well behind their human counterparts in terms of skill. Human cooks can learn new recipes through observation, whether…

  • View from India: Digital disruptions

    Digital transactions have brought transparency into the system and made lending-borrowing accessible and hassle-free. A case in point is the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which enables people to transfer money between bank accounts using a mobile device. In May 2023, UPI transactions reached 14.3 trillion rupees in terms of value and 9.41 billion in volume, according to the system’s creator, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). In comparison to the month of April, this is a 2 per cent rise in value and 6 per cent in volume (from 14.07tn rupees and 8.89 billion transactions). Clearly this digital payment system is a phenomenal success and probably needs to be elucidated. UPI tops the charts for convenience. Money can be transferred between multiple accounts without separate…

  • Green hydrogen production costs could be lowered with new method

    By reducing the  amount of platinum and iridium used in water electrolysis devices, scientists believe they could bridge one of the largest barriers to green hydrogen production.  Hydrogen is a versatile, storable, potentially zero-carbon fuel source, that has been hailed as one of the  solutions that will enable countries to reach their net-zero targets. It produces just heat and water as by-products when burned or used in fuel cells, making it a highly attractive alternative to fossil fuels in industry, power, shipping and transport. However, due to the high production cost of water electrolysis devices required to produce it, green hydrogen has been considered too expensive to be worthwhile investing in.  A research team at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) could…

  • Geothermal power could provide boost to deprived UK areas

    Deep geothermal technology uses the heat from naturally occurring water sources deep underground to generate a large amount of usable heat and energy. Carried out in conjunction with backbench Conservative MP Dr Kieran Mullan and experts at the University of Durham’s Energy Institute, the report finds “strong overlaps” between areas of the UK with high potential for realising deep geothermal heat and areas in need of economic improvement. A number of countries in Europe with comparable geology have already developed deep geothermal sectors, including France, Germany and the Netherlands. It is already being used to heat around 250,000 homes in Paris and across France more than 600MWh are produced annually as the government aims to increase the number of schemes by 40 per cent by 2030.…

  • US buys Starlink terminals for satellite services in Ukraine

    Starlink, the satellite communications company founded by Elon Musk, will now provide satellite services to the Ukrainian military under a new Pentagon contract.  The terminals are expected to be purchased under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides for the embattled nation’s long-term security needs, Bloomberg reported.  The US originally announced its plans to fund initiatives to provide satellite communications “terminals and services” to Ukraine last year, but the involvement of Musk's company has only been revealed today. "We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite and communication capabilities they need. Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications network and the…

  • Early universe galaxy seen by James Webb Telescope

    The distant galaxy JD1 was formed from hydrogen left over from the Big Bang and has been confirmed as one of the most distant galaxies identified to date.   Astrophysicists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have been able to confirm the existence of this galaxy using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST),   the largest and most powerful space science telescope ever launched. JD1 is approximately 13.3 billion years old, and it shows a picture of when the universe was only about 4 per cent of its present age. The faraway galaxy is located behind a large cluster of nearby galaxies, called Abell 2744. This cluster was key to the identification of JD1, as the combined gravitational strength of Abell 2744's galaxies amplifies the light from JD1, making it appear larger and…

  • Electricity grid reforms to speed up connections of new generators

    The new rules will see energy generators pushed to the back of the queue for connection if they are not progressing their project at pace in order to leave space for other projects to connect. To check whether milestones are met, the ESO will be supported by an engineering consultancy and a legal firm has been retained to ensure contractual changes are rapidly executed. The milestones that projects will have to meet are “common sense points” such as raising finance for the project, buying land, getting planning permission and breaking ground. Projects with timelines impacted by network build delays outside the control of the developers will not be negatively impacted by these changes. There are approximately 220 projects due to connect to the national transmission system before 2026…

  • Money & Markets: Get into AI now because it’s about to be gigantic

    When an engineer scientist coded up an embryonic world wide web, few people – apart from a few visionaries judged at the time by most as borderline loons – would have guessed it would throw a huge monkey wrench into humanity’s system. All the madness that seems the hallmark of the age is basically normality plus the accelerant of new technology. That is, of course, nothing new. Before mechanisation, 90 per cent of the population were farming on the land; technology changed that to only 0.5 per cent today. In comparison, digital rage holds nothing to former disruptions. The march of technological disruption is unstoppable, as one genii after another is released from the technological lamp, and markets love them. Meanwhile, in the short-term, US politicians have been fighting over their…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Electronic skin can self-heal after a cut, researchers find

    Soft electronics and robotic devices could , like human skin, recover autonomously from damage with a new design made by Stanford scientists. In its latest study, a research team described how they combined two dynamic polymers to achieve autonomous realignment in multilayered soft electronics. This could help devices recover from various forms of damage such as being hit by something or dropped to the ground.  Usually, these devices are  multilayered and embedded with conductive or dielectric materials to achieve functional properties while also maintaining the soft mechanical properties of the self-healing polymer matrix. Moreover, self-healing devices often require manual realignment of individual layers after damage to properly align different functional components within the polymer…

  • Scientists x-ray individual atom for the first time

    The breakthrough was achieved by a team from Ohio University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Illinois-Chicago and others, led by Ohio University professor of physics, and Argonne National Laboratory scientist, Saw Wai Hla. Since their discovery in 1895, X-rays have been used extensively, from medical examinations to airport security screenings. Even Nasa’s Curiosity rover uses X-rays to study the material composition of rocks on the surface of Mars. Over the years, the quantity of materials in a sample required for X-ray detection has been greatly reduced thanks to the development of synchrotron X-ray sources and new instruments. But up to now, the smallest amount that can be X-rayed is an attogram, which is about 10,000 atoms or more. This is because the X-ray signal…

  • Voluntary AI ethics code could come ‘within weeks’, EU chief says

    European Union (EU) tech chief Margrethe Vestager and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have said the two political forces are close to publishing a set of recommendations for the ethical development of AI technologies.  The politicians made the announcement on Wednesday (31 May), speaking at a meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council.  “We need accountable artificial intelligence," Vestager said. "Generative AI is a complete game changer.”  "We think it's really important that citizens can see that democracies can deliver," she added, hoping "to do that in the broadest possible circle – with our friends in Canada, in the UK, in Japan, in India, bringing as many onboard as possible." Vestager revealed the code could be published "within weeks", while the US Secretary of…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Biodegradable plastics shown to disrupt ocean life

    Each year, between 1.2 and 2.4 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans from rivers which can have a disruptive effect on marine ecosystems. This has led to intensive research for alternatives that decompose faster in nature. Bio-based polymers based on cane sugar are one such option. The most common bioplastic is poly-L-lactide, which is used in 3D printers, textiles, food packaging, disposable cutlery and other applications. But bioplastics also have a negative impact on biological life, with researchers finding that the behaviour of small perch exposed to bioplastics in fish food changed over a period of six months. They reacted far more when they met fellow perch than normal. In addition, there were signs of reduced movement, altered ability to form shoals and altered reaction…

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