• Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcy

    The California-based company lodged a filing with the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware as it seeks a sale of the remaining business. The chapter under which it filed – Chapter 11 – generally allows for the reorganisation of a struggling company, aimed at keeping the business alive and paying creditors over time. Virgin Orbit has been facing financial difficulties since its rocket failed to complete the first satellite launch from UK soil in January. Last week, the company fired 85 per cent of its workforce and paused all its operations .  “While we have taken great efforts to address our financial position and secure additional financing, we ultimately must do what is best for the business," Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit's chief executive, said while announcing the news.  …

  • Nasa names diverse crew for Artemis II Moon mission

    The US space agency Nasa has named the four astronauts who will take humanity back to the Moon, including the first woman and the first person of colour to be assigned to a lunar mission.  The astronauts won't land on the Moon. Instead, they will take Nasa's Orion capsule on a 10-day journey around the Earth's only natural satellite, to test the spaceship's life-support systems. If successful, the mission could pave the way for a new Moon landing, as well as future exploratory missions to Mars, as part of Nasa's Artemis programme.  “The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars," said Nasa administrator Bill Nelson. "This is their crew; this is our crew; this is humanity's crew.”  The members of the crew are Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman…

  • Australia bans TikTok from government devices

    After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, the attorney-general Mark Dreyfus mandated a ban on the app on government devices that will be instituted “as soon as practicable”. It said exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis with appropriate security mitigations in place. Australia is part of the 'Five Eyes' intelligence-sharing group, which also includes the US, Canada, Britain and New Zealand. The UK government imposed a similar ban on the social media platform last month after the app came under increasing scrutiny over its handling of user data. Several public administrations raised concerns over the possibility that TikTok's owners ByteDance will be asked to share its data with the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests. …

  • Volcanic eruption predictions improved using 3D-printed camera

    Gas emissions represent the amount of activity occurring beneath the surface of a volcano. Measuring these emissions lets researchers observe what can’t be seen from the surface. This knowledge is vital for hazard monitoring and the prediction of future eruptions. Since the mid-2000s, ultraviolet SO2 cameras have become important tools to measure emissions. However, these cameras typically cost upwards of $20,000 - meaning very few are installed permanently - and need to be continuously manned to harvest the data effectively. To get better long-term monitoring data, an international team of researchers has developed an SO2 camera to continually measure emission rates from volcanoes. “Our instrument uses a sensor not dissimilar to smartphone camera sensors. It is modified to make it…

  • British researchers develop technology that could prevent future pandemics

    A team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute is developing a new method for monitoring genetic changes in respiratory viruses as they circulate throughout the world. The p roject is working to roll out cheap, easy-to-use technology across the globe to spot the emergence of any new health threats and prevent large-scale crises similar to Covid-19. The system aims to pinpoint dangerous new variants as they emerge, allowing scientists to keep track of the evolution of a virus.  The technology will monitor a wide range of viruses including influenza viruses, coronaviruses and respiratory syncytial viruses, the researchers said. “Britain was at the leading edge of the genomic surveillance of Covid-19 and was responsible for about 20 per cent of all the Sars-CoV-2 genomes that were sequenced across…

  • Ozone-destroying chemical emissions on the rise, scientists discover

    The rise has been attributed to an increase in the use of the chemicals, known as chlorofluorocarbons (aka CFCs), that are used to make other ozone-friendly alternatives to CFCs. Prior to their ban, the chemicals were used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays; blowing agents for foams and packing materials; as solvents, and as refrigerants. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty signed in 1987 designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for its depletion. It includes an exception that continues to allow the use of the CFCs when used to create alternative chemicals. Dr Luke Western, lead author on the study, said: “We’re paying attention to these emissions now because of the success of the Montreal Protocol. CFC…

  • China opens probe into US chipmaker Micron

    China's cyber-space regulator has announced it will conduct a cyber-security review of products sold in the country by US-based Micron Technology, in what has been perceived as a retaliatory measure against US trade restrictions.  According to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the decision is aimed at protecting the security of the supply chain for critical information infrastructure, preventing hidden risks and safeguarding national security.  The agency specifically cited “security risks caused by hidden product problems” in chips sold by Micron in China as a cause for concern. The company has responded by saying it is collaborating with the investigation.  “Micron is committed to conducting all business with uncompromising integrity and we stand by the security of our…

  • Italy blocks ChatGPT over privacy concerns

    Italy has announced it will temporarily block OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT from processing Italian users' data until the company "respects privacy".  The Italian Data Protection Authority, also known as Garante, said it was investigating potential breaches of the EU's data protection regulation by the popular AI chatbot. Garante accused the company o f failing to check that its users were aged 13 and above. It argued that this “exposes children to receiving responses that are absolutely inappropriate to their age and awareness.”  The Italian watchdog also stated ChatGPT has an "absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data" to "train" the chatbot.  In response, US-based OpenAI has disabled ChatGPT for Italian users. The company also stated…

  • E-scooters face Paris ban after public referendum

    Over 100,000 of the city’s residents voted, with 89 per cent of them choosing to end services that rent e-scooters. However, while the tally looks definitive, with over 1.3 million people registered on the electoral lists, participation in the vote represents just seven per cent of those who were eligible. E-scooters have been available to rent in the capital since 2018, although the number of operators were reduced to just three in 2020 following complaints – Lime, Dott, and Tier. Easy to access via an app and found all over central Paris, e-scooters proved popular with tourists wanting to quickly navigate the city for a relatively low cost. In the five years since their introduction, following in the wake of shared cars and shared bicycles, for-hire scooters have also built a following…

  • Shapes of things to come: Nvidia's foray into litho bolsters curvy chip designs

    There are times when I watch a presentation and wonder if I’ve travelled back in time. Though the keynote at Nvidia’s Spring GTC was, as at the prior events, relentlessly focused on AI and the reformulation of virtual reality as the metaverse, that is pretty much par for the course for Silicon Valley conglomerates right now.   The bit that felt like falling through a hole in time to 2010 was around Nvidia’s foray into software for chipmakers. The cuLitho library, similar to the those the company has released for AI, graphics and simulation, is meant to underpin software that tweaks shapes on the masks used to help form nanometre-scale features on the surface of a chip. According to Nvidia, using GPUs will speed up this process by orders of magnitude. However, things have been that way for…

  • View from India: Hunt for solutions to save the tiger

    An ongoing scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Project Tiger is India’s commitment towards saving the wildlife and restoring the population of tigers. Tigers need to be protected. Not simply because they are majestic or have an arresting gaze, or that they are a photographer’s delight, or that they are a symbol of might and power. They are essential for maintaining the ecology of the entire forest-wetland ecosystem. If tigers became extinct, the forest ecosystem could be badly damaged. Forests are important water-catchment areas. A dwindling tiger population could negatively impact trees and plant species. A concern for forest loss along with improper pollination, lack of temperature regulation and sparse rainfall led to the initiation of Project Tiger…

  • ‘Flattest’ explosion ever seen in space surprises scientists

    An explosion the size of our solar system has shocked scientists at the University of Sheffield, due to its unusually flat shape. The explosion was an extremely rare Fast Blue Optical Transient (FBOT), a type of explosion that was first discovered in 2018 and given the nickname 'the cow'. To date, only four explosions of this class have ever been detected, and its causes are currently unknown.  Explosions are almost always spherical, just like the stars themselves. However, a few days after its discovery, this particular explosion took the shape of a flat disk. It was observed 180 million lightyears away and it has been described as the "flattest" explosion ever detected.  “Very little is known about FBOT explosions – they just don’t behave like exploding stars should, they are too bright…

  • EU countries agree to double renewable energy targets

    The 27 nations that form the EU have reached a deal to almost double the share of energy originated by renewable technologies in the next seven years.  With this agreement, the EU aims to "fast-track the deployment of renewable energies" as part of the EU's plan "to become independent from Russian fossil fuels, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine", according to a statement from the Council of the EU.  Following overnight negotiations, the negotiators of the European Parliament and Council agreed that the share of renewable energy in the EU's overall energy consumption will need to be 42.5 per cent by 2030 with an additional "aspirational" 2.5 per cent top-up.  The target set in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED)  is below the 45 per cent requested by MEPs but above member states' preferred…

  • Ford scales back driverless ambitions to focus on ‘nearer-term’ technologies

    In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford Motor Co said it was withdrawing its petition to get its driverless technology approved for the roads. In October last year it was announced that Argo AI, an autonomous vehicle start-up that launched in 2017, was shutting down and being absorbed into its two main backers who were Ford and VW. “As evidenced by the planned shutdown of our ADS partner Argo AI, we believe the road to fully autonomous vehicles, at scale, with a profitable business model, will be a long one,” Ford said in the letter. “At this time, Ford has determined that it is more prudent to focus on nearer-term L2/L3 technologies, which do not require an exemption. “Hence, we would like to withdraw the subject petition for an exemption…

  • Midjourney AI pauses free trials over ‘abuse’ of service

    Research laboratory Midjourney has paused free trials of its image-generation software until a new version of the system can be deployed.  "Due to a combination of extraordinary demand and trial abuse we are temporarily disabling free trials until we have our next improvements to the system deployed," Midjourney founder David Holz said in a post this week on the company's Discord channel, as reported by The Washington Post.  The decision was initially believed to be caused by the popularity of deepfake images created with the tool in the last few weeks, including pictures showing former US President Donald Trump getting arrested, Elon Musk walking with congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket. Paid-for accounts are still able to use the service,…

  • Virgin Orbit lays off most of its staff ahead of last-ditch buyout talks

    According to the Financial Times, Branson has injected just under £9m to cover the severance costs of letting go of 675 staff, leaving just 100 employees remaining to keep the company going on a skeleton crew. The move comes only weeks after the firm was reported to be seeking a potential buyout from outside investors. In December, Virgin Orbit was awarded a licence by the Civil Aviation Authority to operate the UK’s first space launch from Spaceport Cornwall at Cornwall Airport Newquay. But the following month’s launch failed spectacularly due to a dislodged fuel filter that caused the engine to overheat. The Start Me Up mission had been hailed as “historic”, and was set to open the door for satellite launches in the UK. Satellite industry representatives subsequently told MPs that…

  • Carmakers boost output as semiconductor shortage eases

    According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), factories made an additional 8,050 cars year-on-year during the month after two years of difficulty acquiring enough semiconductors. The chip shortage was largely caused by Covid-related supply chain disruptions and the increase in demand that followed the move to remote working. The ongoing trade war between the US and China also played a role in restricting supply. Last year, US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo warned that the sector would continue to struggle to meet demand through 2023. The SMMT report also showed that sales of hybrid and battery electric vehicles continued to increase, up 72.2 per cent year-on-year, accounting for two in five cars produced in the month. A survey of the body’s members showed that…

  • Company prepares world's first artificial meteor shower

    The project, named Sky Canvas, aims to study the path and light emission of shooting stars to help scientists develop better weather models.  ALE had originally scheduled the launch for 2020, but it was forced to cancel the firework show after detecting a malfunction in one of the satellites.  The company has now announced the meteor shower will take place  in 2025, when “ALE hopes to give Brits and others all over the world the opportunity to view the world’s first live human-made meteor shower”. Artificial meteor shower over Shangai/ Astro Live Experiences Image credit: Astro Live Experiences Meteor showers occur when dust from space objects – such as asteroids and comets – enter the Earth’s atmosphere and heat up due to friction from the air. The heat causes…

  • UK unveils multi-million green energy scheme

    The UK has presented a new, more detailed plan for investing in affordable, clean, homegrown power to mark what has been informally dubbed 'Green Day'.  The government was required to present one such scheme after a court ruling found that the country's net-zero strategy is "unlawful", as it failed to show how the policies included in the plan would contribute to achieving the legally-binding 2050 emissions targets.  Nonetheless, the government has aimed to downplay the "green" aspect of the strategy, preferring to centre the focus on energy security.   "We are stepping up to power Britain and ensure our energy security in the long term with more affordable, clean energy from Britain, so we can drive down energy prices and grow our economy," said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. "That’s…

  • Qantas and Airbus to fund biofuel refinery to reduce emissions

    SAFs are typically derived by combining jet fuel with alternatives such as biofuels or recycled oils from industrial food facilities to cut the carbon impact of flying. The money for the new project will be used to conduct a detailed feasibility study into a facility that will use alcohol-to-jet technology to produce up to 100 million litres of SAF per year. Qantas and Airbus have previously committed to investing up to $200m to accelerate the establishment of a SAF industry in Australia. Construction on the facility is expected to begin in 2024 and it will be the first project funded under the partnership. Qantas Group chief sustainability officer Andrew Parker said the early project funding was an important first step towards building a domestic SAF industry, which will power flights…

  • Rural businesses struggle with local infrastructure, transport and skills

    According to a survey of more than 900 SMEs from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), 27 per cent expect their turnover to decrease over the next year, while only 30 per cent plan to increase investment in technology and R&D Almost two in three (64 per cent) believe they don’t have access to sufficient skilled labour in their local area while 58 per cent feel let down by their local transport services. The BCC said these factors are “entrenching” a rural-urban divide among UK SMEs. When assessing the suitability of local infrastructure, the rural-urban divide was particularly notable in public transport. Well over half (58 per cent) of SMEs in rural areas do not believe their area has reliable and well-connected trains, compared with just 39 per cent in urban areas. Rail network…

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  • Experts call for a pause on ‘out-of-control’ AI race

    Over 1,300 people, including several notable technology experts, have asked AI labs to pause all large-scale AI experiments for at least six months, in an open letter issued by the Future of Life Institute.  The letter stresses that AI labs are currently locked in an “out-of-control race” to develop and deploy machine-learning systems “that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control.” Notable signatories include Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque, politician Andrew Yang and DeepMind researchers Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell.  "Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable…

  • AI could affect around 300 million jobs, study finds

    Generative artificial intelligence tools (AI) could replace a quarter of work tasks in the US and Europe, according to a report by the investment bank. However, the researchers have also predicted that new technologies would bring in new jobs and a productivity boom that could eventually increase the total annual value of goods and services produced globally by 7 per cent. The report describes g enerative AI's ability to create content indistinguishable from human work - as platforms like ChatGPT can do - as "a major advancement".  "If generative AI delivers on its promised capabilities, the labour market could face significant disruption," the report said.  In the United States and Europe, approximately two-thirds of current jobs “are exposed to some degree of AI automation,” the bank…

  • New regulations will ensure AI is developed ‘safely’, government says

    The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the plan has been designed to help the UK capitalise on the economic benefits of AI, which already contributes £3.7bn to the economy. Five principles, including safety, transparency and fairness, will guide the use of AI as part of a new national blueprint to be adopted by regulators. However, DSIT also said it wanted to avoid heavy-handed legislation that could “stifle innovation”. Advances such as the ChatGPT app could improve productivity and help unlock growth, but there are concerns about the risks it could pose to people’s privacy, human rights or safety, the government said. Britain is currently home to twice as many companies providing AI products and services as any other European country, and hundreds more are…

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