• Netherlands to block chip exports to China

    The Dutch government has said it will impose export restrictions on the “most advanced” semiconductor technology, revealing the first details of the deal that The Hague and Tokyo struck with the US in January to limit sales to China. Liesje Schreinemacher, Netherlands’ trade minister, wrote to parliament on Wednesday (8 March) outlining the new measures.  As a result, companies that want to export semiconductor technology to the Asian superpower will have to apply for licences. These “surgical” measures would only include very high-specification systems for advanced semiconductors, including some of the deep lithography (DUV) tools made by Dutch company ASML. The restrictions will start being enforced before the summer.  "The Netherlands considers it necessary on national security grounds…

  • North Sea flaring activity drops by half in four years

    Around one-fifth of emissions from North Sea oil and gas production activities come from flaring, a process used in fossil-fuel extraction which burns excess gases before they are discharged, resulting in CO2 emissions. Venting is the discharging of gases straight into the atmosphere without burning. Flaring and venting of gases are periodically required for safety and operational reasons, but more can be done to reduce the amount it happens by industry. The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said that the savings achieved in 2022 equates to the gas demands of approximately 80,000 UK homes. This followed four years of reductions driven by “tough measures” to make UK oil and gas production cleaner, such as an investigation into an oil and gas company last year for flaring and venting…

  • Energy-saving paint created, inspired by butterflies

    Debashis Chanda, a professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, drew his inspiration from butterflies to create the first environmentally friendly, large-scale and multicolour alternative to pigment-based colourants, which could contribute to energy-saving efforts and help reduce global warming. “The range of colours and hues in the natural world are astonishing — from colourful flowers, birds and butterflies to underwater creatures like fish and cephalopods,” Chanda said. “Structural colour serves as the primary colour-generating mechanism in several extremely vivid species where geometrical arrangement of typically two colourless materials produces all colours. On the other hand, with manmade pigment, new molecules are needed for every colour present.” Based on such bio-inspirations…

  • ‘Unprecedented’ rise in ocean plastics since 2005, study finds

    A global dataset of ocean plastic pollution between 1979 and 2019 has been collated by Marcus Eriksen and colleagues from non-profit group The 5 Gyres Institute. Improved understanding of plastic accumulation in the oceans to date could provide a “critical baseline” to help address this form of pollution, the researchers said. Previous studies have focused primarily on northern-hemisphere oceans near the world’s most industrialised nations, while other studies have found increases in ocean plastic over shorter time periods. In this study, the researchers looked at data on ocean-surface-level plastic pollution collected between 1979 and 2019 from 11,777 stations across six marine regions (North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian and Mediterranean). After accounting…

  • Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity

    The team for the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have produced an enzyme that captures hydrogen from the atmosphere to create an electrical current.  The researchers created the enzyme from common soil bacterium. It is able to use the low amounts of hydrogen present in the atmosphere, opening the way to create devices that literally make energy from thin air. "We've known for some time that bacteria can use the trace hydrogen in the air as a source of energy to help them grow and survive, including in Antarctic soils, volcanic craters and the deep ocean," said Professor Chris Greening, "but we didn't know how they did this, until now." Recent work by the team has shown that many bacteria use hydrogen from the atmosphere as an energy source in…

  • UK could save ‘billions’ with new data laws, government says

    Science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan will introduce the data law proposal to the House of Commons today. The legislation intends to reform the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with measures that would reduce costs and regulations for UK businesses while retaining the UK’s data adequacy agreement with the EU. The "common sense-led" reforms are expected to unlock £4.7bn in savings for the UK economy over the next 10 years, according to the government.  “Our system will be easier to understand, easier to comply with, and take advantage of the many opportunities of post-Brexit Britain," Donelan said. “Our new laws release British businesses from unnecessary red tape to unlock new discoveries, drive forward next-generation technologies, create…

  • Calls to launch social energy tariff for poorest households ramps up

    The call is backed by a coalition of consumer groups and energy bodies, including Martin Lewis and Energy UK. Citizens Advice said that targeted financial support in the form of a social tariff is the long-term solution to millions of people spending excessive amounts on their bills, both now and during what could be a decade of record prices. It wants to identify those most in need by combining HMRC data on household incomes and data from energy suppliers on how much electricity and gas they use. Based on analysis in the report, more than 12 million households on the lowest incomes would qualify for support, and the average qualifying household would see their energy bill reduced by £381 – with some getting up to £1,500. The call for a social tariff follows nine months of extensive…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Still no in-service date for Emergency Services Network

    The Emergency Services Network (ESN) is intended to replace Airwave, the system currently used by emergency services in Great Britain to communicate. All of the UK’s emergency services and over 300 public safety organisations communicate using Airwave and its coverage is superior to any of the publicly available networks. But it runs on a 2G connection, which limits its functionality. The 4G connection provided by ESN will allow for live video streaming from officers on the scene and quick transfer of data relevant to ongoing incidents. According to an NAO report, by March 2023, the Home Office will have spent just under £2bn on ESN, and a further £2.9bn to maintain Airwave. Eight years after proposals for ESN first emerged and having agreed Motorola will no longer work on the network…

  • Hands-on review: Char-Broil Smart-E electric barbecue

    You’ll love or loathe the idea of an electric barbecue. You get the push-button convenience and precise temperature control of an electric oven. But you literally lose the fire of BBQ cooking. If you have a weatherproof socket on the patio anyway, then the Smart-E will be an easy addition to your outdoor entertaining… and you need never buy fuel for it, just pay the electricity bill. It’s better for air quality then. And if you use a renewable electricity supplier, your barbecuing is carbon neutral too. The Char-Broil Smart-E arrived on a pallet in a huge box. It was a heavy, two-person lift. Unboxing is a big job too. The fact that everything arrived in perfect condition was impressive and a testament to the vast amount of packaging. Image credit: Char Broil …

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • China plans to form a national data bureau

    The bureau is expected to coordinate the sharing and development of the country's data resources, with the aim of fostering a digital economy.  The proposal has been introduced as part of a sweeping government reshuffle, and is set to be voted for at the National People's Congress during its annual session on Friday 13 March. The proposed bureau will be administrated by the state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission. It is expected to  collect all national, public data, in order to create a more streamlined approach to data governance and could further restrict private companies from collecting information. The new bureau could also have the power to investigate issues relating to the digital economy such as  algorithmic regulation , digital addiction and  cyber…

  • Innovative space exploration projects boosted by new funding

    The projects supported by the UK's Enabling Space Exploration fund c ould revolutionise the ability to journey deeper into space – including travel to Mars – safely and efficiently, the agency said.  They aim to use remote technologies and supplies found in space, to support long-term exploration missions.  One project is creating remote equipment which scientists can use to run experiments on biological models in deep space from Earth, with the goal of  designing medical treatments for astronauts. Other ventures include testing improved systems for recycling breathing gases while in space, and enhanced methods for extracting valuable resources, such as oxygen and metals, from Moon rock. Another one of the projects will look at new nuclear power processes for propulsion. “The concept…

  • Hands-on review: Honor Magic Vs foldable phone

    Samsung released the first prominent foldable device – the Galaxy Z Fold – in 2019 to a decidedly mixed reception marred by concerns over its longevity and an inbuilt screen protector that wasn’t clearly marked as non-removable. This year, the foldable market has attracted the likes of Oppo, Motorola, Xiaomi and Honor, who are all looking to dethrone Samsung. The Magic Vs is Honor’s second stab at such a device, featuring a slimmer frame than its predecessor and a lighter weight. Image credit: Jack Loughran During its reveal at MWC, Honor was keen point out how the two sides of the device’s inner screen meet seamlessly when closed, unlike the Galaxy Fold 4. Indeed, the Magic Vs feels solidly-built and you almost forget it is a foldable when using the outer…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • ‘Perfectly secure’ digital messaging hides sensitive data from prying eyes

    The method can be incorporated into social media and private messaging and could “empower” vulnerable groups, such as dissidents, investigative journalists and humanitarian aid workers, the researchers added. The algorithm applies to a setting called steganography which is the practice of hiding sensitive information inside innocuous content. Steganography differs from cryptography because the sensitive information is concealed in such a way that it obscures the fact that something has been hidden. An example could be hiding a Shakespeare poem inside an AI-generated image of a cat. Despite having been studied for more than 25 years, existing steganography approaches generally have imperfect security, meaning that individuals who use these methods risk being detected. This is because previous…

  • Forgotten funds worth £76m will be used to cover living and energy costs

    The government will use the Dormant Assets Scheme (DAS) to unlock money that cannot be reunited with its owners.  The cash will support people to get out of debt and assist social enterprises with innovative energy-saving solutions.  The DAS will initially release £76m tied up in forgotten bank and building society accounts. Later in the year, the government is expected to unlock an additional £738m from insurance, pensions, investment and wealth management products that have been left unclaimed. The funds will provide no-interest loans for 69,000 individuals struggling with finances via a £45m grant distributed by Fair4All Finance.  Another £31m will be distributed by social investors Access and Big Society Capital and distributed to hundreds of charities, with the goal of retrofitting…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Over 99 per cent of humans exposed to unsafe levels of PM2.5 air pollution

    A study at Monash University in Australia  found that only 0.18 per cent of the global land area and 0.001 per cent of the global population are exposed to levels of PM2.5 below that recommended by the Word Health Organization (WHO). Particles in the PM2.5 size range are able to travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs. Exposure to fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath. Studies also suggest that long term exposure to fine particulate matter may be associated with increased rates of chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function and increased mortality from lung cancer and heart disease. While daily levels have reduced in Europe and North America in the two…

  • Japan's H3 rocket self-destructs after failed launch

    Japan’s second attempt to launch its next-generation H3 rocket has failed, dealing a blow to the country’s space and national security programmes.  The ¥ 200bn (£1.2bn) rocket self-destructed under officials' orders after the vehicle’s second-stage engine failed to ignite moments after lift-off. The launch was meant to showcase  Japan’s first new rocket in more than 20 years. Powered by a new simpler and lower-cost engine that was partly 3D-printed, the H3 rocket had been hailed as a possible competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.  Video footage of the launch showed clouds of smoke billowing as the 57-metre (187 feet) rocket lifted off without a hitch from the Tanegashima spaceport. However seven minutes into the flight, launch commentators noted that the rocket's velocity was falling. Shortly…

  • Cheap charcoal filters could greatly improve in-car air quality

    In a report by WM Air, the West Midlands Air Quality Improvement Programme at the University of Birmingham, the research team demonstrated that charcoal filters, which typically cost around £10-£20, can effectively remove NO2 from the air within vehicle cabins. NO2 is a common air pollutant that can aggravate diseases such as asthma and increase the risks of respiratory infections. Traffic emissions are a dominant source of NO2, so road users inside vehicles are exposed as air circulates into vehicle cabins from outside through open windows and ventilation systems. While ventilation systems do currently filter air, this is typically via a pollen filter. These prevent tiny particles and pollen getting inside the vehicle, but they have little effect on gases such as NO2. The activated carbon…

  • View from India: Aqua Calling

    Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister (CM) of Karnataka, has announced to the media that the coastal region of the state in south-west India has the potential to be one of the top attractions of the country. The CM recently unveiled the Seven Wonders of Karnataka, organised by the Karnataka Tourism Department. Selected and shortlisted from 5,000 nominated places, the final list is: Hirebenakal Rock Tombs, Hampi, Gomateshwara, Gol Gumbaz, Mysore Palace, Jog Falls and Netrani Island. The seven places fall into categories like land, water, forests, mountains, vastu [principles of building design], science, history, tradition and heritage. The focus is on the marina. And why not, as the state has 350km of coastal area, 10 different weather zones, 400km of the Western Ghats, a rich biodiversity…

  • Hands-on review: Moog Moogerfooger audio plug-ins

    The original hardware Moogerfooger pedals were some of the last designs by Bob Moog himself, along with his engineering team, and were first released in the late 1990s through to the early 2000s. The Moogerfooger effects pedals drew on the same principles as the original Moog modular synthesisers that had made the company name famous worldwide in the preceding decades. The pedals were something of a response to the changing musical landscape of the times, with their classic guitar foot pedal housing and circuitry and behaviour adapted to process a wide range of signals and inputs, including guitar, bass, synth and voice.   Built to the same high standards as other Moog products, the pedals were brilliant and beautiful, but expensive to buy at the time – and that still hasn't changed today…

  • UK flood damages will rise dramatically if climate change pledges not met

    Researchers from the University of Bristol and water risk modelling firm Fathom used assessed future flood hazards, based on the most recent Met Office climate projections. Its findings show the forecasted annual increase in national direct flood losses, defined as physical damage to property and businesses, due to climate change in the UK can be kept below 5 per cent above recent historical levels. This scenario can only be achieved if all countries fulfil the climate pledges they signed up to at COP26 and that countries such the UK, which made further net-zero commitments, actually achieve these on time and in full. If these are not collectively met, the annual cost of flooding in the UK over the next century could grow by between 13 and 23 per cent, depending on different levels of…

  • View from Brussels: Brakes on EU engine ban

    “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” can now be misattributed to the internal combustion engine as well as Mark Twain after the events of last week, following a particularly underhanded u-turn by Berlin and Rome. Last year, the European Parliament and Council of the 27 EU member countries agreed on new engine standards that will gradually decarbonise the car sector and eventually lead to a de facto ban on petrol and diesel engines in 2035. It took a lot of negotiating but the deal was eventually struck behind closed doors, aided in no small part by several of the industry’s biggest players like Volkwagen, Volvo and General Motors, among others, saying that they are already planning to stop making new ICEs. In Brussels, new rules are generally set using the following process…

  • Indonesia to incentivise EV sales

    The incentive programme will cover sales of 200,000 electric motorcycles and 35,900 electric cars, said industry minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. It will also cover the conversion of 50,000 combustion engine motorcycles. The incentives will start from March 20 2023, aiming to attract investment from industry giants such as Tesla, senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan said. The two ministers did not disclose the budget set aside for the programme, but said 7 million rupiah (£379.31) will be disbursed to producers and retailers for each new motorcycle sold and for each converted into an electric bike. "We are finalising negotiations with two big global car producers," Pandjaitan said, without revealing the names of the carmarkers. "We hope this new policy will make our position much…

  • Solar roofs harness sunlight to power crop growth in greenhouses

    The emerging field of agrivoltaics tries to make use of the same tracts of land for both solar power generation and agriculture simultaneously. Researchers from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering in Los Angeles have been augmenting semi-transparent organic solar cells with a layer of a naturally occurring chemical called L-glutathione to extend the solar cells’ lifetime. Organic solar cells typically have a much shorter lifespan than traditional technologies, as they rely upon carbon-based materials which degrade over time when exposed to sunlight. The chemical addition was found to not only extend the lifetime of the cells but also improve their efficiency, while still allowing adequate sunlight to reach plants in a greenhouse prototype about the size of a small dolls house. …

  • UK ‘science superpower’ ambition supported by £360m fund

    The government has launched its plan to cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030.  The new ‘ Science and Technology Framework ’ is the first major piece of work from the newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Its goal is to "challenge every part of the government to better put the UK at the forefront of global science and technology this decade".  The new plan is backed by an initial set of projects, including a £250m investment in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology and engineering biology, as well as the publication of a new review of UK research by Sir Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute. The government also pledged to ensure that researchers have access to the “best physical and digital infrastructure…

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