• Electric eels spark development of flexible, implantable batteries

    Flexible, non-toxic hydrogel batteries could power soft, wearable and implantable electronics, according to a study. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have taken inspiration from the biology of electric fish, such as eels, to develop a hydrogel-based soft material capable of conducting electricity. Joseph Najem, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and corresponding author on the paper, said: “The electrocytes in electric eels are ultra-thin biological cells, capable of generating over 600 volts of electricity in a brief burst. These cells achieve very high-power densities, meaning they can produce a lot of power from small volumes.” The team’s approach involved layering multiple types of hydrogels – water-rich materials capable of conducting ions – in a specific pattern…

  • Waymo’s driverless robotaxis will hit London streets later this year

    Waymo, the self-driving taxi service owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, aims to operate a driverless robotaxi service in London as early as September. The firm, which operates in a number of US cities, has long held plans to launch a fully autonomous service in London. However, this is dependent on a number of safety and regulatory approvals. The government has said it intends to update regulations under the Automated Vehicles Act in the second half of 2026. The Act provides the legal framework for fully self-driving vehicles, setting out how they’re approved, regulated and held accountable. The planned updates will allow driverless services to operate legally on public roads provided they meet strict safety standards. During a launch event at the London Transport Museum this…

  • Computer chip shrunk into hair-thin flexible fibre for intelligent wearables

    A flexible chip as thin as a human hair could pave the way for a new generation of electronic wearable clothing, according to a new study. Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, have built complex electronic circuits inside thin, flexible fibres. When woven into fabric, these ‘fibre chips’ could process information and handle data to enable clothing to work like a computer. As the fibre chips are closed loops – containing power, sensors and processors in one string – they are able to function as independent intelligent systems without any external hardware. This could lead to a new generation of even smarter wearables for use in a range of applications such as health monitoring and interactive clothing. At 50 micrometres in diameter (the average human hair is around 70…

  • Pornhub to restrict access to UK users because of ‘failed’ Online Safety Act

    Pornhub has said it will block access to all UK users that haven’t already generated an account on 2 February due to the “failed” Online Safety Act (OSA). Online platforms were given until July last year to adhere to new age verification rules under the OSA or face the prospect of fines. But while many larger porn sites quickly implemented the system to stay compliant, lesser-known sites chose to flout the rules in order to capture internet traffic from users that did not want to sign up for an account. After the implication of the new rules, use of VPNs (virtual private networks) surged in the UK as they allow users to access the sites from other countries with less stringent regulations. Aylo, Pornhub’s parent company that also owns sites including RedTube, Tube8 and YouPorn, said it…

  • HS2 begins tunnelling to Euston after fears line would stop at Old Oak Common

    The first of two tunnelling machines has begun excavation works between Old Oak Common and Euston Station as part of HS2’s final 4.5-mile stretch into central London. The works mark a major milestone for the project after rumours swirled in recent years that HS2 would only reach Old Oak Common in west London due to the high cost of building the remaining few miles to Euston. Some estimates suggested that by not extending into central London, the overall economic benefits of HS2 could be halved in the long run. The Department for Transport (DfT) said that taking HS2 all the way to Euston was “essential to unlocking the project’s full economic potential” and was part of wider progress on the project, which included 23 miles of tunnels, 19 bridges and two viaducts along the rail line’s route…

  • Doomsday Clock ticks closer to midnight amid rising global risks

    Humanity is closer to catastrophe than ever amid rising nuclear tensions, AI risks, biological security concerns and the worsening climate crisis, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set the Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight, reflecting its assessment of how close humanity is to being annihilated by existential threats such as nuclear war, climate change, biotechnology risk, disruptive technologies such as AI and geopolitical conflicts. Midnight on the clock symbolises global human-made disaster if those threats aren’t addressed. As of January 2026, the clock is the closest it has ever been to the hour of doom. From the acceleration of a renewed nuclear arms race to the rise of nationalistic autocracies around the world, 2025…

  • AI-driven job losses hitting UK harder than other big economies

    The UK is losing more jobs to AI and at a faster rate than its international peers, according to research by Morgan Stanley. The US investment bank found that British companies have suffered net job losses of around 8% over the past year as a result of adopting AI. This is twice the international average and the highest rate among other leading economies including the US, Japan, Germany and Australia. The firms surveyed represent the five sectors thought to be most affected by AI adoption: consumer staples and retail, real estate, transport, healthcare equipment and automobiles. The UK firms reported that their AI investment has delivered productivity gains, with half of them seeing boosts of more than 11.5%. By contrast, despite US firms reporting similar productivity gains, AI adoption…

  • Nasa prepares for historic crewed Moon flyby ahead of February launch

    US space agency Nasa is preparing for its Artemis II mission, set to launch in early February 2026, which will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby before returning to Earth. The Artemis II mission, which is expected to last about 10 days, will mark the first time humans have travelled beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Artemis programme was formally established in 2017 and launched its first uncrewed mission in November 2022 using the long-delayed super heavy-lift launch rocket Space Launch System (SLS). Artemis II, the programme’s first crewed flight, was originally planned to take place in 2024, followed by a crewed landing on the Moon for Artemis III in 2025. However, in December 2024 the agency confirmed that it would target April 2026 for Artemis II and mid-2027…

  • TikTok faces California investigation over claims of suppressing anti-Trump content

    The US version of TikTok has been accused of suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump by governor of California Gavin Newsom just days after being acquired by a conglomerate of US companies. Writing on X, Newsom said: “It’s time to investigate. I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content.” In December, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance finally agreed to sell most of its US business to a group of investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX after originally being ordered to do so under a ruling from Joe Biden’s administration in 2024. The inclusion of Oracle in the deal has proven controversial given that the firm was founded by Larry Ellison, who has deep ties to the Trump administration. Trump has also praised…

  • UK and European ports team up to ship captured CO₂ to the North Sea

    Major UK and European ports will ship captured CO2 to permanent storage sites in the North Sea, helping to cut industrial emissions. New agreements will see LBC Tank Terminals, Associated British Ports (ABP), North Sea Port and Denmark’s Port of Esbjerg collaborate to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) terminals and a shipping corridor linking north-western Europe with the UK. The aim is to provide scalable solutions that help decarbonise heavy industry. Shipping is emerging as a key element of CO2 transport. According to S&P Global, shipping volumes of CO2 could reach tens to hundreds of millions of tonnes a year by 2050. Captured carbon from industrial processes is transported to a port where it is liquefied and stored in dedicated handling terminals. It is then shipped over long…

  • Levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ found to be declining in subarctic ocean

    North Atlantic pilot whales have been found to have 60% lower concentrations of PFAS (per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances) in their bodies following a phasing-out of some of the most commonly used chemicals. PFAS, often referred to as forever chemicals, were first produced at the end of World War II and can now be found in everything from furniture and cosmetics to food packaging, non-stick pans and clothing. But due to their widespread use, they can now be found in our water supplies, soil and food, making them a major concern for human and ecological health. Beginning in the early 2000s, some of the most common and well-studied PFAS were phased out through a combination of industry shifts and international regulations. Now, a new Harvard University study has found that since that phase…

  • New UK gigafactory roadmap sets out major recommendations to boost investment

    The UK Gigafactory Commission has published a report outlining recommendations to attract battery investment and strengthen domestic production, aiming to cut reliance on foreign supply chains. Currently, the UK only has one operational gigafactory – in Sunderland, run by Chinese-owned firm AESC since 2012 and supplying Nissan. Construction of a second gigafactory officially got under way in December 2024 and is located at the same site. The Agratas gigafactory in Somerset is also under development, with production expected by the end of the decade. There are proposals and planning for additional battery factories in the West Midlands, but none have yet begun formal construction. The Faraday Institution predicts the UK will need the equivalent of six gigafactories, each producing 20GWh…

  • Heathrow finally scraps 100ml liquid limit after £1bn scanner upgrade

    Heathrow has scrapped the 100ml limit for liquids in cabin bags after it completed upgrades to its security scanners. The airport has been trialling the technology since 2019 and said that at least 60% of bags rejected at security checkpoints were subjected to hand searches because passengers had failed to remove all liquids. It is now the world’s largest airport to fully roll out next-generation CT security scanners – a move that promises faster queues for the 84 million passengers that travel through it every year. The £1bn upgrade has seen passenger security lanes across all four of Heathrow’s terminals replaced with state-of-the-art CT scanners that can provide more detailed images of cabin baggage for security staff. All UK airports were originally required to install the new security…

  • Second high-tech entertainment Sphere coming to the US

    Entertainment and venue company Sphere Entertainment has announced plans to bring a smaller-scale version of its high-tech, immersive dome to the US East Coast. The original $2.3bn Sphere opened in 2023 just off the the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. This colossal entertainment venue features an LED exterior, or ‘Exosphere’, and a huge 14,900 square metre LED display inside, along with audiovisual technology and capacity for 20,000 people. The aim is to offer audiences a completely immersive experience using technology such as spatial sound, haptic seating and 4D effects. It has been used for concerts, films and other screenings including an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz that uses wind, scent, fog and interactive visuals to surround the audience. The new one planned for National Harbour…

  • UK warned to prepare for 2033 2G network shutdown

    UK mobile operators have been warned to prepare well in advance for the forthcoming shutdown of legacy 2G networks or risk leaving customers without access to vital services. As of December 2025, 19 countries worldwide had turned off all 2G services, with a slightly greater number removing 3G networks. Japan was the first country to do this, shutting down all 2G services as far back as 2012. But since 2021, other countries have followed suit including South Korea, Canada, Switzerland and the UAE. In the UK, the government issued a joint statement with operators in 2021 committing to shut down all 2G services by 2033 at the latest. Doing so should help to deliver cost savings as operators will not need to maintain old, outdated technology in the face of declining usage by customers. It will…

  • EDF seeks £800m investment to extend Sizewell B lifespan to 2055

    French energy giant EDF is petitioning the UK government to allow it continue operating the Sizewell B nuclear power plant for 20 years beyond its planned 2035 closure date. The proposal would see the government agree to an extension of the subsidy contract in order to unlock an additional £800m in investment. Efforts are under way to decarbonise the UK’s energy grid by 2030, and nuclear is expected to play a key part as one of the most consistent forms of low-carbon base load generation. But a new cohort of nuclear power stations using modern technology are not expected to come online until 2029 at the earliest in the case of Hinkley Point C, or in the latter half of the 2030s for Sizewell C. EDF said that a 20-year life extension for Sizewell B is both “technically feasible” and would…

  • Record wasted wind power in 2025 could have powered every home in London

    The amount of renewable electricity curtailed in Great Britain in 2025 would have been enough to meet the combined annual electricity demand of every household in London, according to a new report. The report from energy market analysis provider Montel EnAppSys, Curtailed Renewables in GB and Ireland, investigates and quantifies the volume of curtailed renewable power in both Great Britain and Ireland. It uncovers a growing disconnect between renewable generation and grid infrastructure capacity. The report reveals that over 12 Terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable power was curtailed in 2025. Of this, just over 10TWh was curtailed in Great Britain, representing a 22% increase from 2024. Over £1bn was spent on upward actions to replace lost wind generation, a 20% increase from the previous…

  • Nasa to send three payloads to Moon to study terrain, radiation and history

    US space agency Nasa has selected three new lunar science payloads to fly to the Moon as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Targeted for a lunar landing in 2028 at the earliest, the research payloads will provide new data on the Moon’s surface and interior to help enhance knowledge of the lunar environment and support future missions. The payloads will be delivered by US commercial space companies under the CLPS programme. This initiative helps Nasa work with industry to advance the Artemis programme’s goals of scientific discovery and future crewed lunar missions. Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in science mission directorate at Nasa, said: “With CLPS, Nasa has been taking a new approach to lunar science, relying on US industry…

  • £15bn warm homes plan promises ‘rooftop revolution’ but no gas boiler ban

    The government has unveiled a major package of loans and grants for renewable tech to cut household energy bills, but has stopped short of committing to a 2035 ban on new gas boilers. The long-awaited warm homes plan has been unveiled by the Labour government, which focuses on incentives to install green technology such as solar panels, heat pumps and batteries with no legally binding phase-out on gas boilers. Originally gas boilers were meant to be banned from 2035 but the warm homes plan makes no mention of this. Instead it focuses on various incentives to encourage households to install green technologies to help cut household energy bills. According to the government, the plan will help bring down the costs of home clean energy products. The hope is that by enabling homeowners to…

  • Deep-sea landers to probe mysterious source of ‘dark oxygen’

    Two landers capable of withstanding 1,200 times the pressure on the Earth’s surface will journey into the depths of the ocean later this year to gain a better understanding of the origin of ‘dark oxygen’. Almost all deep sea life needs oxygen to survive, but sunlight barely penetrates beyond 200 metres deep, which means photosynthesis cannot occur. Scientists previously believed that photosynthesis and oxygenation on the surface, coupled with swirling ocean currents, eventually transported oxygenated water into the depths. But a major recent theory postulates the existence of ‘dark oxygen’ after researchers discovered in 2024 that metallic nodules in the deep sea appeared to be producing the gas. These nodules, which contain highly sought-after metals, could clarify how animal life is distributed…

  • 1MW wave energy project in Portugal approved for construction

    A 1MW wave energy installation in Portugal is a step closer to construction after engineers confirmed the site’s favourable ocean conditions. Swedish renewable energy firm Eco Wave Power Global plans to build a 1MW wave energy station nown as ‘the Gallery’ at the Barra do Douro breakwater in the northern city of Porto. Mounting the firm’s onshore/near-shore wave energy converters on this existing breakwater structure, located beneath Porto’s protective sea wall, eliminates the need to build any additional offshore platforms. Eco Wave Power’s system works by capturing the motion of incoming waves and converting it into electricity. Key to the design are modular floaters, two to three metres long, that rise and fall as waves break against the breakwater, driving hydraulic pistons that power…

  • Plans to ease nuclear build rules could spell disaster for nature, says Wildlife Trusts

    Government plans to cut environmental protections in a bid to make it easier to build nuclear power plants is “misguided” and based on “misleading advice”, the Wildlife Trusts has said. Published in November 2025, the Nuclear Regulatory Review proposes a number of changes to the habitats regulations so that developers building nuclear plants would face less stringent requirements to avoid harming protected nature sites before they build. In theory, it would allow developers to proceed, even if there is potential harm to nearby habitats, by moving directly to off-site compensation or mitigation rather than blocks to their original proposals. But the Wildlife Trusts has said the rule changes would have “devastating consequences” for what remains of Britain’s natural landscape and warned…

  • Scottish distillery tests aluminium bottles as a lower-carbon alternative to glass

    A Scottish distillery is assessing the viability of offering its whisky in lightweight, recyclable aluminium packaging instead of glass. Stirling Distillery, a small distillery based in the Scottish town of Stirling, has teamed up with scientists at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University to test how its whisky behaves when stored in aluminium rather than traditional glass bottles. Aluminium bottles are light and thin while remaining strong, which would help cut down on shipping weight, transport costs and energy use. Compared to glass, it is also more readily and easily recyclable. Kathryn Holm, marketing director at Stirling Distillery, said: “Glass has long been central to whisky’s image; it’s weighty, and evokes the craftsmanship of the spirit. But it is also heavy to transport and relies…

  • Mercedes‑Benz unveils concept for exclusive real estate project in Dubai

    Dubai is set to see a 12‑skyscraper development added to its skyline following the announcement of the “world’s first” Mercedes‑Benz-branded masterplanned community. The project is a joint undertaking between Mercedes‑Benz Places, a branded real‑estate and lifestyle initiative from the German automaker, and Dubai‑based property developer Binghatti. Described as a “city within a city”, this huge project will span nearly 9 million square feet (836,000 square metres) and comprises more than 13,000 residences within 12 towers. Designed as a self-contained, integrated urban district, Mercedes‑Benz Places | Binghatti City aims to offer residents everything they need in one place, from residential towers and retail to leisure, parks, cultural spaces, wellness areas and pedestrian-friendly streets…

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