• Scientists warn against using drone footage for environment monitoring

    Relying on drone imagery to measure surface movement over time could result in significant deformation of maps used for environmental research, a study has found.  Natural heritage studies often leverage drone imagery and photogrammetric techniques in order to map and monitor geomorphological objects. Some of the characteristics that make this technology so popular are the affordability of the drones, as well as the ease with which these images can be used to generate 3D models of large areas of terrain.  However, scientists from the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), in Spain have found that variations in the lens profiles of images taken by low-cost drones could have a significant influence on the deformations quantified, thereby affecting analyses of…

  • Why every engineer should be a mentor

    One of the greatest issues facing women who have the talent, ambition and skills to be top engineers is that they simply don’t believe they can be.  According to EngineeringUK , only 60 per cent of girls aged between 11 and 14 think they could become an engineer if they wanted to, compared to 72 per cent of boys. This drops to 53 per cent in the 16-19 age range, where only a quarter of girls say they would ever consider a career in engineering. There are similar issues for all under-represented groups in the sector. If people don’t have the advice, support and role models they need to encourage them into engineering, they are less likely to consider it a viable option. And while these are in part societal issues, there is more the sector can do to make itself accessible to all. Mentoring…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Letters to the editor: volume 17, issue 8

    Power disruption ‘is the result of self-inflicted policies’ I am amazed at the lack of concern over the future of UK electricity supply following the reality check caused by the Ukraine conflict. The hike in electricity prices was predictable, as with gas having a regional market the only alternative option for the UK would have been coal for generating electricity. Not only did the UK retire its coal portfolio prematurely, unlike Germany, but the state also failed to increase its gas storage and deliberately prevented the hydraulic fracturing of indigenous gas through regulation. Political ineptitude is not new – the mid-1970s shutdown of a nuclear option prevented any future indigenous capability. Only after 2008 was this intent reversed with a devastating failure to promote an intended…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • UK faces ‘tight’ energy supplies this winter, grid operator warns

    In a report forecasting electricity availability this winter, the body said it expects system margins to be broadly in line with recent winters and there will be sufficient available capacity to meet demand. But it added: “Our operational modelling indicates that there could be some tight periods this winter, which are most likely to occur in the first half of December.” There are various uncertainties this winter as a direct result of possible shortfalls in Europe’s gas supply – partly driven by the turmoil around securing energy supplies from Russia. Earlier this week, the Russian state-run energy firm Gazprom reduced flows through the key Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to around 20 per cent of its capacity leading to concerns about energy security on the continent as demand rises heading…

  • Covid-19 vaccine patch more effective against Omicron than injection

    The team tested a high-density microarray patch developed by biotechnology company Vaxxas and found that - when tested in mice - it was more effective at neutralising Covid-19 variants than injections. “The high-density microarray patch is a vaccine delivery platform that precisely delivers the vaccine into the layers of the skin which are rich in immune cells,” said UQ’s Dr Christopher McMillan. “We found that vaccination via a patch was approximately 11 times more effective at combatting the Omicron variant when compared with the same vaccine administered via a needle. “So far, every vaccine type we have tested through the patch, including subunit, DNA, inactivated virus and conjugate produces superior immune responses compared to traditional needle vaccination methods.” Currently…

  • Sponsored: Making critical power distribution safer, more reliable and more sustainable

    Yet, most organisations are still not taking advantage of these latest advances in power distribution connectivity and intelligence, some of which may already be in place in their facilities. Without this crucial last step, facility teams are working blind, unaware of many hidden risks and opportunities. You will learn: The importance of digitalising the electrical power distribution infrastructure through an easily understood comparison The different devices, communications, and architectures that make a digitalised power distribution system possible About specific applications that can provide valuable outcomes like enhanced electrical safety, improved power availability and reliability, optimised efficiency, and simplified compliance Download free whitepaper

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    E+T Magazine

  • South Australia battery to deliver world-first inertia services

    The Hornsdale Power Reserve big battery developed by Neoen Australia is expected to become the first big battery in the world to deliver grid-scale inertia services, using Tesla’s Virtual Machine Mode technology. The 150MW/193.5MWh facility has recently received the go-ahead from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), allowing it to provide this innovative service to the National Electricity Market (NEM) in South Australia. System inertia is a form of energy stored in e lectricity-producing generators comprised of spinning parts, which rotate at the right frequency to balance supply and demand, spinning faster or slower as needed.  Although system inertia is key to the stability of grids, as it caters for these supply and demand imbalances, in recent years it has become increasingly…

  • Linux malware rapidly rising as hackers target enterprise

    Until recently, cyber criminals have largely ignored Linux compared to other more popular operating systems. However, the most recent data shows that cyber attack trends are shifting. According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team, based on AV-ATLAS.org statistics, the numbers of new Linux malware reached record highs in the first half of 2022, with nearly 1.7 million samples discovered. Compared to the same period in 2021, new Linux malware numbers have soared by an astonishing 650 per cent. The cumulative number of new Linux malware samples in H1 2022 alone was 31 per cent higher than the number of such samples in the whole year of 2021. The first half of 2022 saw more new Linux malware samples than any other year since 2008.   Image credit: Atlas VPN …

  • AI equals experts in lung disease diagnosis

    The AI model developed at Nagoya University makes its  diagnosis based only on information from non-invasive examinations, including lung images and medical information collected during daily medical care.   Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a potentially fatal disease that can scar a person’s lungs, is famously difficult to diagnose, particularly in the early stages.  This AI model, developed in collaboration with RIKEN and Tosei General Hospital, was able to analyse data from the hospital's patients and diagnose the disease with a similar level of accuracy to that of a human specialist, which doctors often have to consult when dealing with pulmonary fibrosis.  “Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has a very poor prognosis among lung diseases,” said Taiki Furukawa, assistant professor of the…

  • Saudi Arabia unveils The Line, a carbon-neutral ‘city of the future’

    A year and a half after the initial announcement of Saudi Arabia's plans to build a linear megacity in the heart of the desert, the country's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has revealed the first artist impressions of how The Line might look. The impactful images show a city made from two single parallel structures stretching over 170km (105 miles) and connecting the country's west and east coast.  Each of the two skyscrapers will be 500m (1,640 feet) tall - higher than the Empire State Building - and the whole complex will only be 200m (656 feet) wide.  The vertical design of The Line means that the city is expected to accommodate nine million people, while only using an area of 13 square miles (34sq/km).   "The designs revealed today for the city's vertically layered communities…

  • Air pollution likely to exacerbate dementia risk, meta-study finds

    The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (CMEAP) reviewed nearly 70 studies in human populations which have examined the possible link between air pollutants and effects on mental ability and dementia. It found that the studies show “it is likely” that air pollution can contribute to a decline in mental ability and dementia in older people. It is already known that air pollution, particularly small particle pollution, can affect the heart and the circulatory system, including circulation to the brain. These effects are linked to a form of dementia caused by damage to the blood vessels in the brain. Experimental studies suggest that air pollution might also stimulate the immune cells in the brain, which can then damage nerve cells. It is not clear whether this effect is…

  • Is unconscious bias behind our ‘uncanny valley’ fears?

    The concept of the ‘uncanny valley’ was first introduced more than 50 years ago by robotics professor Masahiro Mori to describe the hypothetical relation between an object’s human-likeness and people’s emotional response to it. In the decades since the emergence of this concept, robotics has made giant leaps in anthropomorphism and natural language processing, leading to the creation of social robots that are increasingly similar to humans in both appearance and intelligence. As society at large prepares to overcome unprecedented challenges, from the burnout of healthcare workers to the necessity to assist an ageing global population, help from social robots could be a blessing. In particular, humanoid robots have proved to be very effective in socially engaging people, which makes them a…

  • Why all roads lead to a tax on EVs

    The government is facing increasing pressure to look seriously at a way of taxing motorists who drive EVs, with the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles otherwise set to leave the Treasury with a £35bn fiscal black hole. Speaking in front of MPs in the Commons Liaison Select Committee, outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson recently accepted that it was “certainly the case that we will need a substitute for fuel duty”. The need is clear: combined with vehicle excise duty (VED), the two taxes amount to 7 per cent of the exchequer’s annual take, although Number 10 has been accused of blocking the Treasury from setting up a working body to investigate the issue.  Road pricing is not a new concept and it has always proved a difficult political sale. “The government doesn…

  • US Senate advances sweeping semiconductor bill

    The US took a key step towards reducing reliance on Chinese exports with the advancement of a key bill aimed at boosting the country's chip production.  The legislation is expected to provide $52bn (£43bn) in incentives for the domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, as well as related research and development projects. It would also provide an investment tax credit for chip plants estimated to be worth $24bn (£19.8bn). The bill could become law as early as the end of the week, once it obtains final approvals from the Senate and the House of Commons. The proposed legislation has been praised, not only in terms of economic growth and the trade war with China, but also within the framework of national security. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called it "one of the most consequential…

  • Gadgets: Acer ConceptD7 SpatialLabs Edition, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Freestyle and more

    Acer ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition Pricey, but this is no ordinary laptop. It features Acer’s new glasses-free 3D screen technology. This combines lenticular lenses (like a funny birthday card with a chihuahua on) with a pair of cameras that track your eyes, to deliver them the perfect 3D image. It’s powerful enough to render 3D in real time too, unlocking a new experience for designers. £3,499.99 acer.com Read Caramel’s full hands-on review. Kelda BubbleSpa This unique shower tech has to be seen, hence the video. 16 microprocessor-controlled nozzles create 20mm air-filled water droplets that fall softly on the body. Kelda calls this BubbleTapping shower therapy. Magical and the rhythmic tapping feels a lot like a traditional Swedish massage.

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    E+T Magazine

  • Russia reveals plans to withdraw from International Space Station

    Following China's example, Russia is planning on building its own orbital outpost once its commitments with the International Space Station (ISS) have been fulfilled.  "Of course, we will fulfil all our obligations to our partners but the decision to leave this station after 2024 has been made," Yuri Borisov, leader of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  “I think that by that time we will start forming a Russian orbiting station,” he added.  Although expected, t he announcement throws into question the future of the 24-year-old space station, with experts saying it would be extremely difficult, and even a “nightmare”, to maintain the orbiting post without Russia's involvement.  The ISS has for many years symbolised international…

  • ‘Sweater weather’ Moon caves could prove habitable for humans

    The research team, led by planetary scientists at t he University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) , has discovered shady locations within pits on the Moon that always hover around a comfortable 63°F (17°C). The pits, and caves to which they may lead, would make safer, more thermally stable base camps for lunar exploration and long-term habitation than the rest of the Moon’s surface, which heats up to 260°F (127°C) during the day and drops to 280°F below zero (-173°C) at night. Pits were first discovered on the Moon in 2009 and since then scientists have wondered if they led to caves that could be explored or used as shelters. About 16 of the more than 200 pits are probably collapsed lava tubes, said Tyler Horvath, a UCLA doctoral student in planetary science, who led the new research…

  • Early investment could see UK’s carbon capture sector worth £100bn by 2050

    With the UK estimated to have enough capacity to hold two centuries’ worth of emissions, the report calls for swift action to make sure government’s net zero drive benefits UK jobs and economy. It also finds that supply chain companies in the UK offshore oil and gas sector are in a “prime position” to win CCS work, but only if urgent action is taken to foster a domestic industry. CCS has been recognised as a critical technology to help energy-intensive sectors, such as cement and power generation, meet their net zero goals. The UK’s Net Zero Strategy estimates that around 50m tonnes a year will need to be captured by 2035. The report, commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), finds that offshore oil and gas supply chain companies already have…

  • MPs call for ‘reassessment’ of £96bn plan for northern rail infrastructure

    The IRP is designed to deliver and sequence major rail investment in the North and Midlands that will see various upgrades,  including electrification of some key lines . However, a report from the Transport Committee has found that the plan has not properly tested alternative options for transforming stations and city centres in key Northern cities. It accuses the Department for Transport of leaving out key elements of analysis of the wider economic impacts of the different options which means that value for money and economic return cannot be properly considered. The Committee wants a full analysis of the wider economic impacts and a benefit-cost ratio, for the different Northern Powerhouse Rail options. If the results demonstrate that other options offer better value and outcomes…

  • Researchers turn recycled CDs into flexible biosensors

    Matthew Brown, assistant professor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and his team have shown how they have separated a gold CD’s thin metallic layer from the rigid plastic and fashioned it into sensors to monitor electrical activity in human hearts and muscles as well as lactate, glucose, pH and oxygen levels. Such sensors can communicate with a smartphone via Bluetooth, according to the research team. Experts can complete the fabrication in 20 to 30 minutes without releasing toxic chemicals or needing expensive equipment, and it costs about $1.50 per device. “This sustainable approach for upcycling electronic waste provides a helpful research-based waste stream that does not require innovative microfabrication facilities…

  • Legal bumps in the road to greener European transport

    The European Commission is seeking to have at least 30 million electric vehicles (EVs) on EU roads by 2030 – an enormous increase from the estimated 1.4 million in circulation within the bloc today. Reaching this goal demands regulations to steer states, companies and consumers in the right direction. But while demand for EVs and other types of cleaner mobility are surging, regulation presents obstacles as well as conduits to the roll-out of cleaner mobility in Europe, and stakeholders will need to address four significant legal bumps in the road to achieving greener transport. Emerging contractual and liability issues It is becoming increasingly clear that long-term, standard contracts between landowners/site operators and EV charging-point operators (CPOs) are often unsuitable for the…

  • Net-zero aviation still contributes to global warming, according to research

    Efforts to make flying greener mostly count carbon dioxide emissions only, an approach that might ignore 90 per cent of future flights’ contribution to climate change accounting to new findings.  The research, published in Nature  just days after the UK government announced its target of reducing carbon emissions from flights to net zero by 2050, warns that many strategies devised to decarbonise the aviation sector have significant blind spots.  Currently, the only emissions counted by international and most national efforts to decarbonise aviation are those related to the use of jet fuel. In doing so, these standards fail to account for soot, aerosols and water vapour released by aircraft engines. Nicoletta Brazzola's team  at ETH Zurich in Switzerland found that, despite these net-zero…

  • Streaming music services now represent 80 per cent of all listening

    In a new report, the body said that streaming has transformed the music industry and was largely delivering “good outcomes” for consumers. However, it warned that market changes could harm consumer interests, for example if the balance of power changed and labels and streaming services began to make sustained and substantial excess profits. Recorded music revenues reached £1.1bn in 2021 despite fixed monthly subscription fees that have been falling in real terms. Access to a wide range of music from all eras also means that older songs can more easily get a new lease of life and find new audiences. Some 86 per cent of streams in 2021 were for music over a year old. The report also found that digitisation has made it easier than ever for many more artists to record and share music and…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Death by space debris now a real possibility, scientists say

    As space travel becomes more and more commonplace, scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have identified a real risk of people on Earth being killed by falling space debris.  A new study, published in Nature Astronomy, has estimated the chance of falling rocket and satellite parts getting through the Earth’s atmosphere and hurting people, over the next ten years. Using mathematical modelling of the inclinations and orbits of rocket parts in space and the population density below them - as well as 30 years’ worth of past satellite data - the authors estimated where rocket debris and other pieces of space junk land when they fall back to Earth. The findings of the study show that there is a 1 in 10 chance of one or more casualties from space debris occurring over the next…

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