• ‘World’s first’ lab-grown meat pet food goes on sale

    UK start-up Meatly has launched a cultivated meat product for pets – the first company to sell cultivated meat in both the UK and EU. Meat production is extremely carbon intensive, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. While the vast majority of meat is eaten by humans, a significant amount also makes up the 10.5 million tonnes of pet food sold in Europe each year. In a bid to feed pets more sustainably, Meatly – in collaboration with plant-based dog food brand The Pack – has been working towards producing lab-grown meat products for pets. The company claims the new Chick Bites product has been produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken egg, from which enough cultivated meat could be produced to feed pets forever. This process, it says, produces…

  • Starmer slashes red tape on planning rules in bid to attract raft of new nuclear power plants

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled plans to build a new suite of nuclear power plants in the UK, alongside a revamping of the planning rules to prevent local interests from derailing nationally significant projects. In particular, the rule changes are aimed at making it easier to build small modular reactors (SMR), which are easier to scale and more affordable than traditional nuclear power plants, albeit with a lower power output. The entirely factory-built facilities can be transported as modules and assembled on-site, radically reducing construction activity and making SMRs a commodifiable product. In September, Great British Nuclear shortlisted Rolls-Royce SMR alongside entrants GE Hitachi, Holtec Britain and Westinghouse Electric Company to build the new plants. Each Rolls-Royce…

  • Industry insight: Big business and start-ups collaborating to push innovative tech forward

    The ABB Startup Challenge is bringing innovative start-ups and ABB together to co-develop solutions to complex energy and climate challenges, says Massimo Muzzì, head of strategy, business development and sustainability at ABB Electrification. What is the ABB Startup Challenge and how does it promote innovation? The ABB Startup Challenge is an annual competition for start-ups to develop novel and more sustainable solutions to our most pressing challenges, primarily in the electrification space. It’s been running for five years, and we look for start-ups with strengths that can amplify our core competencies. For example, in 2024, we focused on how AI solutions could enhance energy industry systems, from dynamic grid management to decarbonising commercial buildings. Winning entrants are…

  • Cellular concrete offers viable environmental alternative in earthquake-prone areas

    Researchers in Ecuador say cellular concrete is a sustainable and structurally resilient alternative to traditional concrete for earthquake-resistant buildings. The construction industry significantly contributes to global energy consumption and carbon emissions. This is predominantly through the structural materials used, mostly cement and steel. The production of cement, the key ingredient of concrete, generates around 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 every year – about 8% of the global total. Finding viable alternative materials is challenging, not least in earthquake-prone areas. A team of researchers in the faculty of sciences, engineering and construction at UTE University in Ecuador studied whether cellular lightweight concrete (CLC) offered both an environmentally friendly and earthquake…

  • MOD successfully trials robot dogs for bomb disposal

    In a trial by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD), advanced robotic systems – including robot dogs – have successfully demonstrated their capability to detect and defuse bomb threats. Bomb disposal operations are extremely hazardous. To significantly reduce the risk to military personnel, the MOD is trialling a new approach to performing bomb disposal operations. In trials led by the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), bomb disposal robot dogs were used to detect and defuse bomb threats. In a series of scenarios, the robot dog was asked to perform tasks including opening and closing doors autonomously, navigating stairs, inspecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and firing disruptors at the IEDs to render them safe. Other robotic systems used in the trial included…

  • Government pledges £2.65bn to strengthen UK flood defences amid rising climate risks

    The government will commit £2.65bn to shoring up the UK’s flood defences as climate change threatens homes in low-lying areas. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the money will benefit around 52,000 properties by March 2026 when the new defences are expected to be completed. The frequency of extreme weather events in the UK and around the world is continuing to rise as climate change warms the planet. But the UK is particularly susceptible because of its geographical location, sitting between warm tropical air from the south and cold polar air from the north. According to a study last year, extreme UK rainfall experienced during autumn and winter 2023/24 was made 10 times more likely because of human-induced climate change. Defra said the Labour government…

  • Chip pioneer Jensen Huang among winners of 2025 QEPrize for Engineering

    The 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize (QEPrize) for Engineering has celebrated seven pioneers in the field of AI, including Nvidia’s founder and CEO Jensen Huang. The QEPrize is awarded annually to engineers responsible for ground-breaking innovations that have been of global benefit to humanity. This year’s prize has been awarded to seven engineers who have made seminal contributions to the advancement of modern machine learning, a foundational component driving progress in AI. Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey Hinton, John Hopfield, Yann LeCun, Huang, Bill Dally and Fei-Fei Li have all been pivotal in advancing the three core pillars of modern AI: algorithms, hardware and datasets. The groundbreaking research of Bengio, Hinton, Hopfield and LeCun into artificial neural networks has enabled machines…

  • The world's most dangerous jobs push human limits

    Demands of modern infrastructure continue to push people’s physical abilities to the limit. But what are the most challenging and dangerous jobs? Despite rigorous safety procedures, some jobs remain inherently risky. Technicians still climb hundreds of metres up tall, narrow towers to inspect telecommunication masts or wind turbines; saturation divers at offshore oil and gas facilities remain below the surface for days; and tunnellers work tens of metres below ground with millions of tonnes of earth above them. Gone are the old days when, as one veteran engineer put it, if you were a ‘single guy’ with no family, you were the one delegated to take the risks. Today, work has been transformed by technology and a sea change in safety mindset and culture over the last decade. But some industries…

  • ‘World’s largest’ sail-powered cargo ship launched in Turkey

    Neoliner Origin, the world’s largest cargo ship to be powered primarily by sails, has been launched at RMK Marine shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey. The French shipping company Neoline began construction of the 136-metre-long and 24.2-metre-wide ship in November 2023. Its ambition was to build a vessel as efficient as possible when delivering freight across the oceans. With its two 90-metre masts and 3,000 square metres of sails, Neoline says that the Neoliner Origin will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80% compared with conventional ships of an equivalent size. Offering a low-carbon option for maritime freight, 60-70% of the vessel’s propulsion power comes from wind. Additionally, it also uses hybrid diesel-electric power and generates energy from its own wake to reduce emissions…

  • DeepSeek R1 shakes up AI: The cost revolution that could change everything

    The furore that erupted in January around the China-developed DeepSeek R1 AI model saw leading technology and energy stocks tumble sharply. But what might all this mean for future AI research and adoption? A much wider reassessment of the global shape of the market, particularly the potential and cost of generative AI (GenAI), is likely to rumble throughout 2025. The money men have been seriously spooked. That is not the whole story, but you must still start there. Because one of the questions set to come out of the debate concerns where their investments may now go. At the tumble’s January low-point, Nvidia, the largest producer of AI GPUs, saw its share price fall by 17%, wiping nearly $600bn off its valuation. The other members of tech’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ – Apple, Microsoft, Amazon…

  • Energy price spikes across Europe will fall if 2030 renewables targets hit, new study finds

    Researchers at the University of Cambridge have calculated that sticking to national renewable energy targets will reduce the intensity of price spikes. A new study shows that every European country would see energy price volatility fall by 2030 if natural gas dependency is cut and commitments to green energy are met. The UK and Ireland would be among the biggest beneficiaries, with electricity prices predicted to fall by around 45% compared with last year. Several of the Nordic nations could see over 60% reductions in electricity costs by 2030, while Germany could experience a 34% price drop. “The volatility of energy prices is a major cause of damage to national economies,” said Laura Diaz Anadon, professor of climate change policy at Cambridge. “Consumers are still reeling from…

  • NHS launches major trial to test AI in early breast cancer detection

    The NHS is launching a major trial assessing how AI could be used to catch breast cancer at an early stage. Nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in the trial, with AI being used to assess the screenings alongside radiologists. The Department of Health and Social Care hopes that if the trial is successful, it could free up hundreds of radiologists and other specialists across the country to see more patients and tackle rising cancer rates. The EDITH trial (‘Early Detection using Information Technology in Health’) is backed by £11m in government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, with around 55,000 people being diagnosed with the disease every year. Currently, women between…

  • Public support for net zero hinges on energy bills not rising, survey finds

    With support for net zero hinging on the amount households pay on energy, Octopus Energy is calling on the government to make urgent market reforms. An Octopus Energy survey, conducted by market research agency Opinium, found that the cost-of-living crisis was still the most pressing issue facing UK households. Almost 90% of respondents identified energy bills as the top priority for the government to help reduce household expenses. While the findings show that the UK’s net zero ambitions remain popular, with twice as many people supporting net zero as those who don’t (43% v 20%), seven out of 10 supporters (71%) said their backing hinges on energy prices not rising. Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy, said: “British people support net zero, but not if bills rise. We need to reform…

  • Self-healing asphalt made from biomass waste could help cut UK pothole costs

    A type of self-healing asphalt made from biomass waste could help to cut the UK’s massive pothole bill, which is estimated at £143.5m annually. A team of scientists from Swansea University and King’s College London used machine learning to design the material, which is able to mend its own cracks without the need for maintenance or human intervention. Recent figures from RAC revealed that pothole-related breakdowns jumped by a fifth (17%) in the final three months of 2024 compared with the previous quarter. Cracks form when bitumen – the sticky black material in the asphalt mixture – hardens through oxidisation, but the exact processes behind this are not entirely known. The team has found a way to reverse cracking and develop methods to ‘stitch’ asphalt back together, creating more…

  • Warming climate is accelerating urban rat population growth, study finds

    The warming climate is driving an increase in urban rat populations and increasing the strain on infrastructure and pest control, researchers say. A team from the University of Richmond in the US analysed public complaint and inspection data from 16 cities around the world and found strong links between rising numbers of rats and human population density, urbanisation of cities and warming temperatures. Of the cities assessed, 11 had “significant increasing trends” in rat numbers, including Washington DC, New York and Amsterdam. Only three cities assessed during the study experienced decline: Louisville, Tokyo and New Orleans. In particular, cities experiencing greater temperature increases over time saw larger increases in rat numbers, while those with denser human populations and more…

  • French railway operator tests solar plant prototype on unused train tracks

    The French railway operator SNCF has commenced six months of performance testing of a new prototype that generates energy from PV panels placed on non-operational railway tracks. SNCF possesses vast land reserves in France – more than 113,800 hectares. By 2030 it plans to install 1,000MWp (megawatt peak) of ground-based PV capacity on this land. AREP, a subsidiary of SNCF, has been developing a container-based, portable solar power plant that can be placed on non-operational railway tracks and then relocated as needed. The aim of the project – known as Solveig – is to minimise the footprint of solar installations on the ground while enhancing the solar potential of unused rail lines. The project’s prototype, which includes eight PV panels together with inverters, storage batteries and…

  • Cutting carbon will take ‘concerted effort’ across all modes of transport, new analysis shows

    The Green Alliance has outlined policies to enable the transport industry to drastically reduce its climate impact. In its new report, Mind the gap: Cutting UK transport’s climate impact, the think tank says that decarbonising UK transport is possible but requires “concerted effort across all modes of transport”. In the UK, transport is responsible for around a third of greenhouse gas emissions. While steps are being taken to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, the Green Alliance argues that policy is still falling short of what’s needed to meet the UK’s climate commitments. For instance, the report calls on government to deliver on its promises to cut the emissions of high-polluting vehicles such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and coaches. In its analysis, the Green Alliance…

  • UK’s largest historic rail festival to mark 200 years of passenger trains

    The UK’s largest gathering of historic rail vehicles is set to take place later this year to mark 200 years since the construction of world’s first passenger train service. The three-day festival is taking place at Alstom’s Derby site and aims to raise thousands for Railway 200 charities and the rail heritage sector. The site, which is home to Britain’s biggest and oldest remaining train factory, will be open to the public for the first time in over 50 years. It will showcase more than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways. The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened on 27 September 1825 and was the first rail line to use steam locomotives. It connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton in County Durham and operated for nearly 40…

  • Microsoft signs deal to offset carbon emissions through mass tree-planting in the US

    Microsoft has signed an agreement to offset its carbon emissions through mass tree-planting initiatives. Chestnut Carbon sells carbon credits based on mass tree-planting projects in the US. The firm plans to plant “hundreds of thousands of acres of new US forestland”, primarily in southern states such as Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. The Microsoft agreement will take place in multiple phases over the next 25 years and will result in more than seven million tons of US-based carbon removal credits being generated. Chestnut Carbon estimates it will restore 60,000 acres of land by planting over 35 million native hardwood and softwood trees. “We’re excited to be expanding our collaboration with Microsoft given their market leadership in net zero commitments, and the signing of a second agreement…

  • Hinkley Point C urged to reinstate fish protection plan because of ecosystem concerns

    Hinkley Point C is facing a backlash from environmental campaigners over its possible negative impact on local aquatic life. In order to cool its reactors, the new nuclear power station will need to draw the equivalent of three Olympic swimming pools of cooling water each minute from the Severn estuary, which is a nature conservation site. But fish can also be sucked into the system through this process, damaging local populations while clogging intakes and filters, resulting in costly shutdowns and damaging the surrounding ecosystem. Plans were initially drawn up to install an acoustic fish deterrent (AFD) to keep aquatic life away from the intake vents. This system would use 280 speakers to make noise louder than an airliner – 24 hours a day for 60 years. But Hinkley Point C owner EDF…

  • Search underway to find suitable underground sites to bury hazardous nuclear waste

    Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) has announced it has identified areas within the UK suitable to host a geological disposal facility (GDF). NWS, which is part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group, is embarking on a GDF programme to find a suitable underground facility in which to dispose of radioactive waste deep underground. While radioactive waste can be safely stored above ground, it is recognised as not being a safe and permanent solution. It is believed that a better solution is storing the waste in a geological environment below ground. In its process to find such suitable sites, NWS has now identified three areas of focus. These areas have been identified using a range of information, such as geological data, areas of environmental protection and consideration of built-up…

  • UK water companies pledge to clean up environment and invest in infrastructure

    The Environment Agency (EA) has secured the largest ever environmental commitment from water companies to clean up the environment and invest in new infrastructure since privatisation. The EA, the UK’s environmental regulator, has published its latest report Water industry national environment programme (WINEP). The report sets out over 24,000 actions water companies must take over the next five years to meet their legal requirements for the environment. Developed in collaboration with Ofwat, Natural England and water companies, these actions will help improve water infrastructure to secure future supply, as well as improving habitats and biodiversity. According to the EA, these actions represent £22bn of investment in England to benefit the water environment and customers. For example…

  • Vodafone makes first space-based 5G video call using a regular smartphone

    Mobile network Vodafone says it has made the world’s first space-based video call using a normal 5G-equipped smartphone and coverage from commercial satellites. The firm said its service is the only satellite technology to offer a full mobile broadband experience in areas of no mobile coverage. The technology can allow multiple users in these areas to make and receive video calls, access the internet and use online messaging services, and could help to close gaps in mobile coverage. The service is provided by Texas-based start-up AST SpaceMobile, in which Vodafone became a lead investor in 2019. It has been slowly building up its space-based cellular broadband network since September 2023, when it demonstrated the technology on a 5G voice and data connection. The firm is similar to Elon…

  • OpenAI ‘reviewing evidence’ that China’s DeepSeek used its AI tech to train rival model

    Concerns over a potential IP breach are growing as US-based OpenAI looks into whether Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek harvested large amounts of data from ChatGPT-4 to train its model. DeepSeek’s breakthrough ChatGPT-like AI model made headlines earlier this week. As its R1 app shot to the top of the download charts, it triggered shockwaves in the stock market. It also shook the tech industry with claims that it developed its R1 model at a fraction of the cost of its rivals. There has now been accusations that DeepSeek used a technique known as ‘distillation’ from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to build its rival model. In a video interview with Fox News, White House AI and crypto ‘czar’ David Sacks said: “There’s a technique in AI called distillation ... when one model learns from another model [and…