• Floating ‘artificial leaves’ could produce clean fuel for the shipping industry

    The ultra-thin, flexible devices take their inspiration from photosynthesis and are light enough to float on water. The researchers believe they could be used to generate a sustainable alternative to petrol without taking up space on land. Outdoor tests of the lightweight leaves on the River Cam in Cambridge showed that they can convert sunlight into fuels as efficiently as plant leaves. This is the first time that clean fuel has been generated on water, and if scaled up, the artificial leaves could be used on polluted waterways, in ports or even at sea, and could help reduce the global shipping industry’s reliance on fossil fuels. Image credit: Virgil Andrei Currently, around 80 per cent of global trade is transported by cargo vessels powered by fossil fuels…

  • What will a post-pandemic living space look like?

    The Covid-19 pandemic has made people dramatically reassess their relationships with their homes. As lockdowns forced us to live under stay-at-home orders, we made significant changes to cope with the pressures of juggling all aspects of our lives stuck indoors for prolonged periods of time. Now, as we move beyond the pandemic and permanently adopt some of the lifestyle changes we’ve made, what are the lasting implications for the design of our living spaces, furniture and home products? What opportunities are there to transform our homes for the better going forward? By April 2020, half of the world’s population was in lockdown, and as we adapted to the ‘new normal’, many took the opportunity to adapt their homes as well. Sales of consumer goods surged – garden furniture, storage, printers…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Mathematical model offers insight into health effects of landing humans on Mars

    The team simulated the impact of prolonged exposure to zero gravity on the cardiovascular system to determine whether the human body can tolerate Mars’ gravitational forces – which aren’t as strong as on Earth – without fainting or suffering a medical emergency when stepping out of a spacecraft. The model could be used to assess the impact of short and long duration space flight on the body and provide vital information for landing humans on Mars in the future. There are multiple risks associated with travelling to Mars, although one of the largest is prolonged exposure to microgravity which could cause fundamental changes to the body alongside exposure to damaging radiation from the Sun. “We know it takes about six to seven months to travel to Mars and this could cause the structure…

  • UK launches legal action against EU over Horizon research programme

    The UK government has written to the European Commission demanding that the bloc ends "persistent delays" over the UK's access to the £81bn ‘Horizon Europe’ programme, as well as similar research grants.   Under the 2020 Brexit agreement, the UK was to obtain associate membership of the bloc's research initiatives post-Brexit. However, it was revealed earlier this year that the EU has been purposefully delaying the UK’s membership as a response to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s threat to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol, a vital part of the Brexit deal.  "The EU is in clear breach of our agreement, repeatedly seeking to politicise vital scientific cooperation by refusing to finalise access to these important programmes," foreign minister Liz Truss said in a statement. In addition…

  • 3D printing shown to give unexpected boost to trade

    Fears have been stoked that greater uptake of the technology could dramatically reduce international trade due to the ability for people to produce goods locally. But research from the University of California San Diego and World Bank suggests that while 3D printing can change production processes, supply chains typically remain intact. The paper looks at the production of hearing aids, a good most commonly produced by 3D printing. The results reveal that the shift to 3D printing led to a doubling or near doubling in producers’ exports after five years and the technology was the main cause for the rise in exports. Some 35 other products were also examined, such as running shoes, aircraft parts and prosthetic limbs, which are increasingly being 3D printed, and they found similar patterns…

  • BMW autonomous electric test car involved in fatal crash

    BMW has confirmed that one of its test car models was involved in a fatal crash on a German highway. However, the company has refuted the claim that it was a self-driving vehicle.  Initial police reports raised questions regarding whether the driver of the fully electric BMW iX car had been actively steering the vehicle at the time of the accident. The car in question had veered onto the opposite lane of the B28 federal road near the south-western town of Roemerstein on Monday 15 August, crashing into two other vehicles and indirectly causing another collision. Traffic police have launched an investigation into the accident, which resulted in the death of a 33-year-old woman and severely injured nine other people, including the 43-year-old driver of the BMW and his 18-month-old passenger…

  • Fossil fuel firms not decarbonising fast enough to meet Paris Agreement goals

    They analysed six scenarios published between 2020 and mid-2021 by fossil fuel firms and the International Energy Agency (IEA) and calculated what the temperature outcomes for these scenarios are. The scenarios include four from major oil firms (two from BP, one from Royal Dutch Shell, and one from Equinor), and two from the IEA. The results show that most of the evaluated scenarios would be classified as ‘Lower 2°C pathways’ or those that keep peak warming below 2°C with a 66 per cent likelihood or more. Dr Robert Brecha, co-lead author of the study from Climate Analytics, said: “Most of the scenarios we evaluated would be classified as inconsistent with the Paris Agreement as they fail to limit warming to ‘well below 2°C', let alone 1.52°C, and would exceed the 1.52°C warming limit…

  • Nasa plans to send yeast into space

    Nasa's Artemis I mission will be uncrewed, but it will send living organisms into space. In addition to sending the Orion capsule around the Moon, the mission will also involve a collection of secondary missions off into space. One of those is BioSentinel, which will carry yeast into deep space, performing the first long-duration biology experiment to be done beyond the location of the International Space Station.  The goal of the Artemis missions is to "prepare humans to travel on increasingly farther and longer-duration missions to destinations like Mars", the organisation said. For this reason, Nasa has decided to focus on studying the effects of space radiation, which has been suspected to damage living cells. Enter BioSentinel. The shoebox-sized CubeSat is expected to carry microorganisms…

  • Chinese tech giants share secret algorithm details with top regulator

    The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has released a list with descriptions of 30 algorithms alongside a brief description of their purpose. The data published includes algorithms developed by some of the country's largest technology companies, including e-commerce firm Alibaba  and gaming giant Tencent. Publication follows China's drive to bring in tighter controls for technology firms. Last March, the country brought in a law that gives consumers more control over companies' algorithms and requires firms to obtain a licence to provide news services.  Algorithms regulate the way users interact with online content, based on analyses of their interaction with each platform. Because of this, they are often closely guarded by companies. The list published by the Chinese government marks…

  • Trains fares could be frozen using extra tax on fuel for domestic flights

    The Campaign for Better Transport is calling for a rail fare freeze in 2023 which will be funded through a tax on kerosene on domestic flights which is set at the same rate as petrol and diesel for car drivers. The body said the move would also help to cut carbon emissions from domestic aviation and raise £1.53bn, enough to fund a rail fare freeze to encourage more people to travel by rail. The government is due to announce an increase to rail fares tomorrow which is traditionally in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI). But with June’s RPI hitting highs of 11.8 per cent, the Department for Transport (DfT) has said next year’s rise in fares will be delayed until March and will be lower than the RPI figure Nevertheless, whilst ministers have ruled out a double-digit fare rise next year…

  • Colourful solar panels blend into surroundings more smoothly

    Solar panels are typically deep black because it is the most efficient colour at absorbing energy from sunlight. Most attempts to give the devices colour end up decreasing their ability to absorb light and generate power. But this colour limitation can mean they are not appropriate to use in many architectural designs. The new breakthrough could see solar panels used in decorative settings where they can blend more smoothly into their surroundings. Developed by a team of researchers funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the new panels were produced in blue, green and purple hues while only dropping the efficiency of power generation from 22.6 to 21.5 per cent. The prototype solar panels Image credit: Adapted from ACS Nano 2022, DOI: 10.1021…

  • Nuclear war predicted to cause worldwide starvation

    Two-thirds of the world's population would starve to death in the event  of a full-scale nuclear war between the US and Russia, according to a new American study. Food insecurity would be much deadlier than any nuclear blasts, researchers from Rutgers University concluded in their study, published in the journal  Nature Food . The sun-blocking soot and ash resulting from the blasts would wilt crops around the world and devastate global food supplies, with "catastrophic" consequences, according to the researchers.   Although the research was framed with the threat of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, any military conflict that leverages nuclear weapons would be expected to cause a similar impact. The researchers considered six scenarios involving nuclear arsenals of different sizes, five based…

  • How quantum computing is reshaping today's technological fabric

    It is a universal truth that the modern world is awash with data. It has become the ‘fuel’ and the insight, both reactive and predictive, generated from it, and it’s the ‘electricity’ that illuminates our existence. To create the right spark between these two forces, it is essential to push computing beyond normal limits to solve the complex problems of today. This is now being done with quantum computing, which is set to transform the world. Every atom, molecule and particle behaves in accordance with the laws of quantum mechanics, which uses the physics of things at the atomic level to create changes in the macroscopic world - our world as we know it. Interestingly, quantum technologies are not based on a single natural law. Instead, they are grounded in engineering applications of different…

  • Nearly two billion face irreversible decline in Asian freshwater storage

    Scientists at Penn State, Tsinghua University and the University of Texas at Austin project that under a scenario of weak climate policy, the Tibetan Plateau, known as the Asia's 'water tower', would face severely depleted supplies. The area supplies freshwater for nearly two billion people who live in regions downstream, including central Asia and Afghanistan as well as Northern India, Kashmir and Pakistan. “The prognosis is not good,” said Michael Mann, professor of atmospheric science at Penn State. “In a ‘business as usual’ scenario, where we fail to meaningfully curtail fossil-fuel burning in the decades ahead, we can expect a near collapse — that is, nearly 100 per cent loss — of water availability to downstream regions of the Tibetan Plateau. I was surprised at just how large the…

  • View from Brussels: French power games go south

    Modern France’s ideal energy policy is an export-driven nuclear-fuelled behemoth, under which aspiring atom-smashers pay for French nuclear tech and know-how, while other neighbours and partners just pay for the power that its fleet of reactors generates. Recent history speaks in favour of such a policy, a major factor of which is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s actions have irretrievably cut off his country’s industries from lucrative European markets. That includes Russia’s state-owned nuclear giant Rosatom, which is one of the French nuclear industry’s main rivals for foreign contracts. By sanctioning itself into oblivion, Russia has scored a damaging own goal. Central and Eastern European countries that are eager to cut themselves off from Russian energy blackmail have…

  • Telecom infrastructure update 'could cause widespread disruption across UK'

    BT's plans to withdraw PSTN and ISDN lines in 2025 could severely affect services provided by councils in England and Wales, according to cl oud and managed services company Maintel.  A Freedom of Information request conducted by the company revealed that 23 of the 40 councils across England and Wales that responded (56 per cent) have no strategy in place for the withdrawal of the networks. In London, the number rises to 70 per cent.  In 2015, BT announced the withdrawal of Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) services, marking the biggest change in 30 years to the UK's telecoms industry.  First installed in the UK in the 1980s, the equipment used for the PSTN network is becoming less reliable, as well as harder…

  • Labour demands price cap freeze amid support for energy nationalisation

    Party leader Keir Starmer said that Labour “wouldn’t let people pay a penny more” on their winter fuel bills, which would save a typical family around £1,000. The plan would cost £29bn but would be paid for through an extension of the windfall tax on oil and gas firms that was announced in May after months of mounting pressure from MPs and public bodies on then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Currently, the tax will pay for a £400 discount on household energy bills over the winter, although with the price cap estimated to rise to over £5,000 by January, the money will offer little respite from the soaring bills. Labour estimates that its plan would bring inflation down by 4 per cent – which would lower the likelihood of future interest rate rises. “Britain’s cost of living crisis is getting…

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    E+T Magazine

  • European heatwave could threaten UK electricity supplies

    Record-breaking high temperatures across Europe and the UK might put electricity generation under pressure, and worsen the already dire predictions for the coming winter, experts have said.  Ongoing heatwaves have taken their toll on energy production activities, from hydropower to nuclear reactors. While the first relies exclusively on water to generate electricity, nuclear facilities are also reliant on this resource, whose use has been restricted due to the drought. Moreover, the performance of other energy sources such as solar panels has also been affected by the high temperatures.  Overall, experts have told the BBC that electricity from hydropower has dropped by 20 per cent. "Once the water in the rivers is very low and very hot, basically you have to stop cooling down nuclear…

  • Bugs and bats inspire creation of bionic super 3D cameras

    The cameras were developed by a pair of bioengineers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a former postdoctoral scholar. Computational image processing powers the cameras and can decipher the size and shape of objects hidden around corners or behind other items. The researchers say the technology could incorporated into autonomous vehicles or medical imaging tools "with sensing capabilities far beyond what is considered state of the art today". In developing the cameras, the team drew inspiration from two natural phenomena found in flies and bats. In the dark, bats can visualise a vibrant picture of their surroundings by using echolocation, or sonar. Their high-frequency squeaks bounce off their surroundings and return to be picked up by their ears. The minuscule…

  • Lab-made gel that outperforms cartilage paves way for next-gen knee operations

    Knee pain generally comes from the progressive wear and tear of cartilage known as osteoarthritis, which affects nearly one in six adults – 867 million people – worldwide. Mechanical testing reveals that the newly developed hydrogel – a material made of water-absorbing polymers – can be pressed and pulled with more force than natural cartilage, and is three times more resistant to wear and tear. Implants made of the material are currently being developed by Sparta Biomedical and tested in sheep before clinical trials in humans next year. The researchers took thin sheets of cellulose fibres and infused them with a polymer called polyvinyl alcohol – a viscous goo consisting of stringy chains of repeating molecules—to form a gel. Image credit: Benjamin Wiley, Duke University…

  • Mathematical model is new tool in fight against malaria

    Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites and spread to humans through infected mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable, yet resistance to current antimalarial drugs is causing an avoidable loss of life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 241 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2020, with over 600,000 deaths. To tackle this issue, an international research team used data from the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), a global, scientifically independent collaboration, to map the prevalence of genetic markers that show resistance to Plasmodium falciparum – the parasite that causes malaria. Lead author associate professor Jennifer Flegg from the University of Melbourne said malaria has devastating impacts on lower-income…

  • View from India: Chatbots, storehouse of customer data

    Chatbots got a boost during the pandemic when remote working and work from home became a norm. Often, chatbots filled in for employees as far as possible. Now, offices have either fully opened or at least follow the hybrid model. Whatever it is, chatbots have stayed on. Companies have realised that chatbots can do much more than what they did over the last two years. They are being positioned as digital alternatives to human agents in call centres and retail outlets. They also answer FAQs (frequently asked questions), which make them a storehouse for customer data. This data is being used by the companies to understand customer requirements, package their offerings accordingly and thereby improve their revenue. A further step in this direction is the integration of AI, or artificial intelligence…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • SpaceX to launch US spy satellites with reusable rocket boosters

    The US Pentagon has turned to recycling in order to reduce the costs of future missions, granting SpaceX the green light to use recycled rocket boosters for Falcon Heavy launches of US classified military satellites, Bloomberg has reported. The decision would grant Elon Musk's space business a temporary edge in its latest competition with a Boeing-Lockheed joint venture - known as the United Launch Alliance - that once had a monopoly on the Defense Department’s satellite launches. There have only been three Falcon Heavy launches to date, with the most recent one taking place in 2019. By allowing three Falcon 9 boosters to be strapped together, Falcon Heavy missions are able to provide maximum thrust for heavier payloads.  While one Falcon 9 has nine engines in its first stage, Falcon…

  • UK shortlists 20 carbon capture projects for funding round

    As part of the carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) cluster process, the projects represent a range of technologies that will capture carbon emissions, preventing them being released into the atmosphere. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said that carbon capture technologies offer “enormous economic potential” due to their ability to attract new private investment which could create 50,000 skilled jobs in the UK by 2030. The UK has one of the largest potential carbon dioxide storage capacities in Europe, making it one of the more attractive business environments for the technology. This is because the North Sea could be used to store captured carbon under the seabed. Boris Johnson’s Ten Point Plan to decarbonise the UK includes plans to deploy CCUS in two industrial…

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