• Big Tech companies should store evidence of Russian war crimes, US lawmakers say

    Ukraine and the West have accused Russian troops of committing war crimes in its 11-week invasion of its neighbour, in which thousands of civilians have been killed. Russia has denied the allegations. However, social media posts could potentially be used as proof. In a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the leaders of the House Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees, Carolyn Maloney and Gregory Meeks, as well as two subcommittee chairmen, William Keating and Stephen Lynch, encouraged the company to preserve content posted on its sites that was related to the conflict.  That content "could potentially be used as evidence as the US government and international human rights and accountability monitors investigate Russian war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities in Ukraine…

  • Could an algorithm detect unhappiness in social media posts?

    We spend a substantial amount of our time sharing images, videos, or thoughts on social networks. Now, researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Barcelona have developed an algorithm that aims to help psychologists diagnose possible mental health problems through the content people post on these platforms. According to William Glasser's Choice Theory, there are five basic needs that are central to all human behaviour: Survival, Power, Freedom, Belonging and Fun. These needs even have an influence on the images we choose to upload to our Instagram page, the team said. “How we present ourselves on social media can provide useful information about behaviours, personalities, perspectives, motives and needs,” explained Mohammad Mahdi Dehshibi, a researcher at the AI for Human…

  • MPs launch security inquiry into connected devices

    Connected devices such as smart speakers and virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri, as well as wearable tech, have become hugely popular in recent years, reshaping life in homes and workplaces. Such devices are marketed as smart assistants able to help users multi-task more easily and better organise their lives, as well as stay informed, improve accessibility and aid connectivity. Moreover,  connected devices present in peoples' homes increasingly include the ability to use a voice-activated virtual assistant. However, there have been concerns raised in the past about user privacy and data collection. In addition, the Committee said it also wanted to look into security concerns and the possible hacking of such gadgets, in light of the recent rise in the number of detected cyber attacks…

  • View from Brussels: Road closed for EU petrolheads

    ‘Technological neutrality’ should be spray painted in 50-foot-high letters on the side of the European Commission building in Brussels, given how often its officials use it to describe the EU executive branch’s policies and rules. According to one old chestnut that is trotted out at most public events on mobility, ‘the EU would allow coal-powered cars if BMW or Volkswagen could engineer them not to emit any pollution.’ That is why a plan that is currently making its way through the labyrinth of the EU decision-making process aims to slash emissions from passenger cars by 100 per cent by 2035, but does not explicitly call it a ban on petrol or diesel. In practice, it will be just that though, as a 100 per cent emissions cut will likely only be achievable through using battery-powered electric…

  • Scientists grow plants in lunar soil for the first time

    In the new study, researchers from the University of Florida showed the arabidopsis plant – thale cress – can successfully sprout and grow in soil that was collected from the Apollo 11, 12, and 17 missions. The study also investigated how plants respond biologically to the Moon’s soil, also known as lunar regolith , which is very different from soil found on Earth. “Showing that plants will grow in the lunar soil is actually a huge step in that direction of being able to establish ourselves in lunar colonies,” said Rob Ferl, a professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Ferl stressed it was important to show both that lunar soils were not harmful to terrestrial life and that terrestrial life could establish itself. The researchers…

  • Milky Way’s supermassive black hole seen in new image

    According to Einstein, all galaxies have a giant black hole at their centre, including ours. However, the nature of black holes themselves - places where light and matter cannot escape - makes them extremely difficult to photograph. Therefore, it has not been until this week that scientists have been able to confirm the existence of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, and take a picture of it. The team of astronomers, which was part of the global Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration, used observations from a worldwide network of eight radio telescopes on our planet – collectively forming a single, Earth-sized virtual telescope – to take the stunning image. Until now, scientists strongly suspected the existence of this black hole, as they observed stars orbiting…

  • Microprocessor powered for six months with algae battery

    The University of Cambridge researchers behind the project believe their invention could be used as a reliable and renewable way to power small devices in the future. The whole system is comparable in size to an AA battery and contains a type of non-toxic algae called Synechocystis that naturally harvests energy from the sun through photosynthesis. The tiny electrical current this generates then interacts with an aluminium electrode and is used to power a microprocessor. The system is made of common, inexpensive and largely recyclable materials, meaning it could easily be replicated hundreds of thousands of times to power large numbers of small devices as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). The researchers believe it is likely to be most useful in off-grid situations or remote locations…

  • Many assisted driving systems fail AAA collision tests

    The AAA, a US consumer and travel services organisation, said current assisted driving and automated braking systems fall short of true autonomous driving, and require drivers to stay in control of vehicles. The organisation has backed these claims by the performance of assisted driving systems installed in Tesla, Hyundai Motor and Subaru cars in recent tests, in which all vehicles failed to avoid head-on collisions. Tesla's Autopilot system, however,   did slow the vehicle to a walking speed before striking an oncoming foam car model. A fast-growing number of new vehicles are equipped with Automated Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which serves to partially automate functions such as steering, staying in a lane and braking. Tesla's Autopilot is one of the best-known such systems, but…

  • Hundreds of organisations failing to protect patient’s ‘high-risk’ data, says BMJ

    Hundreds of organisations have breached patient data-sharing agreements in the past seven years, an investigation by the BMJ has revealed. Despite these “high-risk” breaches, none of the organisations has had its access to patient data withdrawn. Companies, clinical commissioning groups (CCG) and leading universities - with Imperial College London (ICL) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) among the offenders - were handling information outside of agreed data contracts and may still be failing to protect patient confidentiality, the journal said, based on the examination of NHS Digital audits. In one case, clinical care commissioners allowed sensitive, identifiable patient data to be released to Virgin Care without permission from NHS Digital. When NHS Digital’s audit team tried to check Virgin Care…

  • Google unveils its first smartwatch, alongside flagship smartphone updates

    The Pixel Watch comes years after Google first introduced its Android Wear platform (later renamed to Wear OS), amid a renewed push to solidify its position in the wearables market, which has long been dominated by Apple and Samsung. While the watch will not arrive until later this year, official pictures of the device were revealed at its annual Google I/O conference, which showed a rounded body and watch face. It will run the as-yet-unreleased Wear OS 3.1 and uses an industrial design made of recycled steel with a rotating, tactile crown, and customisable bands. It will also come with NFC for contactless payments, has 4G built-in and an array of fitness sensors that will tie in to its purchase of FitBit , which was finalised last year. Image credit: reuters …

  • Covid inquiry to examine impact on young people, mental health and inequality

    The terms of reference, which set out the scope of the inquiry, fall within the already established main topics of the inquiry: to examine the response to the pandemic and its impact in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and produce a factual narrative account of what happened. The inquiry is also expected to identify the lessons that can be learned, to help inform the UK’s preparations for future pandemics. Chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett also recommended that the terms of reference be reframed “to put inequalities at its forefront”. In a written update to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday, Hallett said: “The unequal impact of the pandemic was a theme that came through strongly in responses to the consultation. “I am therefore recommending that the terms of reference…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Royal Mail to establish 50 new drone delivery routes

    Island communities across the Isles of Scilly, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands and the Hebrides would be the first to benefit. Trials of the technology on the Orkney islands started last year as part of Royal Mail efforts to cut its carbon emissions for deliveries to remoter areas. Longer term, the ambition is to deploy a fleet of more than 500 drones to support deliveries across the UK. Similar efforts to launch drone deliveries have been made in the past, with Amazon receiving support from the UK government in 2015 on a trial delivery service . However, the tech giant has still failed to launch a commercial service and has been winding down its Amazon Prime Air team in recent years. But Royal Mail is more upbeat, saying that such a service will help it cut carbon emissions as well…

  • Earthquake and tsunami prediction enhanced by deep-learning model

    A team of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory is working on a solution for predicting natural disasters, starting with earthquakes and tsunamis. To achieve this, they have developed a deep-learning model able to pick up on the gravity waves generated by an earthquake and thus predict the risk of an ensuing tsunami.  “Our model unlocks real-time estimation of earthquake magnitude, using data routinely treated as noise, and can immediately be transformative for tsunami early warning,” said Bertrand Rouet-Leduc, a scientist in Los Alamos’ Geophysics group. Rapid and reliable magnitude estimation for large earthquakes is crucial to mitigate the risks associated with strong shaking and tsunamis. Currently, systems used to detect earthquakes are based on seismic waves, which makes…

  • Getting your digital destination right is as important as speed of change

    In recent years, I’ve noticed a worrying, reckless and high-risk trend among business leaders – moving forwards quickly without direction when leading organisational and technological change. I liken it to speeding mindlessly in a car with no destination in mind. You wouldn’t do that would you? Digital transformation shouldn’t be any different. I have increasingly found that the main mantra during the last decade, in terms of business demands on IT and operations, has been for teams to increase speed to market with ever more agility. CTOs have come under increasing pressure from the board and shareholders to reduce cost (increasing profitability) by replacing legacy IT with new digital and Cloud-based technology. Meanwhile, the CMOs wanted new products delivered into the market faster as…

  • Restaurants' menu designs could reduce carbon impact of eating out

    Previous research has shown that an individual’s food choices substantially affect their personal carbon footprint. However, most studies examining factors that influence environmentally relevant food choices have focused on purchasing of groceries eaten at home. Researchers at the University of Würzburg explored how restaurant menu design might influence diners’ climate-relevant choices. They created nine hypothetical menus in order to test two design approaches: carbon labels indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with each dish, and for dishes with components that could be modified, setting the default component to either a low- or a high-emission option. In an online study, 256 volunteers each selected one dish from each of the nine hypothetical menus, which…

  • ‘World’s most environmentally friendly’ rocket unveiled

    Scotland has become the home of the first full-scale micro-launcher rocket developed in Europe. Lifting off from Space Hub Sutherland, in the Highlands, the Prime orbital space rocket has been unveiled, a major step forward for the British space industry. Orbex, the company behind the rocket, is preparing the first-ever vertical rocket launch to orbit from UK soil. “We are on the cusp of a historic moment, with Orbex playing a leading role in generating a brand new launch capability in the UK,” said Ian Annett, deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency. Prime is a 19m-long, two-stage rocket powered by seven engines. The six rocket engines on the first stage of the rocket will propel the vehicle through the atmosphere to an altitude of around 80km. The single engine on the second stage of the…

  • Scientists present gear wheel 1-50,000th the thickness of a human hair

    As science advances, technology shrinks. Without miniaturisation, high-performance laptops, compact smartphones or high-resolution endoscopes would not exist. Currently, scientists are turning their eyes to switches, rotors or motors comprised of only a few atoms, with the goal of building molecular machines. The nano gear unit designed at FAU is not only the world’s smallest energy-powered gear wheel, but also the first that can also be actively controlled and driven. The researchers’ findings have recently been published in the journal Nature Chemistry . Some important components used in molecular machines such as switches, rotors, forceps, robot arms or even motors already exist in the nanoscale. However, there were no gear wheels in the nanoscale, until now. The gear wheel is an essential…

  • Renewable hydrogen production could be made possible by new materials

    Perovskite materials may hold the key to renewable hydrogen production.  A team of researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have analysed an emerging water-splitting technology called solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production, which could prove to be a more energy-efficient way of producing hydrogen than the commonly used electrolysis method. Electrolysis needs electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. In contrast, STCH relies on a two-step chemical process in which metal oxides are exposed to temperatures greater than 1,400°C and then re-oxidised with steam at lower temperatures to produce hydrogen. Hydrogen has emerged as an important carrier to store energy generated by renewable resources. Hydrogen is strongly considered to be a viable substitute…

  • Three to switch off 3G network in 2024

    The target date lies just over two decades after the network was originally launched on 03.03.03, with the network going live later that month. The operator said that its “significant investments” in 4G and 5G would allow it to end 3G support entirely. The firm purchased sizable chunks of 5G spectrum bands in 2018 to boost its capacity. Vodafone has already announced that it will switch off its 3G network even earlier – by the end of 2023 – and EE also has similar plans for the same year. Three said that turning off 3G will allow it to focus investments and spectrum resources on further improving 4G customer experience, while rolling out 5G, A new study sponsored by the network found that that 5G usage in the UK has already exceeded 3G, and predicts it will account for 35 per cent of…

  • UK to legalise electric scooters despite 40 per cent jump in accidents

    The UK Government has unveiled plans to legalise the private use of e-scooters, despite a huge surge in the number of people hospitalised as a result of e-scooter accidents.  The announcement was made during the Queen’s Speech, delivered by Prince Charles.  A recent mass Freedom of Information request to all NHS Ambulance Trusts by the Major Trauma Group revealed that 82 per cent more ambulances were called to assist e-scooter related accidents in 2021, compared to the previous year. In total, the NHS attended 713 patients that had been in an e-scooter related accident in 2021. Until now, e-scooters have been illegal on roads − except in specific trials – but their private use will now be regulated by new legislation, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed. Laws regulating the…

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    E+T Magazine

  • UK Government to reform data protection legislation

    The UK Government has revealed its plans to introduce a new Data Reform Bill, which will differ from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act, described by the Government as “highly complex."  The announcement was made during the Queen’s Speech at the Opening of Parliament, in which Prince Charles stood in for Queen Elizabeth, who decided not to attend for health reasons. “The United Kingdom’s data protection regime will be reformed,” Prince Charles announced. According to the Government, the bill will streamline data-protection laws and cut red tape, reducing the burden on businesses by creating a more flexible, outcomes-focused approach “rather than box-ticking exercises” while also introducing clearer rules around personal data use. This…

  • UK cybersecurity agency tackles record number of digital scams

    A record number of online scams were removed from the internet last year.  The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said the number of frauds – 2.7 million – was four times higher than the amount removed in 2020. The rise was explained as a result of UK cyber experts significantly expanding the country's cyber defences to tackle a broader range of scams, rather than an overall increase in malicious content targeting the British public. The work carried out by the group’s Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme has been complimented by reports from the public of suspicious emails, texts and websites – with fake endorsements and extortion emails named as the most common type of scam. The figures also showed that scammers took advantage of the panic caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, referencing…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Clearview AI will stop selling its facial recognition technology to private firms

    Clearview AI - the facial recognition company whose massive database has been used recently to identify Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, as well as rioters who stormed the US Capitol building in 2021 - will no longer sell its technology to private companies in the US as part of an historic data privacy settlement. The company first came under the spotlight in 2020 when its database containing billions of faces was breached. This prompted privacy advocates to condemn Clearview AI’s business model, based on scraping billions of publicly available images from social media to train its facial-recognition software, which was later sold to law enforcement agencies to help identify people from closed-circuit television footage.  The settlement - which must still be approved by a county judge…

  • World’s plastic waste mapped from space using AI

    The tool, called Global Plastic Watch (GPW), can detect plastic waste sites as small as 5 by 5 metres, creating an interactive 'living' map of plastic pollution in near real time. The data gathered is believed to be a world first, providing a historic insight into one of the planet’s most complex environmental challenges - how to stop plastic from flowing into our oceans. “It’s not about naming and shaming,” but “empowering governments” with information to help tackle the problem, said Fabien Laurier, a key architect of GPW. The free, publicly available tool was developed and funded by Australian non-profit the Minderoo Foundation, and has been “applauded” by the United Nations. A plastic waste site in Indonesia leads towards the water. Pic: Maxar Technologies/Earthrise…

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