• Dubai introduces charge for plastic bags; promises total ban within two years

    A statement from the government-run Dubai Media Office said the charge will start on July 1 2022. The tariff of 25fils (approximately 5p, UK currency) at purchase will apply to all single-use plastic bags from such outlets as shops, restaurants, pharmarcies and e-commerce deliveries. The government said the ban had become necessary as both camels and turtles had died from the plastic. Reportedly, 50 per cent of camel deaths in the UAE are due to the consumption of plastic bags, while 86 per cent of dead sea turtles found on some of the Emirates’ shores were found to have consumed some sort of plastic materials. Some food stores in the skyscraper-studded city have already been encouraging the public to bring reusable bags when shopping, reflecting a shift in public attitudes to recycling…

  • 3D human spinal cord implants could help treat paralysis

    A team at Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology at Tel Aviv University developed functional spinal cord tissues and implanted them in lab models that featured chronic paralysis. The technology behind the breakthrough uses patient tissue samples, transforming it into a functioning spinal cord implant via a process that mimics the development of the spinal cord in human embryos. According to Professor Tal Dvir, who led the study, the team’s technology is based on taking a small biopsy of belly fat tissue from the patient. This tissue, like all tissues in our body, comprises cells together with an extracellular matrix (comprising substances like collagens and sugars). Prof. Dvir explained: “After separating the cells from the extracellular matrix, we used genetic engineering to reprogram…

  • Satellites used to track hidden methane emissions from fossil fuel producers

    The researchers, led by France's Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, said their findings partly explain why official inventories generally underestimate the volume of these emissions. The satellites found hundreds of major methane releases linked to global oil and gas extraction activities. The technology could be used to stop these releases, whether they are accidental or deliberate, to save the responsible countries billions of dollars. A major contributor to climate change, methane has a global warming potential approximately 30 times higher than that of CO2 over a 100-year period. One quarter of anthropogenic emissions of this greenhouse gas originate in worldwide extraction of coal, oil and natural gas (of which methane is the main component). The researchers…

  • UK faces £35bn tax gap if it fails to tax electric vehicles, MPs say

    Currently, vehicle excise duty and fuel duty raise around £35bn a year for the Treasury, but neither tax is levied on pure electric vehicles. The UK is also set to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles entirely from 2030 as part of efforts to lower the country’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. The Committee has urged the Treasury and the Department for Transport to start an “honest conversation” about how to maintain investment in roads and public services with the money that comes in from vehicles with internal combustion engines. In its Road Pricing report, it proposes a system based on miles travelled and vehicle type, which would enable the government to maintain the existing link between motoring taxation and road usage. It believes this should entirely replace fuel…

  • Carbon capture device could pave way for eco-friendly fuel cells

    According to its developers at the University of Delaware, the “game-changing” technology is a significant advance for carbon dioxide capture and could bring more environmentally friendly fuel cells closer to market. Professor Yushan Yan, chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been working for some time to improve hydroxide exchange membrane (HEM) fuel cells, an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional acid-based fuel cells used today. But the reason HEM fuels cells aren’t on the road as of late is because they are sensitive to carbon dioxide in the air. This defect quickly reduces the fuel cell’s performance and efficiency by up to 20 per cent, rendering the fuel cell no better than a petrol engine. A few years back, the researchers found this disadvantage…

  • Ofgem could update price cap more frequently due to volatile energy prices

    The price cap is currently updated twice a year and tracks wholesale energy and other costs. It was last updated in August, so the current level does not reflect the unprecedented record rise in gas prices which has since taken place. This saw the collapse of numerous consumer energy providers as they could not afford to continue to purchase energy at wholesale cost while charging customers less than they bought it for. Over the last year, 29 energy companies have exited the market or been put in special administration in the wake of soaring global gas prices, affecting around 4.3 million domestic customers. Ofgem has now opened a consultation on a proposal to switch from half-yearly to quarterly price cap updates and reducing the advance notice for new tariffs to take effect. “We are…

  • ‘Smart’ FFP2 face mask alerts wearer when CO2 limits are exceeded

    The mask design addresses a problem that has been highlighted since the Covid-19 pandemic began: that of the CO 2 that we rebreathe inside our face masks. Wearing FFP2-type face masks for any length of time produces a concentration of CO 2 between the face and the mask that is higher than the normal atmospheric concentration (~0.04 per cent), due to the gas we exhale when breathing. CO 2 rebreathing can cause adverse health effects, even in healthy people, such as general malaise, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, increased heart rate, muscle weakness, and drowsiness. These negative effects are known to be linked to both the duration of exposure and the concentration of the gas itself. For example, some health regulations recommend a maximum value of 0.5 per cent…

  • How computational drug discovery is boosting health tech innovation

    The process of drug discovery is extremely complex and requires time and resources to isolate the molecules capable of identifying the properties of a disease or virus. Health institutions are becoming increasingly dependent on the ability of computational drug discovery (CDD) to speed up and automate factors such as analytics and large-scale simulations for the trial process. To efficiently do this, drug developers are leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. It has been a long wait for the pharmaceutical industry to find a technology that not only increases the effectiveness of the drug discovery and development process, but also addresses the traditional challenges of time and cost. Organisations embracing CDD are placing big bets on the technology…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Covid-19 ‘breathalyser’ can detect infection in 5 minutes with PCR accuracy

    They could be used to enable rapid screening of people attending large gatherings, such as conferences and weddings. Even those who are asymptomatic can still transmit Covid-19 to others, making it important to identify and isolate them until they are no longer contagious. The “gold standard” for Covid-19 testing is a technique called reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, commonly known as PCR tests. But this technique is typically slow, requires an uncomfortable nasopharyngeal swab for sample collection, and must be performed in a lab. The rapid antigen test is much quicker but has a higher rate of false negatives and positives. Scientists have also developed breathalyser-type tests for Covid-19, which rely on differences in concentrations of volatile organic compounds exhaled…

  • Money & Markets: When markets crash

    When markets go up like a rocket they come down like a rock. In the modern era most companies have debt, often lots of debt. I doubt there is one listed engineer that does not have a big lump of debt. In the past debt was considered bad, but for decades now, debt is considered a positive, so long as you do not have too much of it. Once, the sort of levels that are now considered normal would have been seen as the height of folly, but in today’s world everything is based on one kind of debt obligation or other, so lots of debt is just fine. Cash, after all, is a zero-interest-bearing government debt obligation, even if it is only ever replaced with another decorative promise to pay. Economics and markets are a confidence game. That confidence ebbs and flows and sometimes the oscillating…

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    E+T Magazine

  • UK urged to phase out gas boilers sooner to meet 2050 net zero targets

    The cross-party Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee has published a report calling on the government to bring forward plans to decarbonise heat production in the UK. It found a lack of clarity around when gas-powered heating systems will be phased out, which will be a key milestone in the transition to low-carbon heating. Juliet Philips, from climate-change think tank E3G, has said that a firm phase-out date can “send one of the clearest signals to consumers and industry about the direction of travel”. The report also called for the heat pump market to be scaled up quickly to meet the government’s target of 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, and provide support to gas boiler engineers who will be needed to re-skill to undertake this work. It also called for a public…

  • Remote air-quality sensors identify the most polluting vehicles for repair

    Vehicle emissions are the most significant source of air pollution in the urban environment worldwide, impacting the climate and the health of millions of people. A recent study found that improving air quality can slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of developing dementia in adults while another showed that the number of people in the US suffering from heart attacks fell during the Covid-19 lockdowns , as air quality improved due to lower traffic. Reducing air pollution is also a key target of the United Nations sustainable development goals. “Car exhaust fumes contain poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter that cause lung cancer, heart failure, asthma and other diseases,” said co-author of the new study, Professor John Zhou from the University…

  • Five-second record set for preservation of quantum states

    Quantum science holds promise for many technological applications, such as building hacker-proof communication networks or quantum computers that could accelerate new drug discovery. These applications require a quantum version of a computer bit, known as a qubit, that stores quantum information. However, researchers are still grappling with how to easily read the information held in these qubits and struggle with the short memory time, or coherence, of qubits, which is usually limited to microseconds or milliseconds. The DoE/UoC research team was able to read out their qubit on-demand and then keep the quantum state intact for over five seconds – a new record for this class of devices. Additionally, the researchers’ qubits are made from an easy-to-use material called silicon carbide, which…

  • ‘Metamaterial’ created capable of absorbing and unleashing vast untapped energy

    A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has engineered a new rubber-like solid substance with surprising qualities: it can absorb and release very large quantities of energy and it is programmable. The new material holds great promise for a wide array of applications, from enabling robots to have more power without using additional energy to new helmets and protective materials that can dissipate energy much more quickly. Alfred Crosby, professor of polymer science and engineering at UMass Amherst, and the paper’s senior author, said: “Imagine a rubber band. You pull it back and when you let it go, it flies across the room. Now imagine a super rubber band. When you stretch it past a certain point, you activate extra energy stored in the material. When you let…

  • Simulation of radioactive debris to aid clean-up at Fukushima site

    Despite an 11-year-long clean-up operation at the site in Japan, the mixture of nuclear fuel and debris inside the three damaged reactors remains in place and is currently too dangerous to be dealt with. To tackle this, a University of Sheffield team has worked with the Japanese authorities to develop a material that simulates the highly radioactive mixture at the centre of the plant. They hope this will help crack the method for the ultimate disposal of the ultra-dangerous debris. South Yorkshire residents will be reassured that there is no similarly dangerous stock of simulated debris sitting in a laboratory somewhere in Sheffield as the project has involved replacing the most dangerous elements, including plutonium, with non-radioactive substitutes which replicate their properties. …

  • Tax relief key to unlocking green investment and zero-carbon manufacturing

    The UK government’s 'Industrial Decarbonisation and Net Zero Strategies' set out a roadmap to net zero by 2050, including the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy industry by 78 per cent in 2035 compared to 1990 levels. The commitment in law to these decarbonisation goals requires every policy lever to be pulled. Supporting the manufacturing sector as it tackles the net zero challenge is an important lever as it currently counts for 15 per cent of UK’s emissions. The report - ' Delivering Net Zero Through Digital ' - says that existing tools can be better targeted to help businesses embed net zero practices. The government should use Capital Allowances in their various forms to ensure businesses are investing in green technologies. The super-deduction, R&D tax credits…

  • Insect-sized flying robots operate without motors and gears

    The drive uses a method known as electromechanical zipping that does away with the need for conventional motors and gears. The researchers believe it could pave the way for smaller, lighter and more effective micro-flying robots for environmental monitoring, search and rescue, and deployment in hazardous environments. Typical micro-flying robots use motors, gears and other complex transmission systems to achieve the up-and-down motion of the wings which adds complexity, weight and potentially undesired dynamic effects. Taking inspiration from bees and other flying insects, the researchers demonstrated a direct-drive artificial muscle system, called the 'Liquid-amplified Zipping Actuator' (LAZA), which achieves wing motion using no rotating parts or gears. Image credit…

  • Public transport and 5G broadband improvements touted in ‘levelling up’ plan

    Levelling up secretary Michael Gove unveiled the plans as part of the government’s flagship Levelling Up White Paper, which documents the plan to transform some parts of the UK that have fallen behind economically. The plans will see the country’s local public transport systems “becoming much closer to London standards” and enable a “large majority of the country” to gain access to 5G broadband. The 2019 Conservative manifesto promised the installation of full-fibre, gigabit-capable broadband in every home and business across the UK by 2025. This pledge was later downgraded to just 85 per cent of premises in the UK, although this 5G expansion could help to fill some of the remaining gaps. The White Paper also outlined plans to boost domestic R&D investment outside the South East by at…

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    E+T Magazine

  • AI traffic lights promise to reduce commuter jams

    The Fraunhofer Institute researchers have received funding from the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure for a project that could eventually improve traffic flow. Conventional traffic lights use rule-based controls, but this rigid approach does not work for all traffic situations. In addition, the sensors currently in use such as induction loop technology embedded in the road surface provide only a rough impression of the actual traffic situation. Instead of conventional sensors, the researchers used high-resolution cameras and radar sensors to more precisely capture the actual traffic situation. This allows the number of vehicles waiting at a junction to be determined accurately in real time. The technology also detects the average speed of the cars and the…

  • Windfall tax on energy firms wins support from MPs but government resists

    Labour has said that scrapping VAT from energy bills for one year, while increasing the 'Warm Homes' discount to 9.3 million people, would alleviate the anticipated extra costs imminent for the poorest people. The average household would pay £200 less on their bills if the government adopted Labour’s plans, the party said. Labour’s motion for a new tax on the profits of North Sea producers to fund a support package for families and business was approved in the Commons last night by 192 votes to zero, majority 192. However, Conservative MPs abstained and the government is not compelled to act by the result given that the motion is non-binding. The division list showed five DUP MPs, the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion) and Alliance’s Stephen Farry (North Down) were among…

  • UK announces £1.4bn strategy to boost defence presence in space

    Defence secretary Ben Wallace said it was “crucial” that Britain pushes the “frontiers of our defence space ambitions” in a bid to stay “one step ahead of our competitors”. As part of the public investment, £968m will be committed over the next 10 years to deliver a multi-satellite system – known as the Istari programme – to support greater global surveillance and intelligence for military operations, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced yesterday. A further £61m will explore cutting-edge laser communications technology to deliver data from space to Earth at a speed equivalent to superfast broadband. The defence space strategy follows on the back of the UK's national space strategy , which was published in September. The MoD’s document outlines how it plans to protect the UK’s national…

  • VAT policy on public electric car charging is ‘unfair’, says campaign group

    Currently, VAT on domestic electricity is 5 per cent, whereas motorists using on-street chargers must pay 20 per cent. But new campaign group FairCharge – which aims to remove barriers to the transition to electric cars – described the policy as “unfair”. The group is being led by automotive journalist and former 'Top Gear' presenter Quentin Wilson, who co-founded fuel price lobby group FairFuelUK in 2010. He said owning an EV must be “affordable and practical for hard-pressed families and businesses”, but some government decisions “have done nothing to help expand EV use beyond the wealthy”. Wilson added if the UK were to increase EV uptake, then we would need to have far-sighted fair government policies that make EVs appealing to everyone. Not only is the policy unfair for those…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • View from India: Budget creates roadmap for next 25 years

    Omicron may be in the news, but the Budget seems to have some relief moments as technology enablers have been put in place across key contributory sectors. This may have a multiplier effect, which could be seen as job creation, with probably better pay packs and a digitally updated workforce. For instance, the Budget has chalked out measures for seamless multimodal movement of goods and people. This is how it is planned: the data exchange among all mode operators will be brought on the Unified Logistics Interface Platform, designed for application programming interface; this will provide for efficient movement of goods through different modes, reducing logistics cost and time, assisting just-in-time inventory management, and eliminating tedious documentation. The aim is to provide real-time…

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    E+T Magazine

  • ‘Oratio Project’ aims to empower homeless people in gaining financial freedom

    The unique initiative will offer homeless individuals access to contactless NFC cards to help them raise donations and spend vouchers at accredited Oratio vendors, along with a 'digital PO box' temporary address in shelters to help them apply for ID and more traditional banking solutions. The project aims to address some of the fundamental problems caused by being homeless in the UK and help and empower individuals to take control of their future by giving them access to some of the core requirements to break the cycle of homelessness. Having access to a contactless payment solution and a temporary address will help individuals to collect financial donations, acquire a widely recognised ID, source a bank account, and potentially start applying for job opportunities. More than 11,000 people…

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    E+T Magazine

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