• Large Hadron Collider restarts after three-year pause

    Situated in Geneva, Switzerland, and operated by the European research facility CERN (its name derived from the French, Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)  is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The restart today (22 April) follows more than three years of upgrade work. At 12:16 CEST, two beams of protons circulated in opposite directions around the Large Hadron Collider’s 27km ring at their injection energy of 450 billion electronvolts (450 GeV). “These beams circulated at injection energy and contained a relatively small number of protons. High-intensity, high-energy collisions are a couple of months away,” said Rhodri Jones, the head of CERN’s Beams department, “but first beams represent the successful restart of the…

  • ‘Radical, transformative changes’ needed to protect UK’s natural habitats

    But in its Protected Areas and Nature Recovery report, it warned that this ambitious pledge will fail if the UK does not make “radical, transformative changes”. While 27 per cent of UK land and 38 per cent of UK seas already enjoy some level of environmental protection, the report finds that many protected areas are not delivering for nature and are in poor ecological condition. It therefore urges caution over what should count towards the government’s 2030 targets and provides recommendations for what protected areas, and the surrounding environment, need in order to be effective in restoring nature. Dr Joseph Bailey at York St John University and lead author of the report said: “Designating an area of land or sea does not automatically make it an effective protected area. “Designation…

  • South Korean stalwart bets on hydrogen drones to revive company fortunes

    The 126-year-old South Korean conglomerate is making a large investment on hydrogen-powered technology as a means to recover its fortune, according to a Bloomberg report. Its initial focus will be on drones, but the company also has high ambitions for other uses for hydrogen technology in the long-term. “Our long-term vision is to provide fuel cells for various kinds of mobile applications, like robots, starting with hydrogen drones,” said Doosoon Lee, chief executive officer of unit Doosan Mobility Innovation. “We will also play a crucial role in the South Korean government’s goal to build a multi-seat unmanned aerial vehicle.” Hydrogen is increasingly becoming a popular alternative to standard lithium-ion batteries, as it allows drones to overcome power limitations and fly higher and…

  • Central America drives forward earthquake early-warning technology

    Public tests of an earthquake early-warning system are currently taking place in Nicaragua. The tests are latest steps in a collaborative initiative to build a warning system for four countries in the region. The project, known as Alerta Temprana de Terremotos en América Central (ATTAC), was presented at the Seismological Society of America’s Annual Meeting. It is a collaboration between the national seismic networks in Guatemala (INSIVUMEH), El Salvador (MARN), Nicaragua (INETER) and Costa Rica (OVSICORI-UNA) and the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zürich, with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Central America is one of the highest-risk areas in the world for earthquakes due to being a large subduction zone. In the past 24 hours, the area was shaken by…

  • 12.8GW of coal energy halted after China pulls out of overseas energy projects

    President Xi Jinping announced to the United Nations General Assembly in September last year that his country would end overseas coal projects as part of its contribution to the global effort to cut climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The projects identified by CREA, which have all been shelved or cancelled since that announcement, had already received either financial backing, equipment, or procurement and construction support from Chinese firms. The cancellations represent a big dent in global energy production from coal. As a point of comparison, Germany, which is the largest coal-fired energy producer in Europe, had about 40GW of generation capacity in total at 84 plants across the country in 2019. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a non-profit attempting to reduce…

  • Cycloalkanes could be the key to sustainable aviation fuel

    Cycloalkanes are molecules composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a ring structure using only single bonds. According to new research, they could be vital to the development of cleaner aviation fuel, as they might reduce the condensation trail formation and soot emissions caused by current fuel. The Sandia team has published the findings of its investigation - made in collaboration with researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory - in an article in Frontiers in Energy Research. Currently, the aviation sector produces around 2.1 per cent of all human-induced carbon dioxide emissions. Although the industry has been severely hit by the pandemic, it is nonetheless expected to make a full recovery in the next year and, by 2038, experts predict aviation will contribute 1.7 trillion…

  • New material boosts efficiency of cheap, printed solar cells

    Traditional solar cells are made from silicon, which has good efficiency and stability but is relatively expensive to make and can only be manufactured in stiff panels. Perovskite solar cells are an alternative that can be printed from inks, making them low cost, high efficiency, thin, lightweight and flexible. However, they have trailed behind silicon solar cells in efficiency and are prone to breaking down under normal environmental conditions. New metal-containing materials called ferrocenes could help to alleviate many of these issues. Professor Nicholas Long, co-lead author on the study, said: “Silicon cells are efficient but expensive and we urgently need new solar energy devices to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. “Stable and efficient perovskite cells could ultimately…

  • Luxury car line-up makes UK debut

    The three-day event, Salon Privé London , is now open at Royal Hospital Chelsea. It features new machinery, a selection of classic cars for sale in its Concours de Vente (a display of 50 automotive classics), and some of the world’s most desirable luxury brands, including the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini. In addition, a host of automotive reveals took place in the capital’s new event this morning. E&T gives you a breakdown of the event’s global debuts: The first car revealed was all-new luxury British brand Caton’s first creation: a reincarnation of the iconic Austin-Healey 100 sports car. Fusing traditional craftsmanship with OEM-grade design and engineering, Caron says the car “promises an immersive, intoxicating and emotional automotive experience”. Caton brings the revered…

  • Sapphire fibre sensor could improve energy efficiency and enable cleaner air travel

    Each thread of industrially grown sapphire is less than half a millimetre thick but can withstand temperatures over 2000°C. When light is injected onto one end of the fibre, some of it is reflected back at a point along its length which has been modified to be sensitive to temperature. The wavelength (colour) of this reflected light is a measure of the temperature at that point. Whilst the sapphire fibre seems very thin, in comparison to the wavelength of light it carries, it is huge. This means that the light can take many different paths along the sapphire fibre, which results in many different wavelengths being reflected at once. The researchers overcame this problem by writing a channel along the length of the fibre, such that the light is contained within a tiny cross-section, one…

  • Waste criminals continue to avoid landfill tax despite new rules

    Responding to a freedom of information request, HMRC refused to divulge how much landfill tax it had recovered from waste criminals but said there had been “a low number of tax assessments” to date. The waste industry has expressed its disappointment at the revelations. Trade body the Environmental Services Association (ESA) said the additional powers given to HMRC “held the potential to be a powerful tool in the fight against waste crime, so we are disappointed that they are not being fully utilised”. Since 2018, any person or business who makes a disposal at an unauthorised waste site, or knowingly causes or per­mits the disposal, has been liable for landfill tax. When the powers were first introduced, HMRC said the penalties would apply alongside any penalties for environmental offences…

  • Russia tests nuclear-capable missile as Ukraine war drives technological innovation

    The Russian military said it has successfully performed the first test of a new nuclear-capable Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which the country's president, Vladimir Putin, claims would make the West “think twice” about any aggressive intentions against Russia. “The new complex has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defence," Putin said. "It has no analogues in the world and will not have for a long time to come." The Sarmat ICBM was launched on Wednesday from the Plesetsk launch facility in northern Russia and its practice warheads have reportedly reached mock targets on the Kura firing range on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that Russia had…

  • OneWeb to launch broadband satellites from India after cutting Russian ties

    The UK took a £400m share in the failed digital firm to rescue it from bankruptcy in July 2020, as part of a consortium with India’s Bharti Global, following a bidding war. The company was originally trying to provide satellite internet worldwide with a constellation of up to 648 satellites. However, the firm only managed to launch 74 of its low-Earth orbit satellites before going bust as it failed to secure funding to continue the project. In early March it suspended its use of all Russian-operated spaceports after the country began its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. OneWeb’s efforts to continue bolstering its satellite constellation will see it conduct the first launch with New Space India later this year from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launches…

  • MPs call for 40-year deadline to remove asbestos from public buildings

    The MPs expressed concern that the risk to health is likely to increase as buildings are adapted with the move to net zero and old asbestos insulation is disturbed in the process. A new report from the Committee found that asbestos persists as the single greatest cause of work-related fatalities, despite the material being banned more than two decades ago. There were more than 5,000 deaths in 2019, including from cancers such as mesothelioma. Many of these deaths will relate to exposures from 35 or more years ago. The available evidence indicates that cumulative exposures are much lower now for younger age groups, but more data is needed to understand the current picture. With asbestos still present in around 300,000 non-domestic buildings and with a likely dramatic increase in disturbance…

  • EU panel backs plans for common worldwide phone charger

    The first proposal for a single mobile charging port was made by the European Commission over a decade ago, hoping phone makers would be able to find a common solution. After they failed to do so, the Commission proposed draft legislation last year, a world first. On Wednesday (20 April), the European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee agreed with the Commission's proposal. "With half a billion chargers for portable devices shipped in Europe each year, generating 11,000 to 13,000 tonnes of e-waste, a single charger for mobile phones and other small and medium electronic devices would benefit everyone," said Alex Agius Saliba, the leader of the parliamentary debate. Currently, Apple's iPhones are charged from a Lightning cable while Android-based devices are…

  • After All: My brave digital lie-buster namesake

    Never before has the world been exposed to so many blatant and cynical lies. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of my native Ukraine, Russian mass media has been pouring out tons of dirty fakes. The picture that a gullible Russian citizen can get out of all that torrent of untruth is roughly as follows: Ukrainian neo-fascists have been tormenting their country’s Russian-speakers for years until the valiant Russian army decided to protect them from "genocide" and oppression by sending a limited contingent of its troops to Ukraine. Ukrainians, having lost control of their country, started shelling indiscriminately and razing to the ground their own towns and villages, with peaceful civilians in them. And so on. No exaggeration here. Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzya, was recorded…

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  • View from India: Gender diversity holds key for product management’s success

    Apex body NASSCOM has recently launched the NASSCOM Women Product Champions (NWPC) to nurture and promote women in product management, and to help them thrive in product careers at all levels. This means women can easily navigate, grow, and succeed in product-management roles from entering the field, through mid-career, and into senior and executive roles. Overall, the intent is to create diverse workspaces. “There’s a felt need in the industry to nurture diverse talent. Digital talent is the future of the world. A skilled digital talent pool is growing, yet there’s a demand-supply gap. Women constitute about 36 per cent of the tech industry and they may not occupy all posts; representation of women across all cadres may be missing,” said Shalini Sankarshana, EVP at Broadridge Financials, speaking…

  • New form of 3D printing allows for complex shapes without support struts

    The printed object is fully supported by the thick resin, removing the need for the support structures typically required for creating complex designs with more standard printing methods. The new 3D printing system could also make it easier to print increasingly intricate designs while saving time and material, the researchers believe. “The ability to do this volumetric printing enables you to print objects that were previously very difficult,” said Dan Congreve, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Stanford. “It’s a very exciting opportunity for three-dimensional printing going forward.” The technique uses a focused laser which is shone through a lens into a gelatinous resin that hardens when exposed to blue light. Image credit: Dan Congreve …

  • Children likely to spend 10 years of their lives in VR metaverse, study suggests

    This 10-year figure (calculated as being 2 hours 45 mins of metaverse use per day over the median projected lifespan of today's children being 88.75 years = 10.16 calendar years) supports the IET’s ground-breaking new ‘Safeguarding the Metaverse’ report - which explores both the opportunities and potential harms of the new digital realm. The report has been launched to coincide with the latest reading in Parliament of the UK Government’s new Online Safety Bill. The long-awaited, much-delayed bill passed its second reading today (April 20). The IET's report was co-authored by Catherine Allen, Limina Immersive and Verity McIntosh from the University of the West of England. The IET is calling on politicians and policy makers to ensure comprehensive measures for regulating activity taking place…

  • Energy chief fears 'truly horrific winter' as UK struggles to contain rising energy prices

    Michael Lewis, chief executive of E.ON UK, has warned MPs of the consequences of soaring energy costs once the industry regulator, Ofgem, raises the annual energy cap in October. “We are expecting a severe impact on customers’ ability to pay,” he told MPs at the business, energy and industrial strategy select committee in parliament, adding that he expected debts of customers to rise by 50 per cent, or £800m. The industry called for an “unprecedented” intervention by the government before October to reduce the burden of energy bills. ScottishPower's Keith Anderson proposed the introduction of a £1,000 deficit fund or social tariff for vulnerable customers. Other options discussed were removing VAT on gas and electricity, extending the warm homes discount, removing green levies on bills…

  • Online Safety Bill passes second reading as MPs call for tighter definitions of hate

    Digital minister Nadine Dorries said the new rules will see social media firms “held accountable to their own terms and conditions”. Speaking to the House of Commons she said: “They will be unable any longer to allow illegal content to be published, and we will also be listing in secondary legislation offences that will be legal but harmful. We will be holding those tech giants to account.” The long-delayed Bill was finally published in draft form last May and proposes significant fines for companies that fail to deal with online abuse as well as possible criminal prosecution for executives. The legislation aims to establish a framework for online regulation which upholds freedom of expression whilst also making the internet safe from child predators, extremists and other bad actors …

  • £7.6m fund to decarbonise and improve efficiency of UK’s railways announced

    The Department for Transport is welcoming bids from organisations pitching for projects that will create a greener, more cost-effective and passenger-focused railway. Applicants can submit their ideas from today until 8 June 2022, with bids welcome from organisations of all sizes. Last year saw 33 firms receive grants of up to £400,000 each. The fund has helped to trial and launch over 100 projects in the past which were focused on greener railways, improving passenger experience and accessibility, and helping the railway to be more cost-effective. Past projects include the first trials of hydrogen-powered trains in the UK with Birmingham University’s HydroFLEX project, an app which connects rail travellers to the world outside their window with geolocated audio stories along the route…

  • Printed solar panels to power Tesla on Australian road trip

    The Charge Around Australia project will power a Tesla with 18 of the team’s printed solar panels, each 18m long, rolling them out beside the vehicle to soak up sunlight when the car needs charging. Paul Dastoor, the inventor of the printed solar panels, said the University of Newcastle (New South Wales) team would be testing not only the endurance of the panels but their potential performance for other applications. “This is actually an ideal testbed to give us information about how we go about using and powering technology in other remote locations, for example, in space,” Dastoor told news agency Reuters in the town of Gosforth, north of Sydney. Charge Around Australia project lead and inventor of ‘printed solar’ panels Paul Dastoor next to a printed solar panel…

  • Users of self-driving cars in the UK will not be held responsible for crashes

    UK authorities are making changes to the Highway Code to prepare for the arrival of the first self-driving cars on Britain's roads. Under the proposed changes, drivers will be allowed to watch television programmes and films on built-in screens while using driverless cars, and they will not be held responsible for collisions. However, using a phone behind the wheel will remain illegal and motorists must be ready to take back control of vehicles when needed. In the case of an accident, insurance companies rather than individuals will be liable for claims, the Department for Transport said (DfT). Autonomous driving is expected to improve road safety by reducing human error, which has been identified as the cause of 88 per cent of all traffic accidents. Currently, there are no self-driving…

  • View from Brussels: EU vaccine spat back with a bang

    Slower and lower vaccination rates were a real problem in the early days of the EU’s vaccine rollout, although the tortoise did finally come good in the end when jab supplies eventually caught up with demand. Now the issue is the very opposite, there is too little demand for supply. That poses a problem for the EU executive branch, the European Commission, which is in charge of the procurement programme for the entire bloc of 27 countries. Poland is the first to throw a spanner in the works, confirming this week that it will no longer be drawing jabs from the EU’s pool nor will it pay for more doses. It means an inevitable legal challenge with the pharma giants making the vaccines. The change of policy is down to reduced appetite for vaccines in Poland. Compared with the EU’s average…

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