• Engineered fibres are stronger than steel and spider silk

    Spider silk is recognised as one of the strongest, toughest materials on Earth. Now, engineers at Washington University have developed fibres stronger and tougher than some natural spider silks which are produced by engineered bacteria. The amyloid-silk hybrid proteins were developed in the laboratory of Professor Fuzhong Zhang, who has worked extensively with spider silk. In 2018, his lab engineered bacteria to produce a recombinant spider silk on par with its natural counterparts regarding all important mechanical properties. “After our previous work, I wondered if we could create something better than spider silk using our synthetic biology platform,” said Zhang. Zhang and his team modified the amino acid sequence of spider silk proteins to introduce new properties, while maintaining…

  • Poorly designed power lines killing globally threatened birds of prey

    Ongoing developments to improve universal access to electricity, while necessary, are unfortunately also undermining conservation work to protect endangered birds of prey and potentially causing population declines in Europe. The widespread threats in Ethiopia are particularly worrying as the country is a global hotspot for vulture conservation. Endangered birds of prey are being killed in Africa and the Middle East through poorly designed power lines, scientists have warned. Two papers, published recently in the journal Bird Conservation International, have highlighted the threats posed to globally threatened birds of prey. Large wintering congregations of steppe eagles in the Saudi Arabian desert and Egyptian vultures in Ethiopia are increasingly being exposed to electricity infrastructure…

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  • EU proposes crackdown on anonymous cryptocurrency payments

    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) proposed a law to apply the travel rule to cryptocurrency transactions, rendering them traceable. This rule already applied to conventional wire transfers. It forces the sender and recipient to exchange certain identifying information when funds are transferred between financial institutions. Under the proposal, a company handling cryptocurrency for a customer must note the customer’s name, address, date of birth and account number, and the name of the recipient. The company handling the recipient’s account must then check that all this information is correct and present. Just as anonymous bank accounts are illegal under EU anti-money-laundering rules, anonymous cryptocurrency wallets will also be prohibited. “We shouldn’t have different rules for…

  • UK homes are not sufficiently protected from climate change risk, insurer warns

    A Heriot-Watt University study from earlier this year predicted that flooding across the UK could increase by an average of 15-35 per cent by the year 2080. Areas of West London faced nearly three inches of rain in just 90 minutes last week, causing widespread issues. In its 'Building Future Communities' report, Aviva has called for action from all parties concerned to address the threats climate change poses to UK property and livelihoods. The insurance company said that greater use of “nature-based solutions” should be employed which can help guard against multiple climate risks and called for a strengthening of planning regulations to protect UK properties. New properties should not be being built on floodplains, the report said, while all existing and future properties should have adequate…

  • Enzyme-based plastics recycling more energy efficient, analysis suggests

    The analysis - conducted by researchers in the Bottle Consortium, including representatives from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Portsmouth - identified that using enzymes could be a more sustainable approach for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a type of plastic commonly used to manufacture single-use beverage bottles, clothing and food packaging, all of which are increasingly relevant in addressing the environmental challenge of plastic pollution. The new research addresses the challenges of plastic recyclability. While images of discarded bottles floating in oceans and other waterways provide a visual reminder of the problems posed by plastic waste, the lesser-seen issue remains of what to do with the PET…

  • Reusable masks could slash pandemic waste

    Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, doctors and other healthcare professionals have at times struggled to access enough face masks and other PPE as demand soars for protection capable of filtering SARS-CoV-2. Disposable N95 masks (approximately equivalent to FFF3 masks in Europe) have been in especially high demand, and in the early stages of the pandemic many hospitals reduced use by having healthcare workers wear a mask for a full day rather than switching between patients. Some US hospitals used decontamination systems – which use hydrogen peroxide vapour or UV light – to sterilise masks for reuse, allowing one mask to be worn for several days. All of those masks carry both financial and environmental costs; a new MIT study which analysed the costs of different mask use, has found that…

  • How a few basic principles can help protect critical IIoT systems

    The industrial sector is facing a new set of challenges when it comes to securing a converged IT-OT (information technology/operational technology) environment. We’ve seen these growing pains come to light over the past several months in the form of the Solarwinds incident, and through continued attacks on critical infrastructure, including major pipeline operators, food distributors, water and power supply. In the past, cyber security was focused on IT assets like servers and workstations, but the increased connectivity of systems requires that industrial security professionals expand their understanding of what’s in their environment. Bottom line – you can’t protect what you don’t know about. Not to mention, the increase in large-scale ransomware attacks has proven that IT events often…

  • Helium balloon-lifted space telescope could be cheap rival for Hubble

    Developed by Nasa and the Canadian Space Agency, the 'Superpressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope' (SuperBIT) flies above 99.5 per cent of the Earth’s atmosphere and is carried by a helium balloon the size of a football stadium. While light from distant galaxies can travel for billions of years to reach our telescopes, once it reaches the Earth’s turbulent atmosphere the view becomes blurred. Observatories on the ground are built at high altitude sites to overcome some of this, but until now only placing a telescope in space can escape the effects of the atmosphere completely. The SuperBIT has a 0.5 metre diameter mirror and will be carried to a 40km altitude by a helium balloon with a volume of 532,000 cubic metres, about the size of a football stadium. Its final test flight in 2019…

  • Hands-on review: Zhiyun Smooth-Q3 smartphone gimbal

    We looked at this unit's predecessor, the Smooth-Q2 , and were impressed with its feature set, its capabilities and the photo and video results we got with it. What does the Q3 bring to the party? The obvious standout new feature is the 4,300-kelvins warm-toned integrated fill light built into the clamp of the gimbal. This features three levels of brightness adjustment and touch-button control and can be rotated for either 180° front or rear lighting. This soft but powerful light contributes to a warmer, more natural skin tone and is well-suited to day or night-time use. Obviously at night, or in dark spaces indoors, having a dedicated light is immensely useful, making it much easier to capture clear portrait images or moody videos in low-light conditions. It's a little like having your…

  • Crackdown planned for online rip-offs and fake reviews

    Businesses offering subscriptions will be required to make clear exactly what consumers are signing up for and allow them to cancel easily. The government also said that “consumer catfishes” responsible for fake online reviews would be targeted with rules making it automatically illegal to pay someone to write or host a fake review. Fake reviews are a serious problem for large online marketplaces such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google on which third-party sellers and businesses compete, with dishonest incentives being widely offered for five-star reviews in some areas. Regulators will also be helped to stamp out other dodgy tactics used to manipulate people browsing for goods and services online. These include tactics that manipulate consumers into spending more than they wanted to, and negative…

  • UK government seeks to curb dominance of digital giants

    The Digital Markets Unit (DMU) was launched within the Competition and Markets Authority in non-statutory form in April, with special responsibility for regulating the digital economy. According to the government’s plans, it will be given the power to designate technology companies with substantial, entrenched market power with 'Strategic Market Status' (SMS). SMS will require them to follow a code of conduct which lays out its responsibilities to competitors and customers. The government hopes that the rules will result in more innovation and fairer terms for UK businesses – especially tech start-ups, news publishers and advertisers – as well as giving consumers real choice to switch to a different service provider. The code of conduct covers acceptable behaviour as it relates to fair…

  • Smart technologies and data posited to future-proof energy supply

    Smart and flexible energy systems will be needed if the UK is to meet its world-leading commitments to tackling climate change by 2050. Meeting the increasing demand for electricity, as fossil fuels are phased out, will require a system that ensures the supply of clean energy from renewable sources is guaranteed even when the wind is not blowing or the Sun is not shining. The 'Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan and Energy Digitalisation Strategy', published jointly by the government and Ofgem, is intended to deliver on the commitments made by the government in its  'Energy White Paper'  and represent a step forward on the path to providing flexibility for the nation’s energy network. According to the joint coalition, unleashing the full potential of smart systems and flexibility in the…

  • Covid economic recovery plans failing to target green energy, IEA report warns

    The amount of clean energy spending in the second quarter of this year totalled around $380bn, or just 2 per cent of their total stimulus funds in response to the pandemic. These sums of money, both public and private, currently fall well short of what is needed to reach international climate goals, the report suggests. These shortfalls were particularly pronounced in emerging and developing economies, many of which face financing challenges. Under the current recovery spending plans, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are set to climb to record levels in 2023 and continue rising in the following years. “Since the Covid-19 crisis erupted, many governments may have talked about the importance of building back better for a cleaner future, but many of them are yet to put their money where…

  • Cyber attack takes Northern Trains’ ticket machines offline

    The ticketing system has been offline since last week while an investigation is being conducted, but Northern Trains said that these are the only machines affected. The operator installed more than 600 new ticket machines across the network earlier this year as part of a £17m scheme to provide passengers with modern touch-screen machines at over 400 stations across the north of England. The servers that operate these ticket machines have now been impacted by the suspected cyber attack. “This is the subject of an ongoing investigation with our supplier, but indications are that the ticket machine service has been subject to a ransomware cyber attack,” Northern said. It added that no customer or payment data had been compromised and that customers could still buy train tickets online. Flowbird…

  • Scientists develop world’s thinnest magnet

    According to the researchers, the magnet could make advances in next-gen memories, computing, spintronics – such as high-density, compact spintronic memory devices – and quantum physics. It was developed by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley. “We’re the first to make a room-temperature 2D magnet that is chemically stable under ambient conditions,” said senior author Jie Yao, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division and associate professor of materials science and engineering at UC Berkeley. Graduate student at UC Berkeley, Rui Chen, added: “This discovery is exciting because it not only makes 2D magnetism possible at room temperature, but it also uncovers a new mechanism to realise 2D magnetic…

  • UK and allies blame Chinese government for orchestrating Microsoft hack

    The cyber attacks took place in early 2021, targeting Microsoft Exchange (Microsoft’s email software) servers. A group known as Hafnium compromised Microsoft Exchange, allowing it to penetrate into the IT networks of its targets. The attack was so widespread that at the time, the White House National Security Council formed an emergency response group to deal with the attack. Microsoft said that by end of March, 92 per cent of customers had been patched against the vulnerability. Now, according to British officials, the attack was very likely to have been carried out to enable “large-scale espionage”, including stealing personal information and intellectual property. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)  is “almost certain” that the compromise was initiated and exploited by actors…

  • Equinor confirms bid for major offshore wind platform on Scottish coast

    The firm has already floated wind turbines at Hywind, located off the northeast coast of Scotland, that are now generating energy. Equinor's bid follows the closure of the ScotWind Leasing process on Friday, with final offers from all firms expected by no later than 5pm on that day. ScotWind was launched in June 2020 and was the first round of seabed leasing for offshore wind in Scottish waters in over a decade. Scottish Power and Shell put forward their own tender for a floating offshore wind farm last week . The sector is expected to be a significant area of green growth this decade as technology costs fall and the floating tech could prove particularly cost-effective in areas with deep waters where fixed offshore wind is not feasible. The Scottish coast is seen as an ideal location…

  • Covid-19 simulations at cellular level for in silico drug trials

    The applied mathematics researchers are using in silico experiments to replicate in great detail how the human immune system responds to the novel coronavirus. This refers to trials carried out via computer simulations, rather than in vitro or in vivo experiments situated in test tubes or in living organisms; in silico trials are a complement to these real-world trials. “It’s not that in silico trials should replace clinical trials,” said Professor Anita Layton, who holds a chair in mathematical biology and medicine. “A model is a simplification, but it can help us whittle down the drugs for clinical trials. Clinical trials are expensive and can cost human lives. Using models helps narrow the drug candidates to the ones that are best for safety and efficacy.” Their model describes the control…

  • Siemens to build major battery storage facility in Germany

    Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Zukunftsenergie Nordostbayern GmbH have together signed a letter of intent in Wunsiedel for the turnkey construction of a 100MW battery storage facility in the German town. The plant, with a storage capacity of 200MWh, is intended to use surplus renewable energy and cover demand peaks in the power grid. The 5,000 square-metre energy storage facility is capable of supplying 20,000 typical households with electricity for a year. The lithium-ion battery storage system will be provided by Fluence, a joint venture between Siemens and AES. Siemens will handle project management, including a technical implementation concept, as well as the construction of a medium-voltage switchgear system and connection to the high-voltage grid. The letter of intent also includes…

  • National Grid to be stripped of role operating UK’s electricity networks

    In 2017, Ofgem gave National Grid two years to separate its functions involved in operating the electricity system. This led to the creation of the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) in 2019, although it was still owned outright by National Grid. However, in January Ofgem recommended creating a new body entirely free from National Grid that would lead the transformation of the UK’s electricity system to its long term goal of carbon-free power. It was also concerned that the relationship between National Grid and its subsidiary ESO could create conflicts of interest. It seems the Government has now taken that recommendation on board and will, according to The Times, unveil a consultation outlining the creation of a “Future System Operator”. The body would manage the UK’s electricity…

  • View from India: Airports adapt to post-pandemic travel

    Nowadays, the airport is more like a city. Looking ahead, large airports could start to resemble an integrated township, complete with shopping malls, hospitality brands and hospital units. “As the airport will have all the tech updates of a smart city, operational efficiencies will improve and sustenance will become profitable. Sustenance takes into account the electricity-water usage and wastage,” suggested Sanjay Sudhakaran, CEO, Schneider Electric Infrastructure Limited, speaking at a recent webinar hosted by CII/Schneider, titled 'Sustainable and Resilient Airports of Tomorrow'. Software solutions could help in the management of electricity and water, with software tools and data analytics to enable ease of operations. A data-centric approach could help in creating a seamless experience…

  • Analysis: Illegal gold mining in Peru set to continue

    The price of gold is sensitive to crisis, but can itself be the cause of turmoil, especially in an environmental context. During the past year and a half of the global pandemic, the gold price reached historic heights. As a result, an artisanal gold-mining boom swept the world, notably in countries that are but resource-rich. From African states like Ghana or the Democratic Republic of Congo , to Indonesia in Asia, dangerous and often deadly illegal gold-mining has flourished. Some criminal narcotics gangs are even said to have dropped the drug trade and are concentrating on artisanal gold mining because of its higher profitability. Despite a global illegal gold-mining trend, its impact might be nowhere near as consequential and devastating for the climate as it is right now in Latin…

  • Sensors on floor of Atlantic Ocean to measure Earth’s ‘pulse’

    The seismometers, which detect vibrations due to seismic waves, will be deployed in an array across a region encompassing the Canary Islands and the archipelagos of Azores and Madeira. They will continuously record Earth’s ground motions over the course of a year. The project particularly aims to gain more knowledge about massive “upwellings” of material pushing up from Earth’s mantle, which are poorly understood because they can occur far from the boundaries of continental plates and are therefore not covered by plate tectonic theories. Professor Ana Ferreira of UCL Earth Sciences said: “This is a first of a kind seismic experiment. It is the first time we have covered such a large region of the North Atlantic Ocean with these highly sensitive instruments. By analysing their data, we hope…

  • The eccentric engineer: ‘child hatching’ to save premature babies

    Persuading old institutions to adopt new technologies hard, and when the Establishment turns against you, even the best ideas can be relegated to the ranks of side-shows. In the 19th century, premature babies stood only about a 50 per cent chance of surviving due to their inability to maintain homeostasis. The first baby incubator was developed from Stéphane Étienne Tarnier’s idea that this might be controlled by isolation and a rigorous hygiene and feeding regime in a warm, humid environment. Tarnier introduced his prototype incubators, based on poultry incubators he’d seen at the Paris zoo, to the Paris Maternité in 1881. Simple devices – wooden boxes with glass lids, lined with hot water bottles – they reduced infant mortality at the hospital by 28 per cent. Soon more sophisticated machines…

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