• Uncrewed RAF aircraft to begin UK trials

    The UK’s air and space force is on its way to incorporating autonomous aircrafts into its fleet. Protector is a new uncrewed aircraft capable of carrying out global surveillance and strike operations. It has a wingspan of 79ft and can operate at heights up to 40,000ft. It also has an endurance of more than 30 hours.  The first of this new line of aircraft will begin a series of tests at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire this week, with a view to joining the fleet in late 2024.  The aircraft is expected to undertake a wide range of tasks, including land and maritime surveillance to track threats, counterterrorism and support to UK civil authorities, such as assisting HM Coastguard with search and rescue missions. It’s arrived! The first of 16 Protector aircraft, the RAF’s latest Remotely…

  • Recycling reforms to standardise collections across the UK

    Currently, local councils take different approaches to recycling, which can cause confusion for residents. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has proposed to standardise collections across the country so people know what materials can and cannot be recycled, regardless of which part of the country they are in. Weekly collections of food waste will also be introduced for most households across England by 2026 in a bid to stop a trend towards three- or four-weekly bin collections seen in some local authorities across the UK, particularly in Wales. The government is proposing new exemptions to make sure that waste collectors will be able to collect dry recyclables together, in the same bin or bag, and collect organic waste together to reduce the number of bins required…

  • The 5-minute guide to quantum computing

    Q: What is it? Peter Haynes, professor of theory and simulation of materials at Imperial College London, said at a recent webinar: “[Quantum physics] is a remarkably successful theory that describes how light and matter behave, particularly at the atomic level.” Understanding this behaviour – the behaviour of atomic and subatomic particles at a fundamental level – opens up new possibilities in computing and other technologies. Q: But is it a ‘thing’ yet? We are getting there, but it is still at the ‘voyage of discovery’ stage. As Professor Myungshik Kim, of the quantum information theory group at Imperial College London, said at the same event: “As we go further into the detail of elementary particles, we should also consolidate work on quantum mechanical interactions of elementary…

  • Heat pump grants boosted as UK flags on heating decarbonisation

    The Boiler Upgrade Scheme should make it cheaper for most households to install heat pumps than gas boilers, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said. The scheme has also been extended by three years to 2028, giving people more time to take advantage. A heat pump takes heat at a low temperature from the air or ground and increases it to a higher temperature before transferring the heat into homes for heating and hot water. The technology is significantly more efficient than traditional boilers and, unlike gas boilers, can be run on clean electricity rather than fossil fuels. The UK needs to retrofit around two houses per minute between now and 2035 to meet the government’s targets on energy efficiency. Last year, research from Wunderflats ranked the UK near the bottom of 28…

  • Breaking the link between industrial pollution and antibiotic resistance

    Well-managed wastewater treatment plants, operated correctly, are probably, singularly, the most important barrier for disease spread there is – better than the best vaccine,” says David Graham, professor of ecosystems engineering at Newcastle University.  Graham is a co-author of a recent United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report, Bracing for superbugs, which evidences the deadly spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR renders frequently used antibiotics ineffective at treating common bacterial infections, such as pneumonia. The World Health Organization considers it to be one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity today.  This is for good reason. In 2019, AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide, and associated with nearly five…

  • Spacesuit that can repel lunar dust being developed for Artemis mission

    Lunar dust potentially poses serious risks to both astronauts and their equipment on the Moon’s surface. According to Nasa, it is composed of fine crushed rock – an abrasive substance that can damage lunar landers and human lungs if inhaled, as well as interfere with instruments and mechanisms. Lunar dust even causes radiators to overheat and can destroy spacesuits. On the Sun-facing side of the Moon, it also carries solar radiation that makes it cling to everything, compounding its potential risks. Nasa’s Artemis programme aims to land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon by 2029, marking a return to lunar exploration more than 50 years on from the previous trip. Researchers at Hawai'i Pacific University (HPU) have been given a $50,000 grant from Nasa to build a ‘Liquid…

  • Carmakers failing to decarbonise supply chains despite rising EV sales

    The annual ranking from Greenpeace East Asia evaluates the world’s 15 largest traditional carmakers on their phase-out of combustion engine vehicles, supply chain decarbonisation, and resource reduction and circularity. This year, Japan’s Suzuki received the lowest score, followed by China’s Great Wall Motor and Japanese firm Toyota. China’s largest automaker, SAIC, had the highest volume of EV sales, but took just third place in the ranking due to its slow progress on supply chain decarbonisation. In 2022, three in every 10 vehicles sold by SAIC were EVs. Chongqing-based Changan and Great Wall Motor ranked 12 th and 14 th respectively due to poor supply chain decarbonisation, despite their relatively high proportion of zero-emission vehicle sales. “Neither automaker has issued adequate…

  • Meta, TikTok and X face EU disinformation investigation

    Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and ByteDance’s TikTok have been given a week to provide the European Commission with data regarding the measures they have put in place to stop the spread of disinformation on their platforms, particularly surrounding the conflict in Gaza.   The news follows the bloc's decision to open a probe into Elon Musk’s X – formerly known as Twitter – regarding similar concerns. The request is the first procedure to be carried out under the EU’s Digital Service Act, which recently came into effect. The law aims to create  a  ‘rulebook’ for online platforms  by regulating companies’ content moderation policies and advertising practices. It also requires that platforms share details of their algorithms with regulators and, in certain cases,  with independent researchers. …

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  • British Museum decides to digitise its collection after suffering 2,000 thefts

    The famous London museum decided to digitise its collection following reports that the thefts of 2,000 artefacts had gone unnoticed over the past 20 years.  “Essentially we were the victims of an inside job by someone we believe, who over a long period of time was stealing from the museum and who the museum had put trust in,” said George Osborne, the museum’s chair. “There are lots of lessons to be learned.” Of the 2,000 stolen items, about 350 have been recovered so far . Last month, the museum launched a public appeal for assistance in locating the remaining artefacts, believed to be pieces of jewellery dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman periods, as well as small objects such as gems, often set in rings. The museum believes the thefts were made possible by a lack of accessible…

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  • Public unconvinced by smart meter roll-out, report finds

    In a new report, the PAC said that the roll-out had failed to meet its original targets and has repeatedly shifted its deadlines for completion. It also said that consumers with traditional meters are less interested in having a smart meter. Reports of forced switching of consumers to smart meters last winter may have dissuaded people from installing one, the PAC said. The initial roll-out saw many customers receive first-generation SMETS1 meters that lost function when they switched to a new supplier, meaning that their meters became analogue and they had to submit readings manually. The government aimed to upgrade them to second-generation models that could work across suppliers, but as of May this year, around four million first-gen meters were still running. The PAC report also…

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  • Amazon to bring drone deliveries to UK customers late next year

    The firm launched a similar service in the US nearly a year ago for packages weighing under 2.2kg. As part of the UK roll-out, new MK30 drone designs have been unveiled, which are said to be quieter, smaller and lighter than previous models. They can also fly twice as far as previous Prime Air drone models and operate in more diverse weather conditions. Amazon said it was “working closely” with both national and international regulators to develop the programme. The firm had previously attempted a similar service with support from the UK government in 2015 . But it wound down those efforts after failing to secure full regulatory approval. “We have committed the necessary time and resources to build a safe and scalable service,” Amazon said. “We have refined the technology, and are…

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  • Nokia to cut up to 14,000 jobs by 2026

    Nokia will attempt to reduce costs by €800m to €1.2bn (£695m to £1bn) by 2026, which could affect 16 per cent of its workforce, the company revealed. The telecommunications company reported that sales slumped by 20 per cent between July and September, blaming the fall on slowing demand for 5 G equipment. As a result, Q3 profits fell by 70 per cent to €133m (£116m) compared with €428m a year earlier. Nokia had aimed to balance out the slowdown in demand in North America by expanding its business in India, but the strategy has not been successful, as sales in the Asian nation had only been “moderate”.  “The most difficult business decisions to make are the ones that impact our people,” said Pekka Lundmark, Nokia chief executive. “We have immensely talented employees at Nokia and we will…

  • World needs 80 million more kilometres of new power lines by 2040, IEA finds

    A new IEA report on global electrical grids said that a “lack of ambition and attention” risks making electricity grids the “weak link” within the global transition to clean energy.  The agency said that grid investment needs to double to more than $600bn (£495bn) a year by 2030, or electrical grids could become a barrier to the deployment of renewables and electric transport options – risking climate catastrophe and frequent blackouts.  The report found that 80 million kilometres (49.7 million miles) of transmission lines will be needed by 2040 in order for countries to meet their climate goals and energy demands.  This is roughly equivalent to the total number of miles of electrical grid that currently exist in the world, according to the IEA. The lack of investment in the sector is…

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  • AI-powered lasers orbiting the Earth could help tackle space junk problem

    As the amount of space debris in orbit increases, so does the risk that some of it will collide with manned and unmanned space assets. It is estimated that around one million pieces of debris larger than a centimetre are in Earth’s orbit, and around 100 trillion pieces of old satellite are not being tracked. West Virginia University (WVU) researchers believe that the best chance for preventing those collisions is an array of multiple lasers mounted on platforms in space. The lasers could be powered by AI and manoeuvre together in order to respond rapidly to debris of any size. The work is currently in its early stages, and the team are verifying that the algorithms they are developing would be a cost-effective solution. Team leader Hang Woon Lee is director of the Space Systems Operations…

  • EU agrees to reform the energy market with consensus on nuclear power

    After months of deadlock, EU member states have agreed a position regarding the need to reform the bloc’s electricity market.  The reform aims to make electricity prices less dependent on volatile fossil fuel prices, shield consumers from price spikes, accelerate the deployment of renewable energies and improve consumer protection, the European Commission said.  The need for a reform was prompted by the gas shortages and high energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine .  However, negotiations stalled over the issue of nuclear energy. While France supported a motion to use state-backed investment schemes for clean energy projects, Germany expressed concerns that the French would use the funds to obtain huge profits from its large nuclear fleet, which generate about 70 per cent…

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  • The eccentric engineer: the law of unintended consequences

    The rather portly and illiterate father of 13 children, James Hargreaves made his living as a hand loom weaver in Blackburn. In the 18th century, this job was one of the ‘cottage industries’ practised from home that formed the basis of England’s famous woollen cloth-making economy, along with wool carding and spinning.  In this labour-intensive business it took three carders to prepare the wool for one spinner and perhaps three spinners to provide enough thread for one weaver. As such, it was the business of the whole family and for many rural communities, particularly in the North West, this craft, along with farming a few acres of land, provided their entire income and was the mainstay of a centuries-old economy.  It was a business that, if not hugely lucrative, was regular and employed…

  • Experts demand tougher limits for ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

    Stricter limits on the amount of ‘forever chemicals’ permitted in drinking water in the UK should be significantly changed to mirror those of other countries, the institution has said. ‘Forever chemicals’ or PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of around 12,000 different chemicals commonly found in non-stick cookware, waterproof cosmetics, firefighting foams and products that resist grease and oil. Despite their utility, they have been associated with dangerous health effects on humans, livestock and the environment. Some PFAS have even been linked to cancers, liver and thyroid disease, immune and fertility problems and developmental defects in unborn children. The current guidance of PFAS in UK drinking water is 100 nanograms (ng) a litre for 47 individual types of…

  • Hydrogen not suitable for heating British homes, infrastructure report says

    In wide-ranging review of the UK’s infrastructure, the body asserted that electrification was the only viable option for decarbonising buildings at scale and reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels. Gas boilers currently heat around 88 per cent of English buildings, but need to be phased out rapidly for the country to meet its climate commitments. Around eight million additional buildings will need to switch to low-carbon heating by 2035, and all buildings by 2050. The government is currently looking at plans to start pumping a 20 per cent hydrogen gas blend into the supply network as early as 2028. But the NIC said its analysis “demonstrates that there is no public policy case for hydrogen to be used to heat individual buildings”. It urged the government to devote £1.5bn to…

  • US to enforce new restrictions on China chips

    The US Department of Commerce is taking further steps to limit exports of advanced silicon chip technology to China. The new rules will go into effect in 30 days. They blacklist Chinese chip designers Moore Threads and Biren, and restrict the sale of a large range of advanced semiconductor technologies to 21 countries, including Iran and Russia, over fears the equipment could be diverted to China and other national security concerns. According to commerce department secretary Gina Raimondo, the rules aim to limit China’s access to “advanced semiconductors that could fuel breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and sophisticated computers that are critical to [Chinese] military applications”.  The new measures are also address the loopholes created by the rules set in 2022, which banned…

  • AIs could help plan biological attacks, research finds

    The RAND Corporation has released a report warning that artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots could be used to facilitate biological attacks by providing advice on how to conceal the true purpose of the purchase of anthrax, smallpox and plague bacteria.  The research team conducted tests on LLMs – although it did not reveal which ones – that it accessed through an  application programming interface (API), similar to that of OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Bard. In one instance, the researchers asked LLMs about which biological weapons could create a plague pandemic scenario and talked to the system about p otential agents, as well as considering budget and success factors. The LLM answered by identifying potential biological agents – including those that cause smallpox, anthrax and plague…

  • Rolls-Royce cutting 2,500 jobs as part of ‘streamlining’ efforts

    Rolls-Royce employs 42,000 people worldwide and estimates that the new plan will see around 2,000 to 2,500 made redundant. This amounts to about 6 per cent of its total workforce, half of which are in the UK, with a further 11,000 in Germany and 5,500 in the US. While it has not detailed exactly where the cuts will be made, its Derby factory that makes nuclear-powered reactors for Royal Navy submarines will not be affected. The team responsible for product safety and engineering standards is expected to be unified across the business and will be led by Simon Burr, who currently heads the firm’s product development arm. “The proposals include creating a new enterprise-wide procurement and supplier management organisation to support the consolidation of group spend, leverage scale and develop…

  • Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm now fully operational

    114 Vestas V164-10.0 MW turbines at Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm have all been switched on, taking the country a step closer to net zero. The 1,075MW wind farm has enough capacity to power nearly 1.6 million homes annually – approximately two-thirds of all homes in Scotland – displacing over 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from electricity generated by fossil fuels every year.  Humza Yousaf, Scotland ’ s first minister, said the project is “ a fantastic example of the work being done to unleash Scotland’s renewable potential ” and  that would take the nation one step closer to “ creating a net zero energy system that delivers affordable, secure and clean energy ”. The facility is located  27km off the Angus coast in the North Sea’s Firth of Forth. In addition to being the…

  • Interview: talking techno-panic with Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

    A heavy cost of everything being connected in the digital landscape is that humans will start to lose their identity. This is the conclusion offered by technology entrepreneur, psychologist and author Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, who thinks that, for the past decade “we’ve been worrying about the rise of AI [artificial intelligence] and the automation of jobs, while inadvertently automating ourselves by living robotic lives. Today, we’re busy training AI by clicking here, dragging there and ignoring the real world. This makes us a predictable and boring species.” The idea of trading in humanity’s uniqueness for a digitally enabled existence in which content creation, social media and data become part of an extended homogenised machine forms the central theme of Chamorro-Premuzic’s latest book…

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    E+T Magazine

  • All newbuilds should be fitted with rooftop solar panels, climate advisers say

    The NICW called for an “immediate review” into building regulations that would see all new housing developments fitted with solar panels and batteries to store excess energy. The extremely low cost of both solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies is one of the reasons the NICW suggests mandating them on newbuilds. According to the International Energy Agency, the cost of solar has plummeted in recent years because of improvements in panel technology. This has led to a higher percentage of sunlight being converted into electricity. In the early 1980s, the average cost of solar panels was around $30 (£24) per watt. Today, it is less than $0.50 (£0.40) per watt – a 98 per cent cost reduction. The NICW said that solar thermal technologies in particular can make a sizeable impact on buildings…

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