• New study reveals what happens to the 52 million tonnes of plastic pollution every year

    Uncollected waste and open burning are leading causes of the plastic pollution crisis. That's the conclusion of research at the University of Leeds based on a new global plastics pollution inventory. Each year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced. Many of these products are single-use and hard to recycle, and can stay in the environment for decades or centuries, often being fragmented into microplastics. Once these single-use plastics have been used, what happens to them? To find out, researchers at the University of Leeds used AI to model waste management in more than 50,000 municipalities around the world. The results reveal that 52 million tonnes of plastic products entered the environment in 2020. Two-thirds of this plastic pollution comes from uncollected rubbish…

  • Boeing’s Starliner returns empty after ISS mission failures, casting doubt on future viability

    Boeing’s Starliner capsule has returned from the International Space Station (ISS) after three months – but without returning the two astronauts it was meant to bring back to Earth. The long-delayed Starliner achieved its first crewed launch in June after years of delays. It successfully docked with the ISS, with Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to undertake an eight-day mission before heading back to Earth. But the plans went awry when, during the docking procedure, Starliner suffered various thruster failures and helium leaks. This forced the astronauts to remain stranded aboard the ISS while Nasa considered whether to use Starliner or opt for an alternative return journey using a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Nasa ultimately opted for the latter, and over the weekend it brought Starliner…

  • From the archives - Faraday's electromagnetic induction and the Panama canal

    Tanya Weaver looks back at the creation of the first electric transformer, the birth of the internet and a vital link between oceans. 193 years ago Bright spark On 29 August 1831, Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction, the principles of which are used in many applications today, from inductive chargers and transformers to electric motors and generators. Born in 1791 in Southwark, Faraday received very little schooling but made up for it with hands-on tinkering and experimentation. Most of this took place in the basement laboratory of the Royal Institution where he was a laboratory assistant. Having already conducted a series of experiments that built on the discovery of electromagnetism by Danish chemist Hans Christian Ørsted, Faraday carried out one further test that…

  • Final section of Britain’s longest rail bridge lowered into place as part of HS2

    The final section of Britain’s longest rail bridge has been lowered into place near London as part of the HS2 project. The 3.4km-long deck of Colne Valley Viaduct, on which work started in May 2022, just beats the 3.3km Tay Bridge linking Fife and Dundee, which had held the crown of Britain’s longest rail bridge since 1887. HS2 built 1,000 pre-cast segments at a purpose-built factory on-site. The gently-curved structure stretches across the Colne Valley near the M25 motorway and the village of Denham. It will carry high-speed trains running to and from the capital at speeds of up to 320km/h. Once the main civil engineering phase of construction ends, the factory and surrounding buildings will be removed, and the whole area between the viaduct and HS2’s 10-mile tunnel beneath the Chiltern…

  • Norway’s long-range underwater drone reaches next fully-autonomous milestone

    Norway-based Kongsberg Discovery has announced its long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) HUGIN Endurance has completed a multi-week fully-autonomous mission reaching depths of 3,400m. Kongsberg Discovery, which supplies high-technology systems and solutions for the ocean space environment, first launched its HUGIN Endurance AUV in 2021. The largest in its AUV range, the 8 tonne, 40ft HUGIN Endurance has been designed to enable autonomous operations directly from shore. With its onboard batteries, the drone can remain in the sea for 15 days, traveling up to 2,200km. It comes equipped with a wide range of sensors to collect data such as conductivity, temperature, sound speed, methane and CO2 and O2 concentration. Sea trials for the first production unit of the HUGIN Endurance…

  • UK signs first international legally binding treaty governing safe use of artificial intelligence

    Human rights and democracy will be further protected from threats posed by AI under a new international agreement signed by the countries that negotiated it, including European Union members, the US and the UK. The Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law was opened for signature today during a conference of Council of Europe ministers of justice in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius. The convention was signed by Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Norway, Moldova, San Marino and the UK as well as Israel, the US and the European Union. Adopted in May 2024 after discussions between 57 countries, the AI convention provides a legal framework covering the entire life cycle of AI systems. It promotes AI progress and innovation, while managing the risks it…

  • Major English cities must rapidly expand zero-emission bus fleets to meet net zero targets

    England’s major cities must rapidly increase their adoption of zero-emission buses (ZEBs) if ambitious net zero targets are going to be met, Urban Transport Group (UTG) has said. The body, which represents local transport authorities, believes that around 15,000 buses will need to become zero emissions – which include electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles – by 2036. According to government statistics, there were 16,500 buses operating in London and the metropolitan areas at the end of March 2023, but just 1,200 (7%) of these are ZEBs, with the vast majority (1,000) in the capital. Just 100 ZEBs were found to be operating elsewhere in England. The manufacturers of the buses were interviewed for a new report in an effort to understand how the government can help boost their production…

  • High electricity costs leave UK steel industry struggling to compete with Europe

    The UK’s steel industry is struggling to compete with European competitors because of the high cost of domestic electricity, a trade body has warned. The sector’s energy use is already equivalent to around 800,000 homes, but decarbonisation efforts will lead many producers to switch away from blast furnaces to using electric arc furnaces instead. Just a single electric arc furnace uses about 0.5MWh of electricity per tonne of steel – mass roll-out of the technology is therefore expected to double the sector’s electricity usage. According to UK Steel, domestic steel producers pay as much as 50% more than competitors in France and Germany, accounting for an additional £37m in electricity costs. The average price faced by domestic steelmakers for 2024/25 is £66/MWh compared to the German…

  • BMW trials ’motionless’ wind energy system on top of its Mini plant in Oxford

    On the roof of BMW Group’s Oxford plant is a prototype bladeless wind energy solution that is harnessing wind power to produce clean energy. This pilot unit has been developed by US start-up Aeromine Technologies, which was founded in 2021 with the aim of bringing the wind energy to the rooftop power generation market. The noiseless and vibration-free units have been designed to sit on the edge of flat roofs, where they are orientated towards the prevailing wind. The technology leverages aerodynamics similar to airfoils on a race car in that the unit’s wing-like vertical airfoils create a vacuum effect, drawing air behind an internal propeller to generate clean electricity. Aeromine claims that if its system – which consists of 20 to 40 units and is typically 50kW or larger – is installed…

  • UKAEA unveils the technical progress being made on nation’s first prototype fusion plant

    The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) provides a complete snapshot of the UK’s first-of-a-kind fusion powerplant prototype through 15 peer-reviewed papers in a publication produced by the Royal Society. The UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), is currently under development by the UKAEA at a site in north Nottinghamshire, where characterisation works surveying ground and environment are well under way. The aim is for the plant to be operational by 2040. STEP was first announced in 2019 when the UK government revealed it was committing £220m to its design. The reason for this substantial investment is that fusion is a potential source of almost limitless clean energy, which is vital amid rising energy prices and the climate…

  • UK government sets in motion rail reform with launch of ‘shadow’ body to overhaul railways

    The UK government announces the launch of Shadow Great British Railways as the Public Ownership Bill progresses through parliament. In the Labour manifesto, one of the party’s standout commitments was the creation of Great British Railways (GBR) – an effective renationalisation of the UK’s rail system that will happen gradually as existing private contracts elapse. In its manifesto, Labour said GBR will deliver a “unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility”. Transport secretary Louise Haigh has a major role in overseeing the government’s plan to bring the UK’s railways back into public ownership. When Labour came into power in July 2024 she pledged that the government will “deliver value for…

  • Eccentric Engineer - Swing into Spring

    One of the simplest machines in engineering has to be the pendulum, a device known to anyone who has ever tied anything to a bit of string. But it has a strange and misunderstood history. You might imagine that the history of the pendulum is as old as history itself, but it is only really during the Renaissance that people started to wonder about them as timekeepers. The first clock with a pendulum appears, perhaps not surprisingly, in a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci from 1494 but, as with so many of his devices, he never built one, so we can’t be sure it would have worked any better than his helicopter. The list of illustrious scientists and pendulum myths grows from there. A story tells how Galileo Galilei was standing in Pisa Cathedral in 1581 when a breeze set the lamps of the building…

  • Volvo claims its electric semitruck can drive up to 600km on one charge

    Volvo’s electric semitruck can drive up to 600km on a single charge, representing a “breakthrough” for long-distance cargo transport, the Swedish car firm has said. Commercial vehicles responsible for transporting goods have to be capable of travelling long distances while carrying significant weight. To achieve this, they require heavy, expensive batteries, and range anxiety becomes more of an issue for long-haul journeys – factors that have caused issues for electrifying semitrucks in the past. But Volvo says its FH Electric truck, to be launched next year, has enough range to allow transport companies to operate on regional and long-distance routes, with drivers being able to work a full day without having to recharge. “Our new electric flagship will be a great complement to our wide…

  • Researchers solve ‘electrifying’ mystery of how giant gold nuggets are formed

    Giant gold nuggets formed in quartz veins could be the result of earthquakes and electricity, say researchers at Australia’s Monash University. How exactly gold nuggets form has had scientists scratching their heads for many years. Often found nestled within quartz veins, gold flakes will sometimes clump together to form very large nuggets. Indeed, the 78kg ‘Welcome Stranger’, found in Australia in 1869, is often considered the biggest gold nugget ever found. However, how these nuggets form has remained a mystery – a mystery that new research led by Chris Voisey from Australia’s Monash University School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment has helped solve. “The standard explanation is that gold precipitates from hot, water-rich fluids as they flow through cracks in the Earth’s crust…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Green energy auction secures 131 new UK projects in turnaround from last year’s setback

    The UK’s renewable energy auction has secured around 131 new green infrastructure projects, marking a significant turnaround from last year’s failed auction. According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), once complete, the projects will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 11 million homes. The government is under pressure to ramp up renewables quickly after committing to entirely decarbonise the UK’s electricity grid by 2030 in its manifesto. The results are a marked improvement on the previous auction round in 2023, which saw zero offshore wind projects agreed. The result was seen as a major setback by the renewables industry and was blamed on ministers’ refusal to increase the maximum price for the auction despite a 40% increase in the cost of manufacturing…

  • Plans for tougher North Sea windfall tax will lead to £12bn loss in tax receipts, warns trade body

    The government’s tougher windfall tax on oil and gas companies risks losing £12bn in tax receipts, according to trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK). Labour came to power with an election pledge to toughen the windfall tax regime – known as the energy profits levy (EPL). This tax was put in place by the previous government in May 2022 in response to the surging oil and gas prices. In last year’s Autumn Statement, the EPL was increased to 35%, with the Treasury announcing it would remain in place until 2028 unless oil and gas prices fell for a sustained period. However, the Labour Party pledged in its manifesto that it would not issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields and would close loopholes in the windfall tax left by the previous government that enabled oil and gas firms…

  • Chancellor urged to reform vehicle taxation amid EV surge to avoid £5bn fiscal shortfall

    The Chancellor has been urged to reform vehicle taxation to avoid a fiscal black hole as consumers increasingly switch to electric vehicles (EVs) over petrol and diesel. EV owners are currently exempt from fuel duty – because they don’t need it to operate their vehicles – and road tax, also known as vehicle excise duty (VED). While EVs will finally become subject to VED from April next year, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has calculated that the UK faces a £5bn decline in fuel duty annually by 2033 based on growing EV adoption trends. Duties levied on petrol, diesel and other fuels currently generate around £25bn a year in revenue for the Treasury. “The new Chancellor faces a looming black hole. She can avoid it, in a way which is fair, and which garners broad public support…

  • From 2025, Formula 1 European grands prix will be powered by low-carbon energy solutions

    Formula 1 motor racing has announced a partnership with UK-headquartered power generation firm Aggreko that will see low-carbon power solutions featured at all European grands prix from the 2025 season. In 2018, Formula 1 set a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030. While the sport of motor racing suggests that this may not be a feasible ambition, the focus is not on what is emitted from the race cars themselves, which F1 claims is less than 1% of its total emissions, but all other operations, particularly travel and logistics, within the scope of the sport. As described in the 2023 Formula 1 Impact Report, the carbon footprint of the sport within this scope was 256,551 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tC02e) in 2018. Since then changes made to its operations led to…

  • AI-equipped cameras to catch drivers using phones and not wearing seatbelts

    AI cameras that detect drivers using mobile phones or not wearing seatbelts are being trialled in Greater Manchester. The ‘Heads Up’ technology from Acusensus captures footage of passing vehicles before the images are processed with AI to detect potential offenders. Footage deemed to contain evidence of an offence is then seen by humans to make a final determination. During the trial period, the data will be used by Safer Roads Greater Manchester to understand how many drivers still choose to break the law in a bid to refine future road safety campaigns. According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), research shows that drivers are four times more likely to crash when using their phone while driving and twice as likely to die in a crash if they fail to wear a seatbelt. Peter…

  • Supersonic passenger travel given a boost as Boom's XB-1 completes second test flight

    Colorado-based Boom Supersonic is another step closer to bringing mainstream supersonic travel back to our skies with its Colorado XB-1 demonstrator successfully completing its second test flight. The XB-1 demonstrator’s test programme began in March 2024, when it took to the skies for the first time. This second flight, which took place from California's Mojave Air and Space Port, lasted about 15 minutes and saw the XB-1 reach an altitude of 10,400 feet (3,170 metres) and a speed of 277 mph (446 km/h). The flight tested the retracting and extracting of the vehicle's landing gear for the first time. It also saw a new digital stability augmentation system – or roll damper – being demonstrated for improved handling. In addition, tufting was applied to XB-1’s right wing to observe and…

  • Sizewell C nuclear plant to get £5.5bn taxpayer subsidy amid investor uncertainty

    The government has proposed subsidising the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power plant by £5.5bn as the project struggles to attract additional investment. With the UK’s ageing fleet of eight nuclear power stations in need of replacement, and only Hinkley Point C currently undergoing construction, Sizewell C will play an important role in backing up renewable energy in the switch away from fossil fuels. Both projects are being built by the French state-owned energy giant EDF, but Sizewell is not expected to be finished until 2036; once complete it will provide an estimated 7% of the UK’s electricity needs. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has launched the Sizewell C Devex Scheme, which will provide the government with greater flexibility to cover development…

  • Tracking fish with acoustic telemetry

    Monitoring fish populations and behaviours has taken off globally, thanks to agreed protocols on acoustic telemetry. Understanding how fish move around and use our marine environment is vital to conserving ocean life. GPS does not work underwater so different tools are used. One way to follow the movements of fish underwater is to use sound waves transmitted by small tags on fish, which travel very effectively through water and can be picked up by receivers or loggers. This is acoustic telemetry. Marine scientists around the world have been using acoustic telemetry to remotely track the movements of fish and other marine and freshwater species for many years. Tags attached to marine creatures by scientists transmit sound through a sequence of pulses at high frequency or pings. Unique to…

  • Hyundai unveils plan to launch 21 fully electric vehicles by 2030

    During its CEO Investor Day on Wednesday, Hyundai Motor Company revealed how it plans to launch 21 electric vehicle (EV) models by 2030, ranging from affordable to luxury and high-performance models. Kicking off the CEO Investor Day, Hyundai’s president and CEO Jaehoon Chang took to the stage to provide an update on the company’s EV line-up and upcoming launches. “Hyundai is planning to begin expanding our EV line-up by 2030 in line with the demand recovery forecasts. Specifically we are planning to launch 21 new models by 2030 to provide consumers with a wide variety of options including a full line-up of EVs from economy to luxury and high-performance, giving them more choice,” said Chang. While there was no mention specifically what EVs will be launched, one of the slides during the…

  • Autonomous robots deployed deep below polar ice to measure speed of ice sheets melting

    The Antarctic ice sheets are melting – but at what rate? IceNode, developed by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is on a mission to find out. Harnessing their expertise in designing robots for space exploration, engineers at the laboratory are working on a fleet of robots that autonomously position themselves to the underside of an ice shelf. Measuring 2.4 metres long and 25 centimetres in diameter, these robots are released from a borehole or a vessel in the open ocean. They then ride the currents beneath the ice shelves – miles-long slabs of floating ice that extend from land – until they reach an area known as the ‘grounding zone’, which is where floating ice shelves, ocean and land meet. Upon reaching this target, the robots use three-legged ‘landing gear’ that springs out from one…

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