• Plug-in solar panels to be legalised in the UK next month to help cut energy bills

    Plug-in solar panels that can help to reduce household energy bills without the need for professional installation or planning permission will be legalised in the UK from next month. Tucked away in an amendment to the ‘Plugs and Sockets’ regulations is a new set of rules that effectively legalises the panels for home use from August 27. Previously, the British Standard for standard household plugs contained restrictions that prohibited using a plug to feed electricity into a socket. In reality, the hardware has already been available to consumers, but because it was technically illegal to use it as intended, retailers were operating in a legal grey area. The government has acknowledged that the technology is already widely used and legal in Europe, but to counter fears over safety, it…

  • The quest to unlock ten times more geothermal energy from Iceland's volcanoes

    Tapping the heat directly from a magma chamber would be the ultimate geothermal energy solution – research in Iceland is showing positive signs. You can see the black stain of lava from previous eruptions; rocks steam with the heat and there are places where lava bubbles its way to the surface. The striking blue geothermal lake at Krafla (pronounced ‘Krapla’) is even named Viti or ‘hell’ in Icelandic, and it’s a site that sits firmly on the country’s tourist trail. The volcanoes along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge created Iceland over millions of years, and today they rumble on – it’s one of the most volcanically active places in the world, although the Krafla caldera is enjoying a relatively tranquil period, for now. By next year, however, this remote site in north-east Iceland will host one…

  • England has water for just 420,000 of 1.5m planned homes as data centre demand rises

    Historic underinvestment, coupled with rising demand from data centres, could leave England with less than a third of the water it needs to build the 1.5 million homes the government has pledged to deliver this parliament. According to Water UK, which represents firms in the sector, England will only have enough water to provide for 420,000 homes under the current regime, and the Environment Agency (EA) has failed to take into account the additional demand from data centres when planning infrastructure. Between 2010 and 2024, Ofwat cut water bills by around 20% in real terms in a bid to keep bills below inflation and not add to the cost-of-living crisis. But one of the consequences has been a lack of investment in the water system that has left the country unable to keep up with the pressures…

  • Hybrid-electric aircraft reaches commercial cruising altitude in test flight

    GE Aerospace has demonstrated that its hybrid-electric aircraft can climb above 30,000 feet, near the typical cruising altitude of commercial aircraft. A hybrid-electric engine system combines an electric powertrain with a traditional gas turbine that drives power efficiencies during different phases of flight. While electric vehicles are becoming more commonplace on the ground, electric aircraft are faced with a number of unique challenges before they can be commercialised. The single biggest technical hurdle is the stark difference in energy density between jet fuel and batteries. This requirement for heavy batteries on electric aircraft significantly reduces their range and passenger payload. But by combining the high energy density of liquid fuel with the instant torque and efficiency…

  • How will Andy Burnham’s premiership shape tech, engineering and UK infrastructure?

    Andy Burnham has been sworn in as Britain’s new Prime Minister – the fifth in less than four years – but how will his agenda shape the world of technology and engineering? HS2HS2 has been beset by a string of failures and budget overruns over the last decade, including the cancellation of routes ending in Leeds and Manchester by the previous Conservative government. During his tenure as mayor for Greater Manchester, Burnham has long called for more investment into the North of England and for local infrastructure improvements. In an interview with the i last month, he said he wanted to reinstate the northern leg of HS2. That is estimated to cost around £36bn, but Burnham believes the impact on the Treasury’s coffers could be minimised by capturing the soaring value of land around new stations…

  • China ‘strongly dissatisfied’ with nationalisation of British Steel

    The Chinese government has said that it is “strongly dissatisfied” with the UK’s decision this week to nationalise British Steel and will support Chinese companies in “safeguarding their rights through legal means”. In April 2025, the UK government took emergency control of the largest remaining integrated steelmaking plant on British soil after its Chinese owners, Jingye Group, effectively decided to stop manufacturing at the Scunthorpe facility. The firm had been running down its existing raw material supplies and had not ordered enough to keep the two blast furnaces operating. While restarting the blast furnaces would have been technically possible in the event of a shutdown, it would be extremely expensive and could damage key plant systems. Now that the plant has been fully nationalised…

  • Laser system detects deadly methanol through sealed spirit bottles

    A laser-based technology is able to detect toxic methanol hidden inside unopened spirit bottles, even through coloured glass. Researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and Australia’s Adelaide University have developed a laser system that uses Raman spectroscopy to read the unique chemical "fingerprint" of a liquid through its packaging. This enables it to identify dangerous methanol contamination in whisky and other spirits. Methanol is a highly toxic, industrial alcohol. It is commonly found in antifreeze and paint thinners, but in some parts of the world, being cheaper, it is mixed with ‘real’ alcohol such as spirit-based drinks and cocktails. Often impossible to detect without opening the bottle and conducting laboratory tests, the risks of drinking even a small amount…

  • Rail infrastructure spending squeezed as cancellations fall UK-wide

    A reduction in the scope of infrastructure renewals on the train network poses risks to future safety and reliability, the UK’s rail regulator has said. The government had previously allocated £44bn to operations, maintenance and infrastructure renewals on the rail network to cover the five-year period from 2024 to 2029. According to an assessment from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), high inflation has seen effectively £2bn in buying power removed from this total. The budget for operations and maintenance needs to remain static, which meant the inflationary pressures have driven an effective cut in infrastructure renewals to 83% of the original plan in England and Wales. This has led Network Rail to reduce the number of assets, such as track, tunnels and bridges, that it intends to…

  • Environmental groups demand freeze on orbital data centre proposals

    A coalition of environmental and scientific groups has urged the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to halt the “reckless” rush toward authorising data centres in space. The coalition, represented by nonprofit environmental law organisation Earthjustice, has submitted a 28-page petition to the FCC calling for a comprehensive environmental review of satellite-based data centre proposals before any licences are issued. It wants to see licenses paused until a thorough assessment has been made into their risks, alternatives, needs, impacts and costs to “ensure they are not causing irreparable environmental harm to our planet.” To date, the FCC has authorised satellites without an environmental review. The petition challenges this approach, arguing that it fails to consider the cumulative…

  • British Steel officially nationalised as government secures Scunthorpe plant

    British Steel has been brought into public ownership some 15 months after nationalisation was first mooted as a way to protect the UK’s national interests. In April 2025, the government took emergency control of the UK’s largest remaining integrated steelmaking plant after its Chinese owners, Jingye Group, effectively decided to stop manufacturing at the Scunthorpe facility. British Steel was acquired out of insolvency in 2020, but by the end of 2023, Jingye claimed it had racked up cumulative losses exceeding £350m. British steel manufacturing is plagued by disproportionately high operating costs compared to international competitors. Jingye frequently cited sky-high UK electricity prices and heavy carbon tax burdens as insurmountable obstacles to running a profitable traditional blast…

  • India invests $13.3bn to build homegrown semiconductor industry

    The Indian government has approved a $13.3bn semiconductor programme aimed at establishing India as a global hub for chip manufacturing. The Semicon 2.0 initiative, which was announced in an official statement by India's Union Cabinet, will provide “long-term policy support” for India’s chip sector and help “put our country on the semiconductor map of the world”. Currently, with much of the world’s semiconductor manufacturing concentrated in East Asia, including China, geopolitical tensions and potential supply chain issues have prompted countries around the world to invest heavily in domestic production. The focus of this new scheme will be on expanding India's capabilities in semiconductor design, chip fabrication, chip packaging and testing, electronics manufacturing, research and…

  • 3D thermal ‘cloak’ renders objects invisible to infrared cameras

    A 3D-printed thermal cloaking device hides objects from thermal imaging from any direction, according to a new study. Designed and built by researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US, the aluminium-and-rubber device guides heat around an object, making it appear to infrared cameras as if nothing is there. It also protects these objects from extreme temperatures, and works from any direction. “A real thermal cloak should work no matter where the heat comes from. Our device can hide a complex 3D object in an infinite number of directions while keeping the temperature inside stable and protected,” said civil and environmental engineering professor Shelly Zhang. While previous experiments only worked in two dimensions or along a single direction of heat flow, the team used…

  • £2bn blast-built tunnel could link Manchester and Sheffield through the Pennines

    A 14-mile dual-carriageway tunnel connecting the cities of Manchester and Sheffield has been proposed using an explosive technique that could slash the cost of construction. The Trans-Pennine Connect would cut journey times between the two cities by up to 30 minutes while potentially restoring some areas of the Peak District that are blighted by the need for major A roads running through them. Westminster has previously considered the case for the tunnel, but its own study estimated that it could cost between £7.8bn and £11.6bn which was deemed too expensive to build. Instead, the newly created Future Works start-up believes it could be built for under £2bn using a tunnelling method popularised in Scandinavia known as drill and blast. UK tunnels typically use large boring machines and…

  • Fleet of autonomous robots to map Greenland's melting ice sheet

    A scientific expedition will deploy a fleet of autonomous robots to collect data on how Greenland's glaciers are melting. An international research team has embarked on a six-week expedition to south-east Greenland on the UK’s polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough. Led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the mission forms part of the five-year Greenland Ice sheet to Atlantic Tipping points (GIANT) project, which aims to collect data on melting ice to improve predictions of its impact on climate change. The Greenland ice sheet, which sits in the North Atlantic, is melting at a rapid rate. It’s not only being melted from above through warmer air but also from below through warmer ocean waters. As it melts and fresh water enters the ocean, it affects nearby ocean currents, which in…

  • New York bans hyperscale data centres for a year over energy cost concerns

    New York has temporarily banned hyperscale data centres for the next 12 months in order to prevent soaring utility bills and protect the environment. Governor Kathy Hochul signed an Executive Order to create the nation’s first moratorium on data centres, which includes temporarily pausing state environmental permits, effectively blocking construction. The proliferation of AI in recent years has seen a boom in data centre construction globally. But their huge consumption of energy and water can lead to rapidly rising household bills for nearby consumers. Not all upcoming data centres will be impacted, just those considered “hyperscale” which are defined as facilities requiring 50 megawatts or more of electricity. “New York has always been at the forefront of innovation and change but we…

  • Neso launches independent probe into blackout cover-up allegations

    The National Energy System Operator (Neso) has appointed an independent law firm to investigate allegations that staff covered up system failures during a recent heatwave that could have led to blackouts. Claims were made last week by a whistleblower within Neso that its control room staff were warned by senior bosses against leaving a paper trail relating to efforts to stabilise the grid during a heatwave in late June. They alleged this was to explicitly bypass Freedom of Information (FOI) audit trails, leaving no trace of what decisions were made to stabilise the power system. The whistleblower made the claims to shadow energy minister, Claire Coutinho, who on 7 July wrote to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) calling for an investigation. In the letter she wrote that Neso…

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    E+T Magazine

  • Space medical firsts: In-orbit tissue bioprinting and portable X-ray machines

    In two firsts, kidney and liver tissues have been successfully printed on the ISS while portable x-rays were taken during a SpaceX flight. As spaceflight missions increase in duration and distance, so too does the risk to astronauts' health. With medical emergencies potentially requiring treatment in orbit, scientists are developing advanced in-space technologies to deal with such events. US-based biotech and medical device firm Auxilium Biotechnologies has developed a bioprinter capable of printing both living tissue cells and implantable medical products. During a recent mission, the platform was used to manufacture kidney, liver and cartilage tissues as well as 28 nerve repair implants aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The tissues and implants recently returned to Earth on…

  • Giant space mirror to beam sunlight onto solar panels at night

    An orbiting mirror designed to reflect sunlight onto solar farms after dark has received regulatory approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Developed by Californian start-up Reflect Orbital, the aim is to have a constellation of satellites in space that reflect sunlight onto existing solar farms on Earth after sunset. Solar panels only generate energy when the sun shines on them, but this technology allows that existing infrastructure to continue producing electricity during the night. The FCC has granted Reflect Orbital a license to launch and operate its first demonstration satellite, called Earendil-1. Once it’s reached low-Earth orbit (LEO), an 18 metres by 18 metres reflective surface will unfurl. The startup plans to launch Earendil-1 later this year. If successful…

  • 3D-printed contact lenses ready in 20 minutes at the optician

    Contact lenses can be 3D printed in just 20 minutes to perfectly fit a patient’s prescription using a new platform developed by University of Waterloo (UW) researchers. The system could pave the way for specialised lenses to be designed, manufactured and dispensed during a single visit to the optician. Most contact lenses are manufactured in a limited range of sizes and shapes rather than being custom-made for each person’s eye. While soft lenses are suitable for many wearers, patients with irregularly shaped corneas often require rigid lenses to achieve clear vision. Finding the right fit can require several appointments over weeks or months before patients receive lenses that fit properly and provide the function they need. Dr Shirley Tang, a UW professor, said the technology brings…

  • EU solar power hits all-time monthly high in June

    Solar power provided a quarter of the EU's electricity in June 2026, marking an all-time high. Analysis from energy think tank Ember shows that solar generated a record 52TWh of EU electricity in June 2026. At 25%, it was the bloc’s largest single source of power for the month, ahead of nuclear (21%), gas (15%), wind (14%), hydro (12%) and coal (8%). It’s the third time a monthly record has been broken. The first was June 2025 and then again in May 2026, where solar generated 47TWh (23%). “Solar’s rise has been truly stratospheric, beating prediction after prediction,” said senior analyst at Ember, Chris Rosslowe. “In just a few years solar has gone from a small player to an essential part of Europe’s power system, as governments and citizens look for low-cost, quick-to-install domestic…

  • Meta could be fined over $12bn by the EU over 'addictive' Facebook features

    Facebook and Instagram have been labelled as “addictive” by the EU’s law-making arm which has ordered Meta to make changes or face large fines. The European Commission said that Meta was deemed to be in breach of the Digital Services Act due to features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and the platforms’ highly personalised recommender systems. The act, first introduced in 2023, applied to social media platforms in particular and included bans on targeted advertising aimed at children. It also forbids “dark patterns” – tactics that mislead people into giving personal data to companies online. In its recent findings, the Commission found that Meta had not “adequately assessed the risks” of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including…

  • Quantum dot breakthrough could transform TV and smartphone screens

    Digital displays including flat-screen TVs and smartphone screens could be more energy efficient while generating richer, brighter colours with a new technique from MIT researchers. Working with Samsung, the team studied microscopic changes that occur inside LEDs that utilise electrically excited quantum dots, which are precisely shaped nanoscale semiconductor particles that emit extremely pure coloured light. Conventional LED displays utilise thousands of tiny lightbulbs that generate the red, green and blue light needed to create the perception of any colour on the visible spectrum. More advanced OLED screens utilise electrically excited, glowing organic molecules instead of light bulbs. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team sought to replace the organic molecules with…

  • 256mph remote-controlled vehicle breaks world speed record

    A remote-controlled (RC) vehicle has officially set a new world record, reaching speeds faster than an F1 car. Built by Royal Enfield motorcycle engineer Stephen Wallis in his home garage, the custom-built, one-metre long ‘Mach Reaper’ tore down the runway at Llanbedr Airfield in North Wales, reaching a peak speed of 256.47mph (412.7 km/h). This broke the previous 234.71mph (377.73 km/h) Guinness World Record Wallis set earlier this year with the predecessor car, The Beast. Wallis’ childhood interest in RC vehicles was rekindled in 2024 when he set himself the goal of building an RC car capable of breaking 200mph (321.87 km/h). At that time, the outright Radio Operated Scale Speed Association (ROSSA) speed trap record stood at 218.47mph (351.6 km/h). Rather than taking cues from the vehicle…

  • NHS begins £10bn AI rollout for patients and clinicians

    The NHS is rolling out a range of AI tools that will help patients determine which service to use. The NHS App will soon direct patients to a specific department, whether it be a GP, pharmacy, local A&E, or self-care at home. The aim is to eliminate the 8am scramble for GP appointments, ensuring those that need a doctor are seen sooner. The AI triage tool has already been trialled at a GP practice in Sussex, where it led to a 29% reduction in the number of people queuing on the phone. The initial rollout will reach more than 200,000 patients within the next 12 months, and all NHS App users by April 2028. Patients will still have the option to contact their GP practice via phone call. AI will also be adopted during patient consultations to record conversations. The real-time transcriptions…

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