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England’s waterways polluted with ‘chemical cocktails’ that poison wildlife

The Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) looked at the prevalence of five chemical cocktails known to have toxic impacts for wildlife which include PFAS forever chemicals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. The chemicals were found in 814 river and lake sites (out of 1,006 sites with data) and 805 groundwater sites (out of 1,086 sites with data) across England. Over half of these sites contained three or more dangerous chemicals, which, in specific combinations, are known to have increased harmful impacts on a range of species including amphibians, fish, insects, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and algae. Identified detrimental effects included reduced growth, cell function, impacts on embryos and lower survival rates. However, any potential human health implications, for example through contact…

E+T Magazine in Water Supply
Photonic chips could lower energy consumption from data centres

Data centres can consume up to 50 times more energy per square foot of floor space than a typical office building and account for roughly 2 per cent of all electricity use in the US. In recent years, the number of data centres has risen rapidly due to soaring demand from the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Now, a new, ultra-energy-efficient method to compensate for temperature variations that degrade photonic chips has been developed. Such chips “will form the high-speed communication backbone of future data centres and supercomputers”, according to John Conley from Oregon State University. The circuitry in photonic chips uses photons – particles of light – rather than the electrons that course through conventional computer chips. Moving at the speed of light, photons…

E+T Magazine in Computing
Meta sells Giphy to Shutterstock at a $260m loss

Stock-photo website Shutterstock has agreed to buy the short video platform for $53m (£42m) in cash, despite Meta paying $400m for it in 2020. The news comes after the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ordered Facebook's parent company to sell Giphy, over fears that it could deny or limit competitors such as Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter access to the target's content. Meta tried to appeal the regulator's decision, describing the enforcement order as “excessively broad” and applied “indiscriminately” to its global business. It also argued that g ifs "have fallen out of fashion as a content form, with younger users in particular describing gifs as 'for boomers' and 'cringe'". Nonetheless, the British court d ismissed the appeal and criticised the company for failing to engage…

E+T Magazine
Why digital innovation is essential to future-proofing your business

Incorporating digital technologies, tools and platforms allows digital innovation to flourish. And it is by tapping into innovative technology that businesses can optimise their operations while simultaneously creating new revenue streams and enhancing the customer experience. The ever-evolving nature of technology in an increasingly connected world requires companies to adapt quickly to stay ahead of the competition and maintain their relevance. Digital innovation enables businesses to adapt to change and disruption, leverage data insights, and improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. In today's fast-paced digital world, businesses must stay relevant by embracing digital innovations such as virtualisation. The integration of AI and robotics in factories is just one example…

E+T Magazine in Computing
View from India: Business strategies realigned in challenging times

In the present digital era, technology is a core and strategic capability and digital is the new business as usual. “Amazonisation of everything, need for strategic capacity, requirement of new business capability drivers and the rapid transformation in business landscape are making enterprises look at rapidly scaling new capabilities to build a competitive edge,” said KS Viswanathan, VP, Industry Initiatives, NASSCOM. Being the tech and shared services of multinationals in India, Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are emerging hubs for data engineering and data sciences. GCCs are expected to become key enablers of enterprise convergence and mainstream platform for exponential technologies such as AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning), blockchain, IoT (Internet of Things), digital…

E+T Magazine in Computing
Robot noses could smell volatile organic compounds

The team of researchers created a fluid mechanics-based chamber design for an electronic nose (e-nose) that consistently detects volatile organic compounds (VOC) at low concentrations. VOCs are chemicals emitted as gases that can have adverse health effects. They are often found in paints, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants, but they can also be signs of explosives, insect infestation, food spoilage, and disease. Although VOCs can be difficult to detect, e-noses combine arrays of chemical sensors with pattern recognition techniques to recognise odours. However, many e-noses generate different signals toward VOCs of the same concentration when the sensor is located in different parts of the “nose” chamber. “To counteract this problem, the fluidic behaviour of the gas flow needs to be…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
Just Stop Oil protesters block London bridges; Shell’s AGM also disrupted

Climate change protesters have again clashed with drivers as they staged marches on three bridges in central London. Around 45 Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists blocked the roads on Blackfriars, London and Tower bridges this morning (Tuesday) by walking slowly in the road, restricting traffic movement. One onlooking man was handcuffed by police after he appeared to push two JSO supporters in a bid to clear the road. He was detained on suspicion of common assault but ultimately not arrested, the Metropolitan Police said. A motorcyclist also tried to drive through the group of demonstrators (see photo below) and there were a number of clashes at the other protest sites with members of the public snatching banners, according to JSO. Image credit: Just Stop Oil/PA Wire …

E+T Magazine in Renewable Energy
Saudi Arabia’s first female astronaut arrives at the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) has rolled out the welcome mat for the four participants of Axiom Space's second private mission, which took off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the US on Sunday (21 May). The crew included the first female Arab astronaut, s tem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi. She was accompanied by fellow Saudi mission specialist Ali Alqarni, the second male astronaut from the Gulf kingdom to go to space. The two are the first Saudis to travel in a rocket since a Saudi prince launched aboard shuttle Discovery in 1985. They were joined on the trip by two US citizens, commander Peggy Whitson and pilot John Shoffner. Whitson is a retired Nasa astronaut who now works for Axiom. Welcome aboard the @Space_Station #Ax2 crew! They celebrated the moment with a…

E+T Magazine in Space
Sponsored: The next step in the evolution of the electric motor

There are an estimated 300 million industrial electric motors in operation around the world. Improving the efficiency of motors generally even by a few percent can potentially save vast amounts of energy when you extrapolate it across an entire fleet of motors. With the help of another innovation – the variable speed drive – the synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) is now one of the most efficient motor variants available, with ABB’s latest generation SynRM capable of achieving up to IE5 efficiency levels. Compared to an equivalent IE2 motor, a SynRM achieves 50 percent lower losses, while also providing superior performance and reliability, and significantly lowering energy consumption and CO2 emissions. SynRM and drive packages achieve their high efficiency levels through the use of a…

E+T Magazine
Cool power plants with salt water to preserve freshwater supplies, scientists say

With freshwater supplies threatened due to drought, climate change and rapid socioeconomic growth, water competition is increasing between the electric power sector and other sectors. Further, efforts to decarbonise fossil fuel-fired power plants by carbon capture and storage would significantly increase water consumption. “Non-traditional water sources can be deployed to help cope with climate-induced water risks and tackle the increasing water demand for decarbonisation of fossil fuel-fired power plants,” the researchers wrote. “Treatment of brackish groundwater for thermoelectric generation cooling can help alleviate potential competition for freshwater resources among various sectors in water-stressed regions.” Removing excess dissolved salts and minerals from brackish water can…

E+T Magazine in Power Equipment
Car thieves adopting high-tech methods as vehicle break-ins soar

Figures from the Office of National Statistics showed a substantial 24.9 per cent hike in vehicle thefts in 2022 compared to the previous year. Methods such as relay theft, key cloning and signal blocking continue to be the main methods of illegally obtaining vehicles, AAIS said. With manufacturers improving key security and encouraging drivers to put keys to sleep to reduce these types of theft, criminals are using new advanced practices to attack vehicle security systems. Earlier this week, three ringleaders of a high-tech car-theft racket were arrested after nearly £500,000-worth of motor vehicles were snatched across the West Midlands. They stole cars by using electronically programmed blank keys, meaning they could carry out their crimes undetected and without breaking into homes…

E+T Magazine in Automotive Engineering
Cancer drugs to be tested in orbit during space mission

The cells were launched into the International Space Station (ISS) via the second Axiom Space Private Astronaut Mission, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) . The experiments, conducted by a team at the University of California San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute, aim to expand the scientists' understanding of human stem cell ageing, inflammation and cancer in low-Earth orbit. During the first Axiom Mission, in 2021, the team discovered that cancer stem cells regenerate more easily and become more resistant to standard therapies in low-Earth orbit, due to the microgravity conditions. Two enzymes that edit DNA and RNA ( APOBEC3C and ADAR1) were found to activate themselves in a significant way during space stays, increasing cancer proliferation and immune evasion. In this new mission, the team…

E+T Magazine in Space
Hands-on review: Proscenic P12 cordless vacuum cleaner

Having previously reviewed a number of Proscenic's variations on the vacuum cleaner theme – from the robotic 850T to the cordless, mop-action P11 , to the subtle design rejig of the i10 and the it's-not-really-a-Prosenic-honest-mate Vactidy Blitz V8 – we now have the next iteration of its familiar-looking handheld telescopic unit, the P12. The P12 follows – as we've said before about other products – the irrefutable design logic of 'if it ain't broke, don't break it'. Whoever invented the concept first (and Dyson stans will rage until they're blue in the face about this), a small handheld motor body with a long telescopic pipe to the floor (or to any of its shorter, brushier attachments) is now standard among cordless cleaners, in much the same way that 50 years ago all so-called 'Hoovers…

E+T Magazine
Book review: ‘The Future of Geography’ by Tim Marshall

From the author of the bestsellers ‘Prisoners of Geography’ and ‘The Power of Geography’, we now have Tim Marshall’s enlightening ‘The Future of Geography’ (Elliott & Thompson, £20, ISBN 9781783966875), extending his geopolitical series not only into an informal trilogy, but also into space. Those still thinking that geography is about capital cities and national flags are invited to visit the brave new world of the next phase of extraterrestrial human exploration, in which engineering and technology are the instruments of propulsion, survival and power. With thousands of satellites already in low-Earth orbit (LEO), we’re used to the idea of mature technology circulating in space. But the 21st century has seen the emergence of private space-tech entrepreneurs who smell money in the stars…

E+T Magazine in Space
Scientists develop wearable system for for deep-tissue monitoring on the go

The University of California San Diego researchers have made a giant leap forward in wireless ultrasound monitoring for subjects in motion, by developing the first fully integrated autonomous wearable ultrasound system for deep-tissue monitoring. Traditional soft ultrasonic sensors all require tethering cables for data and power transmission, which largely constrains the user’s mobility. In contrast, the team's ultrasonic system-on-patch (USoP), can continuously measure central blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and other physiological signals of users on the go, for up to twelve hours at a time. “This project gives a complete solution to wearable ultrasound technology—not only the wearable sensor, but also the control electronics are made in wearable form factors,” said Muyang…

E+T Magazine in Biotechnology
Restructured kerbside recycling schemes could pay for themselves

Researchers from the University of Florida compared the economic and environmental value of community recycling efforts and compared it to the value of other climate change mitigation practices. They found that recycling provides a return on investment similar to or better than environmentally friendly strategies like transitioning to electric vehicles or electricity from renewable energy sources. “Eliminating recycling squanders one of the easiest opportunities for communities and citizens to help lessen the impact of climate change and reduce our demands on natural resources,” said Timothy Townsend, a professor of environmental engineering sciences at the University of Florida and one of the study’s authors. “Recycling won’t solve the problem alone, but it is part of the puzzle.” In…

E+T Magazine in Waste Management
To ID, or not to ID? How to solve the UK's digital identity dilemma

In February this year, Sir Tony Blair and Lord William Hague released a report aimed at tackling the UK's productivity and innovation crisis . But they inadvertently dredged up a discussion on ID cards that few were ready to have, serving to underline once again the public's distrust toward government-controlled schemes. People in the UK probably don't realise how many government IDs they already have, including tax returns, benefits, council payments and driving licences. But this doesn't mean the UK is ready for a formal digital identity card. Maybe it is OK that these various forms of ID remain disjointed, even if it is neither convenient nor efficient. The key issue is trust, and the public have to believe there is no overreach when they login to a service. One way to build trust is…

E+T Magazine
Meta fined a record €1.2bn for GDPR breach

The record fine was levied by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) after a three-year probe into the social media giant. The DPC said that Meta had breached part of the European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) rules in the way that it had moved data of Facebook users across borders. It ordered Meta Ireland to “suspend any future transfer of personal data to the US within the period of five months” and also levied a record fine on the business “to sanction the infringement that was found to have occurred”. Meta called the fine “unjustified”. The multi-year process which led to the fine was kicked off by Edward Snowden in 2013 when the National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower revealed that US authorities were surveilling systems run by several US companies. Companies…

E+T Magazine in Ethical Aspects
WMO urges expansion of extreme weather early warning systems

The WMO has issued the new findings amid efforts to scale up action to ensure that early warning services reach everyone on Earth by the end of 2027. While economic losses have soared, the WMO said that improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management has slashed the human casualty toll over the past half a century. Over 90 per cent of reported deaths worldwide occurred in developing countries. The USA alone incurred $1.7tn, accounting for 39 per cent of economic losses worldwide in the 51 years. Poorer countries suffered a disproportionately high cost in relation to the size of their economies. “The most vulnerable communities unfortunately bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards,” said WMO secretary-general professor Petteri Taalas. “Extremely severe…

E+T Magazine in Climate Change
China says Micron chips pose ‘major security risk’

China has made its first major move in the IT trade war between Washington and Beijing by telling its operators not to use Micron chips in certain infrastructure projects, due to national security concerns. The decision was announced in a six-sentence statement by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Sunday, although the agency provided no further details regarding the security concerns or the specific products affected. Nonetheless, the decision could affect a broad swathe of sectors in China, including telecommunications, transport and finance. "The review found that Micron's products have serious network security risks, which pose significant security risks to China's critical information infrastructure supply chain, affecting China's national security," the CAC said. …

E+T Magazine in Semiconductor Technology
Volcanic eruptions shown to disrupt satellite comms links

The ionosphere is the region of the Earth’s upper atmosphere where molecules and atoms are ionised by solar radiation, creating positively charged ions. The area with the highest concentration of ionised particles is called the F-region, an area 150 to 800km above the Earth’s surface. This region plays a crucial role in long-distance radio communication, reflecting and refracting radio waves used by satellite and GPS tracking systems back to the Earth’s surface. But according to scientists at Nagoya University in Japan, these transmissions can be disrupted by irregularities in the F-region. During the day, the ionosphere is ionised by the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, creating a density gradient of electrons with the highest density near the equator. However, disruptions to this, which…

E+T Magazine in Research and Innovation
G7 nations create working group to establish common AI standards

During the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, representatives of the G7 nations stressed the need to establish global rules for generative AI tools "in line with our shared democratic values". All members of the G7 group - the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and the EU - agreed that tech governance had not kept up with the rapid pace at which the technology has developed, and called on all nations to asses its impact. "We recognise the need to immediately take stock of the opportunities and challenges of generative AI, which is increasingly prominent across countries and sectors," the G7 statement said. "We task relevant ministers to establish the Hiroshima AI process, through a G7 working group, in an inclusive manner... for discussions on generative AI by the end of this…

E+T Magazine
View from India: IT hardware producers get market support

The Union Cabinet has set aside a budgetary outlay of 17,000 crore rupees (£1.65bn) for the second iteration of the scheme for this sector. IT hardware includes laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, servers and ultra-small form factor devices. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for IT and Telecom, has announced that the PLI 2.0 is expected to create 75,000 direct jobs along with over 2,00,000 indirect jobs, significantly increasing employment opportunities in the sector. Vaishnaw has indicated that companies like Dell, HP, Acer and Asus are looking at India. Announced last week, the PLI scheme 2.0 could also generate exports and contribute towards forex (foreign exchange). A multiplier effect is that allied industries such as software development, e-commerce and logistics-supply chain-vendors…

E+T Magazine in Manufacturing
Great British Railways project at risk, reports suggest

The creation of Great British Railways (GBR) - former prime minister Boris Johnson's plan to simplify the British rail network - may not be included in the King's speech this year, leading to the formation of a diminished body with only a fraction of the powers included in the original proposal. Officials at the Department for Transport reportedly revealed this information to The Times, stating that the project was not a priority for current prime minister Rishi Sunak's government. First announced in 2021, Great British Railways was meant to absorb the state-owned infrastructure management company Network Rail and take on many functions from the DfT, including issuing passenger service contracts to private companies to run trains. In March this year, Derby was revealed as the winner…

E+T Magazine in Railways

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