• Poor indoor air quality is risk factor for another pandemic, Hong Kong study warns

    The University of Hong Kong team studied indoor air quality as it was one of the factors aiding the spread of Covid-19 during the pandemic. While effective, vaccination has not completely controlled the spread of the virus, with the vast majority of transmission now thought to occur indoors in poorly ventilated spaces. Although two years have passed since it was officially recognised that airborne transmission spreads the virus, and some efforts have been made, there have been no significant improvements in building ventilation, the study found. “In the absence of a worldwide effort to improve building ventilation, it is likely that poorly ventilated buildings will remain common, meaning that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 will continue. Moreover, if another novel and highly contagious…

  • Scientists develop ‘vein-on-a-chip’ to study blood clots

    A new device that mimics a human vein could replace the need for animals in medical studies that look into cardiac diseases.  The vein-on-a-chip model has been developed by scientists at the University of Birmingham. It looks like a tiny channel, and incorporates valves that ensure the correct direction of blood flow. The device is more advanced than previous models because the valves can open and close, mimicking the mechanism seen in a real vein. It also contains a single layer of cells, called endothelial cells, covering the inside of the vessel. These two advances allow the device to be biologically reflective of a real vein, and it also replicates blood flow in a life-like manner. “Organ-on-a-chip devices, such as ours, are not only created to help researchers move away from the…

  • Major drought in the Horn of Africa ‘100 times more likely’ due to climate change

    Since October 2020, large parts of Eastern Africa have been experiencing extended dry conditions followed by short intense rainfall events that often led to flash floods. The drought has led to substantial harvest failure, poor pasture conditions, livestock losses, decreased surface water availability and human conflicts. The below-average rainfall seen in the final quarter of 2022 continued a pattern that had been recurring since 2020. A group of international climate scientists with World Weather Attribution (WWA) collaborated to assess to what extent human-induced climate change altered the likelihood and intensity of the low rainfall that led to drought, as well as the increase in evaporation due to climate change. The team analysed rainfall over the most impacted region - covering…

  • FA Cup final day hit by fresh wave of train strikes

    Members of the Aslef union will walk out on 12 and 31 May, and then again when Wembley Stadium hosts Manchester City and Manchester United in the FA Cup final on 3 June. That date is also in the sporting calendar for the Epsom Derby. The train drivers' union said it has rejected a “risible” 4 per cent pay offer from the 16 train companies with whom it remains in dispute. General secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have not had a pay rise at these companies since 2019. Whelan said: “Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risible proposal we received from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). The proposal – of just 4 per cent – was clearly not designed to be accepted, as inflation is still running north of 10 per cent and our members at these companies have not had an increase for…

  • Swedish space research rocket accidentally lands in Norway

    Sweden's space agency has faced criticism after its microgravity research rocket accidentally landed in Norway. The Swedish rocket has already been retrieved from the Norweigan mountains. However, the country has faced criticism from Norway, as the country's foreign minister complained it had not been properly notified about the malfunction. “The crash of a rocket like this is a very serious incident that can cause serious damage,” said Norweigan foreign ministry spokesperson Ragnhild Simenstad.   “When such a border violation occurs, it is crucial that those responsible immediately inform the relevant Norwegian authorities through the proper channels.” The rocket lifted off on Monday morning from the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. It was able to successfully reach an altitude of 250km…

  • ‘Conscious’ AI no longer a far-fetched possibility, experts warn

    The letter was compiled by the Association for Mathematical Consciousness Science (AMCS), which described it as " a wakeup call for the tech sector, the scientific community and society in general". In the document , dozens of academics from respected institutions have warned that the computing power and capabilities of  AI systems are accelerating at a pace that exceeds the progress made in understanding their capabilities and “alignment” with human values. "It is no longer in the realm of science fiction to imagine AI systems having feelings and even human-level consciousness," the letter states. It further stresses that c ontemporary AI systems already display human traits recognised in psychology, including evidence of 'Theory of Mind'. This statement further supports the claims of…

  • New approach to UK grid investment targets stop-start obstacles

    UK energy regulator Ofgem’s new accelerated strategic transmission investment (ASTI) framework represents a huge opportunity to update the country’s grid to make it capable of connecting increasing numbers of renewable assets. If the UK, and by inference the transmission network operators (TNOs), are going to hit the government’s ambitious target of fully decarbonising the power system by 2035, then significant upgrades need to take place, at pace. The existing process - the large onshore transmission investment (LOTI) framework - simply wasn’t going to allow the sector to evolve at the necessary speed. Rather than a project-by-project approval process, ASTI’s programmatic and proactive approach will mean that TNOs can accelerate the pace of investment into the grid at a time when it is desperately…

  • Trust in AI would be greater with access to training data

    For AI systems to learn, they first must be trained using information that is often labelled by humans. However, most users never see how the data is labelled, leading to doubts about the accuracy and bias of those labels. Showing users that visual data fed into systems was labelled correctly was shown make people trust AI more and could pave the way to help scientists better measure the connection between labelling credibility, AI performance, and trust, the Penn State University team said. In a study, the researchers found that high-quality labelling of images led people to perceive that the training data was credible and they trusted the AI system more. However, when the system shows other signs of being biased, some aspects of their trust go down while others remain at a high level…

  • Circuit boards produced using renewable materials

    International scientists have been working on different ways of utilising  cellulose fibrils - fine fibres that can be produced from wood pulp or agricultural waste - to produce sustainable electronics. Cellulose fibrils hold great potential for sustainable production and the decarbonisation of industry, as they grow CO2-neutral in nature, burn without residues and are compostable.  Researcher Thomas Geiger, from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), has demonstrated it is possible to build biodegradable circuit boards from cellulose fibrils.  Together with a colleague, he produced 20 experimental boards, which were subjected to various mechanical tests and finally fitted with electronic components. The test succeeded, and the cellulose board released…

  • Microsoft’s £55bn takeover of Activision Blizzard blocked by UK’s regulators

    The CMA has blocked Microsoft’s takeover of Activision, as it would "alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market", leading to reduced innovation and fewer choices for UK gamers. The decision was taken after Microsoft "failed to address" the concerns expressed by the CMA in February, following an investigation over the deal that would have seen Xbox-maker Microsoft acquire hit titles such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush in   the  “biggest takeover in tech history”. The CMA reached its conclusion after analysing over three million Microsoft and Activision documents and more than 2,100 emails from the public. The regulator's main concern was the risk that Microsoft would make Activision’s games exclusive to its existing cloud gaming platform, Xbox Game Pass, cutting off distribution…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • First salad on the Moon: plant cultivation plans to feed astronauts

    With Nasa's Artemis countdown already begun, humans will soon be returning to the Moon – this time to establish a manned base. For any moonbase project to succeed long-term, astronauts must be able to grow their own food. The lunar soil, known as regolith, poses significant horticultural problems, being essentially a powder in which it is difficult to grow plants. The Moon is also characterised by temperatures that can reach as high as 127°C during the day, then fall to as low as -173°C at night. Addressing all of these issues is the LunarPlant international project, headed by NTNU Social Research and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (Ciris). Norwegian researchers are also part of the LunarPlant project, with the independent research organisation Sintef working in collaboration…

  • EU to mandate use of sustainable aviation fuels to cut carbon emissions

    SAFs are typically derived by combining jet fuel with alternatives such as biofuels or recycled oils from industrial food facilities. They are often considered as the most carbon-efficient option for aviation given the limits of current technology, which leaves electric and hydrogen planes in the prototype stage for now. They can achieve greenhouse gas emissions savings of more than 70 per cent compared to conventional fossil jet fuels. The EU predicts its measure will reduce aircraft CO2 emissions by around two-thirds by 2050 compared to a ‘no action’ scenario, and provide climate and air quality benefits by reducing non-CO2 emissions. Aviation fuel suppliers will be required to provide a minimum of just two per cent SAF at EU airports by 2025 but this will be ramped up slowly to 70…

  • China to build satellite constellation for lunar communications

    The satellite constellation – named Queqiao, or Magpie Bridge – is expected to begin its activities in 2030, when it will serve as a communications bridge for deep space exploration missions, according to Chinese state media.  The project's goal is to support China's ongoing lunar exploration programme and the building of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), said Wu Yanhua, chief designer of the project, during the country's First International Deep Space Exploration Conference.  During the event, the Queqiao constellation was described as "a space infrastructure and public service platform built and operated in deep space". It would reportedly feature the capability of efficient communications, navigation, in-orbit computing and information storage.  Wu announced that the…

  • Tokyo firm’s Moon lander appears to have crashed on the surface

    The Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander was expected to land on the surface just before 5pm GMT yesterday (Tuesday 25 April), after spending some weeks orbiting the Moon in preparation. But ispace has admitted that communication between the lander and the Mission Control Center was lost around 11pm. Based on the currently available data, the Mission Control Center was able to confirm that the lander was in a vertical position as it carried out the final approach to the lunar surface. But shortly after the scheduled landing time, no data was received indicating a touchdown. Engineers were monitoring the estimated remaining propellant and saw it depleting fast, after which the descent speed rapidly increased. Based on this, ispace said there is a “high probability” that the lander eventually…

  • View from Brussels: Rebate is a dirty word

    Brussels-London relations are at an all-time high at the moment – if you pretend that their history began in 2016 with the Brexit vote – fuelled largely by the UK government’s recent success in putting the Northern Ireland Protocol issue to bed (for now). That post-Brexit trading regime spat had gummed up the works completely, prompting Brussels to put Horizon Europe talks on hold until both sides could agree on a deal that respects the Good Friday Agreement and the realities of leaving the EU. Horizon is one of the few programmes that the UK wanted to cherry-pick during the drawn out withdrawal negotiations, elevating it above the Erasmus student exchange scheme and the Galileo global positioning network. With nearly €100bn up for grabs over the funding period, Horizon is an impressive…

  • Novel robot fish could improve accessibility of underwater exploration

    The device was fitted with a twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) to drive it forward, a light-weight low-cost device that relies on temperature change to generate movement. The mechanism works by contracting like muscles when heated, with the energy being converted into mechanical motion. The robot fish uses a TCP which is warmed by Joule heating – the passage of current through an electrical conductor produces thermal energy and heats up the conductor. By minimising the distance between the TCP on one side of the robot fish and the spring on the other, this activates the fin at the rear, enabling the robot fish to reach high speeds. The undulating flapping of its rear fin was measured at a frequency of 2Hz, two waves per second. The frequency of the electric current is the same as the frequency…

  • Nasa data offers new insights into the core of Mars

    A pair of quakes in 2021 sent seismic waves deep into the Red Planet’s core that were captured by Insight, giving scientists the best data yet on its size and composition. Insight was retired in December 2022 after it stopped responding to communications from Earth, following months of declining power due to Martian dust building up on its solar panels. Scientists are still poring over the trove of data from its seismometer that were collected over its four years in operation. The two quakes were the first identified by the InSight team to have originated on the opposite side of the planet from the lander – so-called 'farside quakes'. The distance proved crucial as the farther a quake happens from InSight, the deeper into the planet its seismic waves can travel before being detected.…

  • AI helps power tsunami early warning system

    The team combined state-of-the-art acoustic technology with AI tools to monitor tectonic activity in real time and improve the accuracy of existing tsunami alerts.  To train the AI model, the researchers relied on sound recordings captured by underwater microphones, called hydrophones. These sounds were used to measure the acoustic radiation produced by 200 earthquakes that happened in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Then, the researchers leveraged an AI computational model to triangulate the source of the tectonic event and classify earthquakes' properties, including length and width, uplift speed, and duration, which are used to reveal the size of the tsunami. "Tsunamis can be highly destructive events causing huge loss of life and devastating coastal areas, resulting in significant…

  • UK regulator receives more powers to rein in Big Tech

    The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will be granted more powers to regulate the "excessive dominance" of large technology platforms and further protect customers, the government has said.  The changes will be made under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill, which will target firms deemed to hold “strategic market status” - defined as those with a global turnover of over £25bn - and work to prevent unfair business practices, including fake online reviews and difficult-to-cancel subscriptions.  Under the draft law, m ajor tech firms will receive strict customer protection rules and could face the threat of multibillion-pound fines should they breach them. The legislation will aim to strengthen the Digital Markets Unit   (DMU), a section of the CMA…

  • General Motors and Samsung partner on $3bn battery plant in the US

    The plant will have more than 30GWh of capacity and will bring GM’s total US battery cell capacity to about 160GWh when it is at full production. In 2021, the car-making giant, which own brands such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC, unveiled a plan to become carbon neutral by 2040 in efforts that lean heavily on ramping up production of zero-emissions vehicles and building out the necessary charging infrastructure. Last year it said it expects to build 400,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in North America from 2022 through mid-2024 and increase capacity to one million units annually in North America in 2025. The US also recently introduced new tax breaks for EVs that are more generous for those made domestically with minerals from the US or trade allies. “GM’s supply chain strategy…

  • Private Japanese firm to land rover on the surface of the Moon

    The Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander is expected to make its landing around 16.40 GMT today (Tuesday) after spending some weeks orbiting the Moon in an elliptical orbit starting around 2,000km above the surface. The lander’s onboard camera has already been used to take pictures of the Moon from space. During the landing sequence, Hakuto-R will perform a braking burn, firing its main propulsion system to decelerate from orbit. Utilising a series of pre-set commands, the lander will adjust its attitude and reduce velocity in order to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. The process will take approximately one hour if completed successfully. The lander originally took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX rocket in December. Speaking at a media briefing, ispace chief technology…

  • Government invests £100m in next-generation AI taskforce

    The new Foundation Model Taskforce will receive £100m to accelerate the UK’s capability in next-generation AI models that can be used in fields such as healthcare and education, the government has revealed.  The recently formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology announced that the taskforce will be modelled on the success of the Covid-19 Vaccines Taskforce, and will aim to “ensure sovereign capabilities and broad adoption of safe and reliable foundation models”.  The announcement comes amid a dramatic rise in the popularity of foundation models, a category of AI systems trained on huge volumes of data such as text, images, video or audio to gain broad and sophisticated capabilities across many tasks.  The capabilities of these next-generation tools have allowed researchers…

  • Are the world's technology giants now just too big to care?

    When Elon Musk arrived with his sink, I departed. Late last year I finally made the break from Twitter. It had become so full of hatred, bigotry, vitriol, culture warring, trolling and general bad vibes. It leaves no room for nuance, and the more extreme the sentiment the further it will go. Musk’s track record signalled this was to get worse – if he didn’t just destroy it first. He misused Twitter to manipulate share prices, to promote damaging and offensive conspiracy theories and to accuse a man of being a paedophile on absolutely no evidence – because he dared to turn down a publicity stunt offer of a submarine loan to rescue kids stranded in a flooded cave in Thailand. Now he’s running the platform, he’s dismissed key staff, haemorrhaged many more, even mocked one of his staff for his…

  • Mobile 3D printer could bring vaccines to remote areas

    A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a mobile vaccine printer that, when scaled, could produce hundreds of vaccine doses a day.  This technology would solve many of the challenges of increasing global access to vaccinations: mainly the need for infrastructure that can maintain the doses at under-zero temperatures, as well as syringes, needles, and trained healthcare professionals to administer them. In contrast, the machine built by the MIT team can print patches with hundreds of microneedles containing vaccines. The patch can be attached to the skin, allowing the vaccine to dissolve without the need for a traditional injection. Once printed, the vaccine patches can be stored for months at room temperature. This kind of printer, which can fit on a tabletop…

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