For sustainable air fuel to work, it’s going to need a staggering amount of land. As the politician next to him took out his phone for a selfie, Virgin Atlantic chairman Richard Branson peered into the camera, grinned, and did a double thumbs-up. The world’s first commercial airliner to cross the Atlantic using 100% biofuel had just...
From the Big Four chains like Tesco and Sainsbury’s to budget stores like Aldi, supermarkets have raced to embrace high-tech solutions in recent years. These range from self-service checkouts to hand-held barcode scanners, in-app payment methods and even digital pricing labels. But going against the trend is high-end northern chain Booths, much to the delight of many customers. This week, the business announced...
Neuroscience research is vital for understanding and developing treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and depression, as well as for improving learning and memory. Scientists have long sought to replicate the brain’s intricate neural environment, particularly the web-like extracellular matrix, in a lab setting. Researchers have now successfully employed bioprinting — which is akin to using...
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE is one of the most dramatic natural disasters in recorded history, yet so many of the actual records from that moment in time are inaccessible. Papyrus scrolls located in nearby Pompeii and Herculaneum, for example, were almost instantly scorched by the volcanic blast, then promptly buried under pumice and ash. In 1752, excavators uncovered around 800 such...
A massive cargo ship retrofitted with a pair of nearly 125-foot-tall “wing sails” has set out on its maiden voyage, potentially providing a new template for wind-powered ocean liners. Chartered by shipping firm Cargill, the Pyxis Ocean’s journey will take it from China to Brazil in a test of its two, rigid “WindWings” constructed from the...
Beijing is aiming to control rain and snow across half the country. But it is the reason it wants to do this that is really frightening. Remember when Donald Trump wanted to nuke hurricanes so they didn’t hit the US? Everyone laughed uproariously, but Trump’s warped little mind was actually on to something. You may not be...
A study sheds light on the tiny genes that have evolved in human genomes since we split from our mammalian ancestors. Humans are still evolving new genes, according to a study published in Cell Reports on December 20. As our lineage evolved, at least 155 human genes sprung up from DNA regions previously thought of as “junk,”...
In France, solar just got a huge boost from new legislation approved through the Senate this week that will require all parking lots with spaces for at least 80 vehicles – both existing and new – to be covered by solar panels. The new provisions are part of French president Emmanuel Macron’s large-scale plan to heavily invest in renewables,...
Elon Musk (South Africa) has officially broken the world record for the largest loss of personal fortune in history. He has lost approximately $182 billion (£153 bn; €173 bn) since November 2021, as estimated by Forbes, although other sources suggest that it could actually be closer to $200 billion. Although the exact figure is almost impossible to...
A team of engineers at Stanford University have developed a solar cell that can generate some electricity at night. The research comes at a moment when the number of solar jobs and residential installations are rising. While standard solar panels can provide electricity during the day, this device can serve as a “continuous renewable power source for both day-...
A team of astronomers stumbled upon and now identified two hidden galaxies that are residing at the edge of space and time. A team of researchers has accidentally found two galaxies that were hidden from view sitting at the edge of space and time. Yoshinobu Fudamoto, an astronomer at the Research Institute for Science and...
Artificial neurons on silicon chips that behave just like the real thing have been invented by scientists—a first-of-its-kind achievement with enormous scope for medical devices to cure chronic diseases, such as heart failure, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases of neuronal degeneration. Critically the artificial neurons not only behave just like biological neurons but only need one billionth the...
