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24th May 2017
Rapid greening of Antarctica due to climate change
Researchers have published evidence of a rapid greening in the Antarctic over the last 50 years, suggesting that more dramatic changes can be expected with future warming.
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22nd May 2017
Moon found orbiting third largest dwarf planet
Astronomers have identified a moon orbiting 2007 OR10, the third largest dwarf planet in our Solar System, and the largest without an official name.
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22nd May 2017
Farewell to Jacque Fresco (1916-2017)
The creator of the Venus Project has died aged 101.
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20th May 2017
Solar power is now cheaper than coal in India
The price of clean energy continues to plummet. In India, electricity from solar is now cheaper than from coal.
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18th May 2017
Blood stem cells grown in lab for the first time
Human blood stem cells have been grown in the lab for the first time by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital.
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17th May 2017
World's largest single-memory computer is unveiled
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has revealed a new computing architecture with 160 terabytes of memory.
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16th May 2017
A timeline of the future to 2250
A guest piece by Jakob Coles.
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11th May 2017
Global warming: 1.5°C target may be smashed by 2026
A change to a positive phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation could see global warming accelerate rapidly in the next decade.
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9th May 2017
Growing food in space: no longer a pipe dream
A review of the progress made in space farming shows that food production on the Moon and Mars is likely to become a reality in the not-too-distant future.
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8th May 2017
Nearly half of jobs in Scotland at risk of automation by 2030
Urgent reform is needed to deal with the rapid rise of automation, a leading Scottish think-tank has said.
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6th May 2017
Fusion reactor achieves first plasma
A British company has achieved first plasma in the ST40, a prototype design for a fusion reactor. The machine is planned to reach 100 million degrees C in 2018, the temperature required for fusion.
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5th May 2017
First soft synthetic retina for the visually impaired
The first synthetic retina using soft biological tissues has been created by a student at the University of Oxford.
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5th May 2017
Biggest X-ray laser in the world generates its first light
The European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) in Germany has produced its first beams of x-rays.
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4th May 2017
India will make every new car electric by 2030
India has set itself the goal of making every new car in the nation electric by 2030, according to an energy minister.
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3rd May 2017
Robot can perform surgeries in one fiftieth of the time
The University of Utah has unveiled a robotic drill system for greatly speeding up surgical procedures. One type of complex cranial surgery could be done in a fiftieth of the normal time, decreasing from two hours to just two and a half minutes.
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2nd May 2017
Elon Musk's TED 2017 interview
On Friday 28th April, Elon Musk appeared at the TED 2017 conference. In this 40-minute talk, Musk reveals his plans for "the Boring Company", which aims to build high-speed tunnel networks beneath major cities. He also reveals a first teaser image of the Tesla semi electric truck and discusses further developments for SpaceX, Tesla, Hyperloop and Gigafactories.
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2nd May 2017
A neurotech future will require new human rights laws
New human rights laws are required to prepare for advances in neurotechnology that could put the 'freedom of the mind' at risk, according to the Institute for Biomedical Ethics.
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1st May 2017
Success in 3D bioprinting of cartilage
Researchers in Sweden have generated cartilage tissue by printing stem cells using a 3D-bioprinter. Their method has potential for use in new osteoarthritis therapies.
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27th April 2017
AI uses machine learning to mimic human voices
A Canadian startup company has developed a new software algorithm capable of replicating any human voice, based on only a 60 second audio sample.
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26th April 2017
Wax moth larvae: a solution to plastic waste?
Wax moth larvae are reported to be able to biodegrade polyethylene – one of the toughest, most resilient and most used plastics. These creatures may be a solution to the growing problem of plastic waste.
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25th April 2017
Asteroid mining is "more realistic than perceived"
Goldman Sachs has advised its clients that asteroid mining for platinum may be financially viable in the not-too-distant future, with potentially massive rewards.
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23rd April 2017
2044 – The works of J.R.R. Tolkien enter the public domain
Tolkien's books and writings – including his famous Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit – are entered into the public domain on 1st January 2044.
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22nd April 2017
World's first electric VTOL jet completes maiden flight
Lilium Jet, the first zero-emission electric plane capable of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL), has completed a series of rigorous flight tests in the skies above Germany.
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21st April 2017
Newly discovered "super-Earth" may be best candidate yet for life
Astronomers report the discovery of a rocky "super-Earth" in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, which they say is among the best ever candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life.
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19th April 2017
2042-2067 – The majority of primate species are disappearing from the wild
During this time, most of the world's primate species are finally going extinct in the wild, despite many decades of conservation efforts. This includes the majority of prosimians, monkeys, lesser apes and great apes such as gorillas.
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18th April 2017
Device pulls water from dry air, powered only by Sun
Scientists have created a device that pulls water from dry air, powered only by the Sun. Even under conditions of relatively low (20-30%) humidity, it can produce 2.8 litres of water over a 12-hour period.
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11th April 2017
Two-thirds of Great Barrier Reef hit by back-to-back mass coral bleaching
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is reported to be experiencing a second consecutive mass coral bleaching event, affecting two-thirds of its area.
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10th April 2017
Robotics breakthrough could lead to fully automated warehouses
A problem that keeps warehouse work from being fully automated has just been solved.
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9th April 2017
Hyperloop track ready for first trial run
Hyperloop One has completed a tube installation at Las Vegas DevLoop, the world's first full-system test track.
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9th April 2017
NASA at Saturn: Cassini's Grand Finale
This video tells the story of Cassini's final, daring assignment and looks back at what the mission has accomplished over the last 20 years.
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8th April 2017
Major breakthrough in smart printed electronics
For the first time, researchers have made printed transistors consisting entirely of 2-D nanomaterials. This could enable a wide range of new, futuristic applications.
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6th April 2017
Law requires reshaping as AI and robotics alter employment, states new report
The present wave of automation – driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) – is creating a gap between current legislation and the new laws necessary for an emerging workplace reality, states a major report from the world's leading association of lawyers.
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5th April 2017
Atmosphere could resemble Triassic period by 22nd century
If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, or if subsequent efforts to reverse climate change end in failure, the world's atmosphere could resemble that of the Triassic period by the 22nd century, according to a new study.
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4th April 2017
Graphene sieve turns seawater into drinking water
Researchers at the University of Manchester have demonstrated a graphene-based sieve able to filter seawater. This could lead to affordable desalination technologies.
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1st April 2017
2042 – The City of Trees project is completed in Manchester, England
The City of Trees is a 25-year project to plant three million new trees in Greater Manchester, England.
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