Amid rising sea levels, plastics pollution and overfishing, the emerging Internet of Underwater Things will vastly expand knowledge about the world’s seas. Helen Massy-Beresford Imagine seals swimming in the sea with electronic tags that send real-time water data to scientists back in their laboratories. Or archaeologists near a coast being automatically alerted when a diver … Read more
Inexpensive new materials and sensors will help even small museums prevent irreversible damage to objects. By ALEX WHITING Overlooking the waters of the Grand Canal in Venice, the former home of American art collector Peggy Guggenheim houses one of Italy’s most important collections of 20th century works. Until recently, many of them were at risk from an … Read more
By identifying the gender of chicks in their eggs, EU-funded technologies could help prevent the killing of millions of the birds every year. By PIETER DEVUYST Wil Stutterheim is on a mission: to stop the global poultry industry’s slaughter of billions of day-old chicks every year. Male chicks are deemed largely useless for poultry farmers because … Read more
By monitoring oceans and peering into ponds, European projects seek to protect an array of animal and plant life. By SOFIA STRODT In January, word emerged that scientists had discovered a new colony of penguins in Antarctica using images from Europe’s flagship Copernicus satellite network. By coincidence, the same month marked the start of an initiative … Read more
The enhancement of human-machine interaction is expected to bring notable improvements in support for learning and access to healthcare. By CALEB DAVIES In a Swiss classroom, two children are engrossed in navigating an intricate maze with the help of a small, rather cute, robot. The interaction is easy and playful – it is also providing researchers with … Read more
Recreating long-faded smells from history to evoke the past is a new way to experience culture in museums and tours. By CALEB DAVIES Ever since the days of the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle, it has been supposed that there is a hierarchy of the human senses. Sight comes out as the most important, then hearing, with … Read more