by Sarah Wild Rail transportation is core to Europe’s plans to become carbon neutral by 2050, but noisy trains are an obstacle that will need to be first overcome. ‘We have a lot of resistance from people (living) beside the tracks who are against all construction and upgrades of the lines,’ said Rudiger Garburg, senior … Read more
As climate change warms the world, we increasingly need to find ways to efficiently cool our buildings – whilst also lowering our emissions to attempt to halt the temperature rise as much as possible. Traditional air conditioners are a poor method of achieving either goal, but what if there was another way? Step forward district … Read more
A newly created form of carbon in a mesh just one atom thick is tantalising scientists with hints that it could sharply improve rechargeable batteries and allow wires so small that they can operate at a scale where metals fail. The material, known as biphenylene network, is highly conductive and may prove able to store … Read more
From streaming movies or games and sharing photos on Instagram to the growing use of ‘smart’ devices and growth in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the amount of data being processed is escalating. As a result, energy consumption of data centres in the European Union (EU) is expected to rise from 2.7% of electricity demand in … Read more
There’s no sense quite like smell to trigger an emotional response. One whiff of a damp basement, a dusty blanket, a ripe strawberry, or a steaming bowl of pasta can instantly evoke feelings and memories that have their roots in the distant past. Yet when it comes to learning about bygone times, we barely give … Read more
Cereal grains have been the main component of human diets for thousands of years, with rice, wheat and maize being the most consumed grains worldwide. However, as the global population continues to increase, underutilised cereal crops could help meet dietary needs. Researchers are now investigating how African cereal crops could be cultivated more effectively and adopted … Read more