While not primarily useful for telling the time, nuclear clocks could allow scientists to test humankind’s fundamental understanding of how reality works. By Caleb Davies Thorsten Schumm is a clockmaker, but not the kind who sits at a workbench covered with springs and cogs, a magnifying loupe jammed into one eye. No, he is making … Read more
The robotic bee replicants home in on the unsuspecting queen of a hive. But unlike the rebellious replicants in the 1982 sci-fi thriller Blade Runner, these ones are here to work. Combining miniature robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the plan is for the robotic bees to stimulate egg laying in the queen by, for … Read more
Expectant mothers and app-equipped city residents have roles to play in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of people annually. By TOM CASSAUWERS Arnau Pujol Vallribera is a Spanish data whiz who used to study galaxies. Now he tracks diseases spread by mosquitoes. ‘In cosmology, we use algorithms to better understand the … Read more
Needed to clean up road transport, battery-powered vehicles might also act as stored energy that the car owners could sell to electricity networks. By HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD While drivers considering an electric vehicle (EV) might imagine the main benefit being less air pollution from their own journeys, EV batteries could also make money for car owners – … Read more
Global warming is affecting vineyards and the taste of wines. By ETHAN BILBY Wine aficionados like to credit different soil and geographical conditions for producing a wide spectrum of flavours for the same grape varieties – even within the same area. When it comes to one of Europe’s favourite drinks, people tend to think a … Read more
People who suffer from back pain may get relief from research showing that electrical fields and fish genes provide novel building blocks for a healthy skeleton. By ANTHONY KING Back pain can be excruciating and is increasingly common with ageing populations. Spinal surgery is on the rise in many countries, including costly – and often risky – … Read more