As the number of objects launched into orbit grows, the EU is working to prevent debris from getting out of hand. By GARETH WILLMER An upsurge in worldwide rocket and satellite launches into space means collisions are an increasing danger that EU research projects are seeking to curb. The number of satellites in space may exceed … Read more
The EU is seeking to limit growing threats from blazes through the use of satellites, artificial intelligence and unmanned aerial vehicles. By JACK MCGOVAN Picture the following scene on the French island of Corsica: a local fire service uses a special surveillance camera to detect smoke in the area, quickly declare the outbreak of a blaze … Read more
Clothes made from recycled textiles are emerging in Europe, highlighting new business opportunities that also reduce the industry’s environmental footprint. By SOFIA STRODT Two textile plants in southern Finland point to the future of the industry. At the sites in Espoo and Valkeakoski, pre-treated textile waste is turned into a cellulosic fibre that looks and feels … Read more
Scientists in Spain have developed a potentially life-saving strategy against a disease that spreads from the gut to other vital organs. By ANTHONY KING Cancer of the colon and rectum is a pernicious killer. A colorectal tumour, for example, can be removed completely from a patient but then pop up elsewhere in the body in another … Read more
European researchers are striving to improve the technology that could one day help blind people see again. By ANTHONY KING Berna Gomez, a former science teacher from Spain, became a scientific subject herself in 2021. After being blind for 16 years, she took part in an experiment to restore her ability to perceive light. Gomez, then … Read more
The major greenhouse gas contributing to global warming could become a prime resource for biofuels that can cut car, plane and ship emissions. 18 August 2023 By TOM CASSAUWERS Laura Martinelli has bittersweet recollections about a clean-fuels project that she managed. It was interrupted by the sudden death of a leading researcher but ended up breaking … Read more