The Pandemic Revolutionized Disease Surveillance. Now What?
Covid forced the world to develop some of the best epidemiological surveys ever done. Now they’re being cut back, even as the threat of the virus lingers.Continue Reading
2022-03-28
Octopus farms raise huge animal welfare concerns – and they’re unsustainable too
Henner Damke/shutterstock When you imagine an octopus’s world, you might well see a curious creature in a complex undersea environment. Yet the reality of life for some octopuses is existence within a barren tank, inescapably surrounded by humans and other octopuses. This is the bleak world of octopus farming –Continue Reading
2022-03-27
We’ve discovered why some whales stop feeding in response to the sound of sonar
In September 2002, a number of beaked whales were stranded and killed in the Canary Islands during a NATO naval exercise. It was the first time we started to get a real understanding of the negative effects of sonar sounds on cetaceans, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. But whyContinue Reading
2022-03-26
How to investigate when a robot causes an accident – and why it’s important that we do
Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock Robots are featuring more and more in our daily lives. They can be incredibly useful (bionic limbs, robotic lawnmowers, or robots which deliver meals to people in quarantine), or merely entertaining (robotic dogs, dancing toys, and acrobatic drones). Imagination is perhaps the only limit to what robots will beContinue Reading
2022-03-24
Online safety bill: ambiguous definitions of harm could threaten freedom of speech – instead of protecting it
tommaso79/Shutterstock The UK government’s much anticipated online safety bill has now been released. The bill seeks to impose a duty of care on companies, such as social media platforms, to remove illegal content, and in some cases, “legal but harmful” content, quickly. Failure to comply will result in heavy finesContinue Reading
2022-03-23
How we discovered that sea turtles in Seychelles have recovered from the brink
Rich Baxter, Author provided It’s not always easy to assess whether animal conservation measures have worked. But we’ve discovered that green turtles of Seychelles – once almost hunted to extinction – are now thriving again. And it’s all because of crucial protection that was given to the species around 50Continue Reading
2022-03-21
A solar power station in space? Here’s how it would work – and the benefits it could bring
NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The UK government is reportedly considering a £16 billion proposal to build a solar power station in space. Yes, you read that right. Space-based solar power is one of the technologies to feature in the government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. It has been identifiedContinue Reading
2022-03-20
Open-source intelligence: how digital sleuths are making their mark on the Ukraine war
Shutterstock For months now, a large and very active community of digital sleuths has been closely tracking the escalating crisis in Ukraine. These people have been using open-source intelligence to investigate and document the build-up to – and now execution of – Vladimir Putin’s war of choice. But what exactlyContinue Reading
2022-03-18
New UK-wide ambitions to accelerate genomic research and drive innovation in healthcare
New ‘Shared Commitments’ set out priority actions for genomics initiatives across the UK Cancer diagnosis, earlier detection of diseases and patient access to clinical trials will improve Plans will advance government’s priorities to reform healthcare and make the UK a scientific superpower Patients across the UK are set to benefitContinue Reading
2022-03-18
Big Pharma’s Ethical Dilemma: Should They Keep Selling to Russia?
Sanctions and boycotts following the invasion of Ukraine have curtailed the export of nearly every product—except medicines. That’s up to drugmakers.Continue Reading
2022-03-18