elenabsl/Shutterstock In factories and industrial estates across the world, exceptional efforts are being made to ensure hospitals have ventilators, and logistics firms have freezers and refrigerators. Behind the scenes, this manufacturing drive has been taking place on an epic, unprecedented scale. In some places, it’s also been horrendously inefficient. SomeContinue Reading
Lift off. Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson, CC BY-SA Earlier this month, ten cubesats – small, cheap satellites weighing about a kilogram each – were sent into orbit around Earth. With almost 1,500 of these small satellites launched so far, adding another ten might seem trivial. But this was no ordinary launch.Continue Reading
NASA's Space Launch System. NASA No-one has visited the Moon since 1972. But with the advent of commercial human spaceflight, the urge to return is resurgent and generating a new space race. NASA has selected the private company SpaceX to be part of its commercial spaceflight operations, but the firmContinue Reading
Smells, scents and stenches are a common feature in the messy world of sex. In animals, aromas such as pheromones are often used to attract and charm potential mates. But some male butterflies use sex smells for another purpose entirely: to deposit a stench on their coital partner so foulContinue Reading
We can't all be saints all the time. Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock “I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex and rich food. He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself.” This quote from the television host and comedian Johnny Carson illustrates an uncomfortable truth – thatContinue Reading
Is it true that the British variant is 30% more deadly? Halfpoint/Shutterstock One certainty during a pandemic is that the virus will mutate. SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is no different. But how concerned should we be about the new variants of the virus that are arising in places such asContinue Reading
Congestion in the sky. Shutterstock/OSORIOartist In recent years, satellites have become smaller, cheaper, and easier to make with commercial off the shelf parts. Some even weigh as little as one gram. This means more people can afford to send them into orbit. Now, satellite operators have started launching mega-constellations –Continue Reading
Parthbhatt/shutterstock.com Water scarcity is among the top five global risks affecting people’s wellbeing. In water-scarce areas, the situation is grim. Conventional sources like snowfall, rainfall, river runoff and easily accessible groundwater are being affected by climate change, and supplies are shrinking as demand grows. In these countries, water is aContinue Reading
Is it true that the British variant is 30% more deadly? Halfpoint/Shutterstock One certainty during a pandemic is that the virus will mutate. SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is no different. But how concerned should we be about the new variants of the virus that are arising in places such asContinue Reading
Tom Tom/Shutterstock It’s a blustery October night in 1841, and though Liverpool is sleeping, Mrs Bates is very much awake. Before her, shining brightly at the foot of her bed, is an “open vision” of her friend Elizabeth Morgan, “standing in full view before her, clothed in robes beautiful andContinue Reading
