Month: June 2014

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#Nasa OCO-2 satellite will measure carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Nasa is scheduled to launch its first spacecraft dedicated to measuring carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere on July 2014. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission will provide a more complete, global picture of the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as “sinks” – such as forests and oceans – which absorb and trap the gas. OCO-2 will be Nasa’s second attempt to launch a satellite specifically for the purpose of monitoring carbon dioxide. The first OCO launch in 2009 unfortunately failed to reach orbit. At approximately 400 parts per million, atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at … Continue reading #Nasa OCO-2 satellite will measure carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere – an annotated infographic

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Hot news! E&T news weekly #8 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday June 27 2014 Upcycled smartphones to help fight poaching in Africa This innovative project of the Zoological Society of London and Californian start-up Rainforest Connection uses old Android smartphones to create a real-time highly sensitive monitoring system to provide immediate warning about illegal logging or poaching in African rain forests. What a great idea! A proof that disused technology could serve the most honourable purposes. Make controls more intuitive, investigators say to Boeing I’m not qualified to judge whether Boeing’s controls are intuitive enough or not, but I find really scary that so called experienced pilots could have committed … Continue reading Hot news! E&T news weekly #8 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

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Malaysia Airlines flight #MH370 – new priority search area in Indian Ocean – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 most likely flew on autopilot for several hours before a crash landing, with the crew incapacitated probably due to hypoxia, an investigation report has revealed. Released more than 100 days after the plane’s mysterious disappearance and after months of fruitless search, the 55-page analysis by the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) has reviewed the sporadic evidence about the aircraft’s whereabouts, mostly based on satellite and early radar data. “Given these observations, the final stages of the unresponsive crew, hypoxia event type appeared to best fit the available evidence for the final period of MH370’s flight when … Continue reading Malaysia Airlines flight #MH370 – new priority search area in Indian Ocean – an annotated infographic

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#ProjectLivewire electric motorbike competition tour announced by Harley-Davidson

E&T magazine

Iconic motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson has introduced its first fully electric motorcycle, offering bikers the chance to test and provide feedback on what would they expect from an electric motorbike. Part of the company’s Project LiveWire, the innovative eco-friendly motorbike was unveiled by Harley Davidson’s chief marketing officer Mark-Hans Richer during an event in New York on Monday. Capable of driving at up to 150 km/h, the bike has a range of 130 miles before it needs recharging – a procedure which would take between 30 minutes and one hour. Harley-Davidson says the vehicle will be able to accelerate to 60mph … Continue reading #ProjectLivewire electric motorbike competition tour announced by Harley-Davidson

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#Graphene could relieve world water shortage – sea water desalination – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Solar cells, condoms, insulators, photovoltaics, batteries, flexible electronics – only a few of the technological areas in which researchers are finding uses for graphene, the single-atom thick, pure carbon wonder material. Now graphene has been touted as a possible solution to the world’s water storage problems. As the human population rises, desalination  – the expensive process of extracting salt from sea water in order to produce fresh drinking water – is becoming critically important. Graphene could make it affordable. Scientists are now determining how graphene could be used to filter sea water into drinking water for a fraction of present … Continue reading #Graphene could relieve world water shortage – sea water desalination – an annotated infographic

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Undersea mining and protected marine reserves – good news/bad news for sea creatures – two annotated infographics

E&T magazine

It’s all happening underwater this week, with varying degrees of good news for sea creatures. Firstly, New Zealand is deciding whether or not to approve a sustainable underwater iron ore operation that could become the world’s first undersea metals mine. The Trans Tasman Resources company plans to dredge for iron ore on the sea floor off the coast of New Zealand. Secondly, President Obama plans to create the world’s biggest marine protected area (MPA) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Under the proposal, slated to go into effect later this year, an existing sanctuary would be extended to eventually … Continue reading Undersea mining and protected marine reserves – good news/bad news for sea creatures – two annotated infographics

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Hot news! E&T news weekly #7 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday June 20 2014   Academic superpower rising in the east The British retain rate of Chinese students that come to British shores to study at world-class universities is lower than it should be, as many return to China after graduating to apply that education back in China. So it’s interesting to see Chinese universities are now vying to providing a similar high-level of education on their shores. Another example of China’s burgeoning super-power. Internal smart pill to save the dairy industry $10bn Securing our food supply chain has become a major engineering focus, and as a result smart farming … Continue reading Hot news! E&T news weekly #7 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

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New issue of E&T magazine now online – the First World War special issue #WW1

E&T magazine

The new issue of E&T magazine is online now and it’s our First World War special. This month’s cover star is the unsung hero that saved thousands of lives: the life-saving Brodie helmet issued to British soldiers. Another life-saver in this issue was battlefield communications, a sort of tele-net of things that foreshadowed today’s Internet of Things. We also have the second part of the story of the intelligence operations in the Admiralty’s legendary Room 40; new forms of transport which played their part in the Great War, too, such as the Zeppelins the battlefield debut of an extraordinary machine … Continue reading New issue of E&T magazine now online – the First World War special issue #WW1

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Hot news! E&T news weekly #6 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

E&T magazine

Friday June 13 2014   Evacuator cable facilitates escape from tall buildings A few years ago I was in a 23rd-floor office when the fire alarm sounded. Luckily it was quickly revoked, but it added to my existing dislike of being in tall buildings. This novel Evacuator cable might add a teeny bit of reassurance for people like me – though I’m not sure if it would work on a sloping building like the Shard, which had to be evacuated last week after smoke sensors were triggered. Smart transport innovation centre opened Government-backed Catapult centres are meant to help businesses … Continue reading Hot news! E&T news weekly #6 – we choose our favourite news stories from the week

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#WorldCup2014 – price hikes and fan safety, surviving Brazil – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

On the eve of the biggest sporting event of the year (take that, British Dressage Championships!), we strike a cautionary note for any football fan travelling to Brazil this year for the World Cup Finals. As should come as a surprise to no one, local prices for pretty much everything have seen dramatic price hikes in recent weeks. No wonder the local people are rioting in the streets. Apparently, the 600,000 foreign tourists heading to Brazil can expect daily costs hitting close to $682 in Rio de Janeiro — the most expensive host city — and $457 in Cuiaba, the … Continue reading #WorldCup2014 – price hikes and fan safety, surviving Brazil – an annotated infographic