Tag: engineering and technology magazine

Engineering, Science, TechnologyLeave a comment

Discovery of DNA double helix – 65th anniversary of Crick and Watson’s landmark work – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The 65th anniversary of the publication of the structure of DNA by James D. Watson, Francis H.C. Crick, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins takes place as scientists debate the ethics of new gene editing techniques. It was Saturday lunchtime on February 28, 1953, when two Cambridge University scientists pushed open the doors of The Eagle, a favourite pub for researchers at the nearby Cavendish laboratory. The duo, 25-year-old American bacteriologist and birdwatcher James Watson and Francis Crick, a 37-year-old British physicist, announced that they had unravelled the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, saying: “We have discovered the secret … Continue reading Discovery of DNA double helix – 65th anniversary of Crick and Watson’s landmark work – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

New generation of plant breeding – GMO crops in the dock – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) – the highest court within the European Union – is to rule on whether crops developed using so-called “New Breeding Techniques” like CRISPR/Cas are the same as those achieved through traditional plant breeding. The ECJ decision, expected in the coming weeks, follows a request by the French Council of State, on behalf of the Confédération Paysanne, for a legal ruling over whether organisms obtained by “mutagenesis” are exempt from the EU’s Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Directive. In 2001, the EU directive defined genetic modification as inserting DNA of one organism into another but opened … Continue reading New generation of plant breeding – GMO crops in the dock – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

UAE to open Arab world’s first nuclear power plant – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The United Arab Emirates is due to commission the Arab world’s first nuclear power station in 2018. The Barakah plant’s four reactors are expected to supply up to 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity needs by 2020. As reported by E&T news in October last year, Saudi Arabia intends to begin the first reactor casing pouring in 2018 on two power plants with a capacity up to 2.8GW. The conservative Gulf Kingdom, which has a population of 32 million, is thought to hold 18 per cent of the world’s total crude oil reserves and has long been the world’s top … Continue reading UAE to open Arab world’s first nuclear power plant – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

Singapore to test done delivery system with help from Airbus – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

To explore how delivery drones could be used, Singapore has turned to Airbus to test a drone delivery service. The Skyways project aims to use drones to provide an efficient delivery service of small parcels to staff and students across the campus of the National University of Singapore. If the university test is successful, the system could be extended to service ships anchored in the Port of Singapore. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Singapore to test done delivery system with help from Airbus – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

Chinese warship spotted with possible electromagnetic railgun – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Photos circulating online appear to show the first experimental deployment of a new “supergun” aboard a Chinese warship, fuelling speculation that the weapon could be an electromagnetic railgun. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Chinese warship spotted with possible electromagnetic railgun – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

Trump administration reins in US offshore drilling plans; steers clear of Florida coast – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The Trump administration was proposing to open nearly all US offshore waters to oil and gas drilling, reversing Obama-era regulations imposed after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke claimed Obama administration bans on drilling in the continental shelf had cost the United States billions of dollars in lost revenue. The new proposal would make about 90 per cent of those waters available for leasing. The plan gives energy companies access to blocks off California for the first time in decades and opens up the Arctic and Eastern Seaboard. Only the … Continue reading Trump administration reins in US offshore drilling plans; steers clear of Florida coast – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

President Donald Trump’s first year in office – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Recording President Donald Trump’s first year in office, for what it’s worth. US Republican President Donald Trump has been in office for a year. So far there is no wall along the US-Mexican border and Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential collusion between Trump’s campaign team and Russia during the election campaign remains active. The Iran nuclear deal still stands, as does the NAFTA trade deal and the Paris climate accord — despite Trump’s symbolic withdrawal. The shift to renewable energy continues and Obamacare is more popular than ever. Less than six in 10 of America’s 231.3-million electorate (55.7 … Continue reading President Donald Trump’s first year in office – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

President Trump signs order to keep Guantanamo Bay military prison open – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to keep open the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, marking a formal reversal of Barack Obama’s eight-year effort to shut it down. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading President Trump signs order to keep Guantanamo Bay military prison open – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

CubeSats drive commercial space race – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

CubeSats are ultra-small spacecraft weighing 1.3kg or less. Most CubeSats piggyback to orbit on big, expensive rockets – but affordable rocket technology is launching a new generation of space start-ups. In the past satellites have been built and launched by multibillion-dollar companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Orbital Sciences Corporation. That began to change in January 2014 when Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft carried 33 nanosatellites to the International Space Station, ISS. These tiny satellites, built to the CubeSat standard format — a 10cm cube weighing 1.3kg or less — were launched from the ISS a month later. Since 2014 more than … Continue reading CubeSats drive commercial space race – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

Bitcoin’s wild price ride – cryptocurrency craziness – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Bitcoin has lost more than 50 per cent of its value since mid-December, sliding amidst escalating regulatory threats, international banks blocking crypto purchases and fears of fraud and hacking. Bitcoin’s price has been on a wild ride, from about $1,000 this time last year, shooting up to over $19,000 before dropping down to its current value of around $8,000. Bitcoin is the most prominent cryptocurrency, but there are more than 1,500 others out there. Startups offer new coins, or tokens, in events known as ICOs, or initial coin offerings. Beware: between 14 to 30 per cent of ICOs are fraudulent, … Continue reading Bitcoin’s wild price ride – cryptocurrency craziness – an annotated infographic