environment news
Is China gaining an edge in artificial intelligence?
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The US and China are racing to capitalise on AI “China is betting on AI and investing in AI and deploying AI on a scale no other country is doing,” says Abishur Prakash, a futurist and author of books about the effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on geopolitics. As …
Vaping nearly killed me, says British teenager
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionEwan Fisher: ‘Everything just got worse and worse… I nearly lost my life’ A teenage boy nearly died after vaping caused a catastrophic reaction in his lungs, doctors in Nottingham say. Ewan Fisher was connected to an artificial lung to keep him alive after his own lungs …
England floods: What is making them worse?
Image copyright Huw Evans picture agency About 500 homes have been flooded in Doncaster with more than 1,000 properties evacuated in areas hit by the rising waters, including the village of Fishlake where residents have complained about the lack of warnings. So what are the factors that have made these floods so damaging, and are …
Some people ‘genetically wired’ to avoid some vegetables
Image copyright Getty Images Hate eating certain vegetables? It could be down to your genes, say US scientists who have done some new research. Inheriting two copies of the unpleasant taste gene provides a “ruin-your-day level of bitterness” to foods like broccoli and sprouts, they say. It could explain why some people find it difficult …
Fracking: Have the Conservatives left open the back door?
Image copyright Cuadrilla/PA Image caption A 2.9 tremor was the largest recorded near the Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site The Conservatives have been accused of harbouring ambitions to resurrect the fracking industry if they win the general election. Last month, the government imposed a moratorium on the controversial practice of splitting rocks to obtain oil …
Where plastic outnumbers fish by seven to one
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Plastic in the Pacific Ocean off California Plastic is building up in the areas of the ocean where fish feed and grow, according to research. A study found bits of plastic outnumber baby fish by seven to one in nursery waters off Hawaii. It appears that the same ocean …
Ice loss causing Arctic to reflect less heat
Image copyright EyeWire Image caption The study found that the albedo effect in the Arctic was falling decade-on-decade A loss of snow and ice cover are the main reasons for a reduction in the Arctic’s ability to reflect heat, not soot as had been previously thought. The capacity of the Arctic to reflect heat is …
Climate change: Bigger hurricanes are now more damaging
Image copyright Getty Images The biggest and most damaging hurricanes are now three times more frequent than they were 100 years ago, say researchers. Using a new method of calculating the destruction, the scientists say the increase in frequency is “unequivocal”. Previous attempts to isolate the impact of climate change on hurricanes have often came …
Bloodhound diary: Racing at over 500mph
Image copyright BLOODHOUND LSR/Charlie Sperring Image caption Testing, testing… A British team is developing a car that will be capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the vehicle aims to show its potential by going progressively faster, year after year. Current high-speed trials have seen Bloodhound top …
Planet Mercury passes across the face of the Sun
Image copyright NASA Image caption Mercury appears in silhouette against the bright surface of the Sun Mercury is making a rare transit, where the planet passes across the face of the Sun as seen from Earth. During the transit, Mercury appears as a dark silhouetted disc against the bright surface of our star. There are …
Breaking up big tech would be a big mistake