Category: Technology

This blog post is part 1 of a 2-part series. The second part will set out recommendations for companies and policymakers. Six years ago—one month into a global pandemic—we argued that the automated moderation processes many platforms were rapidly adopting should be highly transparent, easily appealable, and temporary. We warned that “protocols adopted in times […]

The defence investment plan sets out the UK government’s funding choices for the British armed forces. Over a year late, it allocates an additional £15 billion to the ministry of defence. Its priorities are the nuclear deterrent and submarine programmes, a sixth generation fighter jet and an expansion of autonomous systems and guided weapons. Across […]

i_am_zews/Shutterstock Young people in low- and middle-income countries appear generally more optimistic about how AI can enhance their work prospects and social lives than their western peers, according to our new survey of people in ten countries in Africa and South Asia. While debates in higher-income countries often focus on job losses, misinformation and mental […]

Achieving the blackest of blacks has been one of humanity’s enduring challenges. It is a frontier that unites modern nanotechnologists with nature’s ancient colour palette. Black emerged as one of humanity’s first engineered colours, stemming from charcoal and soot used in the prehistoric cave art of Lascaux in southwestern France. For centuries, darkness has been […]

Across South Africa, there are various ways for people to report issues like broken infrastructure, unreliable water supply, failing clinics and poor municipal services. The channels include ward meetings, hotlines, and digital platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and X. Complaints are often shared publicly and sometimes gain traction. But are they enough? As a researcher specialising […]

As the UK prepares for the third heatwave of 2026, most people will be hoping to try and keep cool at home. Building regulations to protect homes from overheating were introduced in 2022. These require all new homes to be checked at the design stage to see if they might be at risk of overheating. […]

The MOD's Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) initiative aims to develop low-cost, uncrewed fighter drones. UK MOD / Crown Copyright Seventy years ago, Britain confronted a dilemma. It wanted to remain a leading military power but no longer had the economic resources to sustain all the conventional capabilities it had inherited from the second […]

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in the US, an ozone nanobubble system has been used to keep the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool clear. Months before the celebrations a massive clean up of the pool had taken place, but despite this an algae bloom had turned the water bright green. To […]

East Antarctica hosts the largest ice sheet on Earth, containing enough water to raise global sea levels by 52 metres, were it to fully melt. Yet it has puzzled scientists for decades how and why this ice sheet formed. In fact, there are two interlinked mysteries. First, Antarctica became covered in ice around 34 million […]

Wifi on the go is often unreliable – on buses, trains and, increasingly, planes. Whether via cellular or satellite systems, connectivity at speed suffers from highly variable signal coverage and strength. This leads to delays, degraded data speeds and service interruptions. To address these issues, the UK government has announced a major upgrade to wifi […]