How a 400,000-year-old elephant skeleton solved a tantalising puzzle of early human behaviour

One spring, after a long winter, an aged elephant lay dying at the bank of a small stream near the coast of what is now northern Italy. Soon after, some scavengers arrived to dine on this huge stockpile of food. Over 400,000 years later, building activities at Casal Lumbroso on the outskirts of Rome have […]

Continue Reading

AI, drone ships and new sensors could leave submarines with few places to hide in the ocean

A US Virginia-class attack submarine during sea trials in the Atlantic Ocean. US Navy courtesy of General Dynamics Electric Boat For over a century, the ocean has been the ultimate refuge for those who wished to disappear. From the U-boats of the first world war to the nuclear-powered leviathans that glide through today’s deep waters, […]

Continue Reading

What do Nigerian children think about computers? Our study found out

Digital literacy is the ability to use digital tools and technologies effectively, safely and responsibly. This includes the use of smartphones and devices, navigating the internet and exploring coding basics. In an era where digital literacy is more important than ever, it’s essential to understand how young children perceive computing concepts. As a computer science […]

Continue Reading

International fellowships to explore AI’s impact on science – UKRI

The UK Metascience Unit is run jointly by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The unit has today announced details of a cohort of 29 early career researchers receiving funding through the AI Metascience Fellowship Programme. AI changing how we work and think One project at The University […]

Continue Reading

Nobel chemistry prize awarded for crystal materials that could revolutionise green technology

Three scientists have been awarded the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry for discovering a new form of molecular architecture: crystals that contain large cavities. Susumu Kitagawa from Kyoto University, Japan, Richard Robson from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Omar M. Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley, in the US, will share a prize […]

Continue Reading

We tested if a specialised magnetic powder could remove microplastics from drinking water: the answer is yes

Microplastics are the crumbs of our plastic world, tiny pieces that come from bigger items breaking apart or from products like synthetic clothing and packaging. They’re now everywhere. Scientists estimate there are about 51 trillion of these particles floating in the world’s surface waters, and low levels have even been found in South African tap […]

Continue Reading

Cisco Launches Networking Chip to Link AI Data Centers Across Vast Distances

Cisco Systems has unveiled a new networking chip, the Silicon One P200, designed to connect artificial intelligence (AI) data centers spread across large geographic areas. The launch marks a significant step in addressing the growing infrastructure demands of AI workloads, with Microsoft Azure and Alibaba Cloud confirmed as early customers. Purpose and Design The P200 […]

Continue Reading

Nobel physics prize awarded for pioneering experiments that paved the way for quantum computers

The 2025 Nobel prize in Physics has been awarded to three scientists for the discovery of an effect that has applications in medical devices and quantum computing. John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis conducted a series of experiments around 40 years ago which would go on to shape our understanding of the strange properties […]

Continue Reading

Nasa’s Artemis II mission is crucial as doubts build that America can beat China back to the Moon

Nasa/Frank Michaux For the first time in half a century, America stands on the threshold of sending astronauts back to the Moon. Slated for launch no earlier than February 2026, Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface, but it will carry four astronauts on a flyby of Earth’s only natural satellite. The ten […]

Continue Reading

How to discover a planet

Nasa animation depicting the first 5,000 exoplanets to have been discovered, up to March 2022. M. Russo and A. Santaguida/Nasa-JPL On October 6 1995, at a scientific meeting in Florence, Italy, two Swiss astronomers made an announcement that would transform our understanding of the universe beyond our solar system. Michel Mayor and his PhD student […]

Continue Reading