Superfast data processing using light pulses instead of electricity has been created by scientists. The invention uses magnets to record computer data which consume virtually zero energy, solving the dilemma of how to create faster data processing speeds without the accompanying high energy costs. Today’s data center servers consume between 2 to 5 percent of…
New Satellite Keeps Close Watch on Antarctic Ice Loss
A recently-launched satellite mission has captured precision data on the elevation of the Antarctic ice sheet proving a valuable addition to monitoring efforts in the region, according to work published this week in The Cryosphere. From its orbit 815 km above the Earth, the Sentinel-3 satellite was able to detect the height of the ice…
Volcanoes and Glaciers Combine as Powerful Methane Producers
Large amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane are being released from an Icelandic glacier, scientists have discovered. A study of Sólheimajökull glacier, which flows from the active, ice-covered volcano Katla, shows that up to 41 tonnes of methane is being released through meltwaters every day during the summer months. This is roughly equivalent to…
‘Smart’ Cement Powers Sensors
Buildings, bridges, street lamps, and even curbstones could be turned into cheap batteries with the discovery of new cement mixtures. Researchers at Lancaster University have created a new smart cement mixture that is able to store electrical energy and can monitor its own structural health. Made from flyash and chemical solutions, the novel potassium-geopolymetric (KGP)…
Diabetes Drug ‘Significantly Reverses’ Memory Loss in Mice with Alzheimer’s
A drug developed for diabetes could be used to treat Alzheimer’s after scientists found it “significantly reversed memory loss” in mice through a triple method of action. The research, published in Brain Research, could bring substantial improvements in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease through the use of a drug originally created to treat type 2 diabetes.…
Developing Roads That Can Generate Power From Passing Traffic
Research Takes Radical Rethink of UK Digital Infrastructure
Next-Generation Quantum Telecommunications
A Lancaster University physicist is working with industrial partners to develop quantum technologies which will revolutionise telecommunications. Future quantum and classical optical communication technology requires the mass production of very low cost components which can be operated at room temperature and at telecoms wavelengths. A patent is pending on the technologies which will enable mobile…
A Future Without Fakes Thanks to Quantum Technology
Counterfeit products are a huge problem – from medicines to car parts, fake technology costs lives. Every year, imports of counterfeited and pirated goods around the world cost nearly US $0.5 trillion in lost revenue. Counterfeit medicines alone cost the industry over US $200 billion every year. They are also dangerous to our health —…
Ozone Recovery May Be Delayed by Unregulated Chemicals
Recent increases in an unregulated ozone-depleting substance, could delay recovery of Antarctic ozone levels by 5–30 years, depending on emissions scenarios. The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that a previously ignored chemical called dichloromethane may now be contributing to ozone depletion and should be considered to improve future ozone predictions. Long-lived chlorine species, such…
Breakthrough Makes It Easier to Turn Old Coffee Waste into Cleaner Biofuels
Fingerprint Technique Spots Frog Populations at Risk from Pollution
Researchers at Lancaster University have found a way to detect subtle early warning signs that reveal a frog population is at risk from pollution. Worldwide, amphibian populations are declining due to habitat loss, disease and pollution which is cited as a major threat to their survival. Scientists publishing in Scientific Report, have found evidence of stress…