Scientists get green light to test tech that stops the formation of hurricanes
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Sometimes you need crazy ideas because one day those crazy ideas change the world, in this case scientists think they can use a new approach to stop hurricanes from forming and wreaking havoc. Recently I wrote an article about a new Artificial Intelligence (AI)...
World’s first autonomous cargo ship to enter service in 2018
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Faced by “cratering profits,” low margins and bankruptcy, shipping companies are starting to look at ways they can roll out autonomous cargo ships faster than planned. Last year the CEO of Rolls Royce announced his company’s grand plan to create fleets of “Ghost ships,”...
Companies are racing to fill the seas with autonomous drone ships
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF It seems like every mode of transport is going autonomous these days, and that’s because it is, and cargo ships of every kind are no exception. Forget Uber’s itsy bitsy diddy self-driving cars, and Otto’s self-driving semi-trucks, if you want a robot to haul a...
A theoretical physicist just found a way for us to reach Light Speed
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Travelling at light speeds, or “Warp,” is standard fare for every sci-fi film, but now, even though there are significant technological barriers to overcome, it looks like we could achieve it… The fun world of theoretical physics frees us all from the shackles of...
Syria returns 50,000 seeds to the Global Seed Bank
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The global seed bank at Svalbard in the depths of the Arctic Circle is humanity’s last line of defence that prevents crucial crops being lost forever Today, the seeds of over 50,000 different varieties of crops, including cabbages, wheat, lettuce, sweet peas, and many others,...
Norwegian robot learns to self-evolve and 3D print itself in the lab
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF For the first time we are seeing how it’s possible for robots in the future to design and evolve, manufacture and assemble themselves without human input. Experts at the University of Oslo, Norway have discovered a new way for robots to design, evolve and manufacture...
World first as Norway turns off FM radio and goes digital only
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Old FM analogue technologies have been with us for centuries but demanding infrastructure requirements, poor signal quality and low data rates mean that a switch to DAB is long overdue. All of you reading this article will have grown up listening to FM radio...
