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Solar panels, windturbines and a nuclear plant, Borssele, The Netherlands

Can nuclear power work with renewables to achieve net zero?

By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Decarbonising electricity in the UK is far from straightforward. Government plans for the nation’s future electricity supply rely heavily on renewables, supported by gas power during periods of low renewable output. In this article, Professor Juan Matthews considers how nuclear energy can provide an alternative to gas power and support a future renewables-heavy grid, and […]

Scientist with clipboard in a biotechnology lab.

Regional policy for biomanufacturing in the North-West chemical sector

Dr Neil Dixon By Filed Under: Environment, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

There is an urgent need for the chemical manufacturing sector to transition to alternative, sustainable carbon-based feedstocks, moving away from reliance on petrochemical sources. Large urban areas, such as the north-west of England, generate substantial amounts of waste rich in carbon, which are processed for energy generation via direct incineration or biogas production. Here, Dr […]

A scientist working with a bioreactor.

Building the bioeconomy

A profile picture of Professor Aline Miller By Filed Under: Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted:

Current manufacturing processes across all industrial sectors rely on petrochemicals, either to power them, or as starting points for their product. This over reliance on finite fossil resources is having a detrimental impact on the health of the world and its population. Professor Aline Miller explains how industrial biotechnology can break this addiction to petrochemicals […]

Battery storage compound within an arid environment in the foreground with an orange sunset in the background.

Energy consumption: solving the storage problem

Robert Dryfe Photograph By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

To combat climate change, all developed economies have set the goal of carbon-neutrality by 2050. This means securing more energy from renewable sources. Achieving a high proportion of renewable energy production in the UK and other developed countries is only possible with suitable energy storage infrastructure, to bridge periods of low or no power generation from […]

Workers making shoes in a cluttered factory.

Modern slavery and digital technology in ‘Fast Fashion’: the transparency dividend

Dr Jonathan Daves - author headshotRose BroadAuthor photograph By , and Filed Under: All posts, Science and Technology, Work Posted:

Modern slavery and exploitation are critical challenges in the UK garment manufacturing and fast fashion sectors, which continue to require urgent attention from policymakers and regulatory agencies. Despite the potential for digital technology to enhance supply chain transparency, its effectiveness in mitigating labour exploitation is under-researched and underutilised. In this article, Dr Jon Davies, Professor […]

3d rendered image of stem cells

Regulation of human embryo models is urgent

By and Filed Under: Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Human embryo models are created from stem cells and provide opportunities to study early embryo development in ways that would generally be impermissible if real human embryos were used. Here, Dr Jonathan Lewis and Professor Soren Holm argue that with human embryo models becoming more advanced, regulations governing human embryo research need to be established […]

Torso of nurse using digital tablet

Implications of the digital revolution for the nursing workforce

Photograph of author Dawn DowdingPhotograph of author Sarah Skyrme By and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care, Science and Technology Posted:

As the largest professional group in the healthcare workforce, nurses have been at the frontline of a digital transformation. In this article, from our publication Working Futures, Professor Dawn Dowding and Dr Sarah Skyrme assess what this means for the workforce and suggest policy interventions. Ambitions for all NHS organisations in England to be paperless […]

Unjamming the (bio)printer: how can regulatory reform unleash new and advanced biomaterials?

By Filed Under: Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

3D bioprinting technologies hold huge potential to transform patient care and treatment, delivering the next generation of personalised medicine. But current legislative boundaries are poorly defined, and the pathways to approval are unclear, creating unnecessary delays and costs in getting these new technologies to patients. Here, Dr Marco Domingos from the Bioprinting Technology Platform argues […]

Tablets in therapeutic plastic packaging.

Culture shift: Tackling antimicrobial resistance from agriculture to operating table

By , , , and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care, Science and Technology Posted:

In 2019, drug resistant microbial infections claimed more than 1.3 million lives, and over the next 25 years, it is expected that more people will die from drug resistant infections than from cancer. New antimicrobials and alternatives to traditional chemotherapeutic agents are urgently needed to treat infections that are resistant to all current therapies, alongside […]

What does a ‘metal intensive’ future entail?

By and Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted:

Critical metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, are key to the path towards net zero. The UK Government released their Critical Minerals Strategy in early 2023, which sets out to improve the resilience of the critical metal supply chain. In this article from our publication ‘On Resilience’, Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor […]

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Articles give the views of the author, and are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester.

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