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A builder on the roof of a British house on a sunny day, changing the tiles.

Taking a calculated risk: eliminating the embodied carbon of home energy retrofits

Photo of Dr Mithila Achintha By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Levelling up, Science and Engineering Posted:

Emissions from the construction and use of buildings contribute about 40% of global carbon emissions. As other sectors decarbonise, buildings-related emissions are projected to account for around 90% of global emissions by 2050.  In the UK, four fifths of buildings around today are expected to still be in use in 2050. With the UK having […]

Large data computer

Too hot to ignore: fixing the infrastructure gap in data centre cooling

Dlzar Al Kez headshotAoife Foley headshot By and Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Data centres are rapidly becoming one of the most energy- and water-intensive components of the digital economy, yet their cooling systems remain largely invisible in infrastructure and climate policy. While advanced cooling technologies can significantly reduce energy and resource use, the UK lacks a national framework to guide their adoption or measure their environmental impact. […]

Securing the UK’s critical minerals future: building an ethical and resilient supply chain

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

The global transition to net zero hinges on securing minerals such as lithium and cobalt, which are critical for use in renewable energy technologies. Despite its rich mining heritage and expertise, the UK faces challenges in rebuilding a resilient and ethical critical minerals sector. The UK government has emphasised the importance of securing supplies of […]

Two researchers, one man and one woman, discuss data on a computer screen in a laboratory.

Why policy support for evolutionary biology is critical in the fight against antimicrobial resistance

Dr William SmithDr Danna GiffordDr Matthew Shepherd By , and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care, Science and Engineering Posted:

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) looms among the greatest health and economic challenges of the 21st century. AMR causes more than 1 million deaths annually; by 2050, this number is forecast to double, piling over $1 trillion in additional costs onto stretched healthcare systems worldwide. Without urgent action, we risk a future where treating infectious diseases, chemotherapy, […]

A female scientist in a lab examines a piece of laboratory equipment.

In silico technologies: the future of UK life sciences?

Professor Alejandro Frangi By Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

The UK life sciences sector contributes £94 billion to the economy each year, but it faces increasing global competition, alongside internal challenges such as low numbers of NHS clinical trials, and slow regulatory approval processes. Here, Professor Alejandro Frangi outlines how in silico technologies – Artificial Intelligence and other computer-based approaches for virtual product development […]

Photo of interconnector on beach

Hydrogen: the missing piece in the clean energy puzzle

Aoife Foley headshotDlzar Al Kez headshotFaraedoon Ahmed By , and Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Hydrogen has been proposed as a clean energy carrier, offering a sustainable and efficient alternative to fossil fuels during the net zero transition. Hydrogen’s significance lies in its production process, which in some cases means that it can be a zero-emission energy source. Hydrogen’s high energy density and versatility allow it to be used in various forms, including […]

two workers with high-viz jackets and blue helmets are stood in a construction site looking at an I-pad

Getting it right: are hydrogen standards good enough?

Profile picture of Dr Chris Jones By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Research and development, Science and Engineering Posted:

Hydrogen has the potential to be an important industrial feedstock and fuel. There are, however, various ways to produce and use it, leading to diverse supply chains with different environmental implications. Two considerations for the role of hydrogen in a low carbon economy stand out – ensuring that hydrogen production and supply has sufficiently low […]

An illustrated image of multiple model green hydrogen molecules

How green is hydrogen?

Amanda Lea-Langton By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted:

Development of a low carbon hydrogen-based economy is seen as a major part of achieving net-zero emissions across the world. Hydrogen is a flexible and potentially non-polluting fuel because it only produces water when it is used in fuel cells or burnt. However, the production of hydrogen can have a high carbon footprint depending on […]

Industrial chimney pluming out smoke surrounded by an urban landscape of buildings.

Advanced materials addressing health risks from exposure to benzene

Headshot of Martin Schröder.Headshot of Sihai Yang. By and Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, Urban, Work Posted:

Benzene, a volatile organic compound (VOC) with widespread industrial applications, poses severe health risks to humans even at trace levels. Its genotoxic effects, which involve direct damage to cellular DNA and genetic material leading to mutations, are strongly linked to cancer and blood disorders, making its control a critical priority for workplace safety and environmental […]

Birds-eye-view of a motorway with travelling cars

A future for autonomous vehicles in the UK? Lessons from the US

By Filed Under: Digital Futures, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology, Urban Posted:

One of the final bills passed by the outgoing Sunak government was the Automated Vehicles Act (2024), designed to make provisions for the possible rollout of autonomous vehicles in the future. If the new Starmer government is to continue this work, then lessons need to be learnt from the US, where the deployment of autonomous […]

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