Canadian geologist claims to have discovered the oldest animal fossils. The earliest life forms we know of evolved around 3.7 billion years ago. The world’s oldest known animal, Dickinsonia, dates to about 540 million years ago. A discovery in a remote region of north-west Canada is about to change what we understood until now. According […]
Greek island Tilos picks up award for clean energy transition
The Greek island of Tilos places 3rd in EU-sponsored renewable energy production competition and wins a EUR 100 000 cash prize for its innovative energy model. When Greek islands are written about in the press, it’s usually to extol the beauty of their beaches. However, one little Greek island has broken the mould and made […]
Lying in plain sight, clay tablet revealed as oldest example of complex geometry
Australian mathematician discovers applied geometry on ancient tablet. © UNSW Sydney There it was, nestled snuggly at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum for over 100 years after it was unearthed in the 19th century in the ancient Babylonian city Sippar (present-day Iraq). Who knew what secrets the artefact had kept all these years? According to research […]
Have we found the first sign of animal life on Earth?
Canadian geologist claims to have discovered the oldest animal fossils. The earliest life forms we know of evolved around 3.7 billion years ago. The world’s oldest known animal, Dickinsonia, dates to about 540 million years ago. A discovery in a remote region of north-west Canada is about to change what we understood until now. According […]
Up to 78 million batteries will be discarded daily by 2025, researchers warn
An EU-funded project makes it plain: batteries need to live longer than the Internet of things (IoT) devices they power. A position paper published by the project outlines the key actions to power IoT devices reliably and sustainably. About 78 million batteries powering IoT devices will be dumped globally every day by 2025 if nothing […]
We’re not much different than Neanderthals, new study shows
Only a small fraction of human DNA is unique to modern humans. We like to think of ourselves as special in the human family tree. However, our genes seem to say otherwise. According to findings published in the journal ‘Science Advances’, only 7 % of our DNA is unique to us and not shared by […]
European urban mobility takes to the skies
A new partnership formed by three EU-funded projects is tackling European cities’ traffic congestion problems by shaping their urban airspaces. As cities grow bigger, traffic problems increase and transport systems are pushed to their limits. So what’s the logical solution to this problem? Why, taking urban mobility to the airspace above cities, of course. However, […]
Is a cow’s stomach the answer to breaking down hard-to-recycle plastic?
There’s no questioning whether plastic is an important material in our daily lives. However, European citizens generate about 25 million tonnes of plastic waste, but under 30 % is collected for recycling. Plastic waste is mostly burned, so more eco-friendly processes are being sought. The waste is having serious negative effects on our health and […]
Smart materials help heal wounds
EU-backed scientists show us how smart materials called magnetoactive polymers (MAPs) could someday be used to stimulate healing in epithelial wounds. MAPs change their mechanical properties in response to their surroundings. A revolutionary development in the fields of solid mechanics and materials science, these materials consist of a polymeric matrix (an elastomer) with miniscule magnetic […]