Collaborate Disseminate
ESA has given the green light to launch a triple spacecraft mission designed to make the first flyby of a comet visiting the inner solar system for the first time. Part of the space agency’s Cosmic Vision Programme, the “Comet Interceptor” mi… Continue reading ESA announces triple-spacecraft mission to intercept an incoming "dynamically new" comet
At the Paris Air Show, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman announced they have formally agreed to collaborate on building an air-breathing hypersonic weapon for DARPA and the US Air Force. Under the new partnership, the two companies will develop, … Continue reading Northrop Grumman and Raytheon team up to develop air-breathing hypersonic missile
A new way of bending X-rays raises the prospect of smaller, more powerful X-ray space telescopes. Based on technology originally developed for medical imaging machines, Stacked Prism Lens are being developed by a team led by Mats Danielsson a… Continue reading Ditching mirrors for plastic prisms will make for much smaller, more powerful X-ray telescopes
A new study from the University of Queensland (UQ) debunks the myth that modern strains of wheat are overbred, vulnerable varieties that are heavily dependent on pesticides and fertilizers. By looking at five decades of wheat breeding in Euro… Continue reading Modern wheat strains are hardier than previously thought
The Pirbright Institute has revealed that on June 14, 2019, it destroyed the largest remaining stock of rinderpest virus on the face of the Earth. The destruction of one of a handful of laboratory samples of the deadly cattle virus was carrie… Continue reading Deadly rinderpest virus samples destroyed to prevent future outbreaks
Taking their cues from the birds, Airbus engineers have flown a scale-model airplane that incorporates flapping wing-tips. Based on the structure of the albatross wing, the remote-controlled AlbatrossOne uses a “semi-aeroelastic hinge” concep… Continue reading Airbus flight tests plane with flapping wing-tips inspired by the albatross
A new electromagnetic induction technology promises to make beer and other beverages taste better and have a longer shelf life. Developed by Purdue University-affiliated startup Induction Food Systems (IFS), the new technique that applies pre… Continue reading Electromagnetic induction to improve taste and shelf life of beer and other beverages
Archaeologists from the Universities of Southampton and Reading have determined that some of Scotland’s famous lake dwellings are older than Stonehenge. Called “crannogs,” the little artificial islands made out of piled rocks have yielded pot… Continue reading Scottish crannogs may be older than Stonehenge
The US Air Force’s new hypersonic missile took to the air for the first time as an AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) went aloft on June 12th from Edwards Air Force Base, California. Strapped under the wing of a B-52 Stratofor… Continue reading US Air Force tests hypersonic missile on bomber flight
Nobody wants to get near nuclear waste, so a team of Lancaster University engineers is developing a new semi-autonomous robotic system to help dismantle decommissioned reactors. Using new imaging software and a Microsoft Kinect camera, the tw… Continue reading Semi-autonomous robots to make decommissioning nuclear reactors faster and safer