Every computing system, biological or synthetic, from cells to brains to laptops, has a cost. This isn’t the price, which is easy to discern, but an energy cost connected to the work required to run a program and the heat dissipated in the process. Researchers at SFI and elsewhere have spent decades developing a thermodynamic … Read more
This aerial handout picture courtesy of the Alberta Wildfire Service, taken May 10, 2024, shows smoke from wildfires burning in the Grande prairie forest area, 4 kilometers east of the town of Teepee Creek, in Alberta, Canada. One of the year’s first major wildfires in Canada closed in Monday on the British Columbia town of … Read more
Women who were infected with hepatitis C as a result of the infected blood scandal say their medical problems were dismissed by doctors as being related to motherhood, the menopause or teenage mood swings. Three women who spoke to the Guardian said they struggled to get doctors to take them seriously or test them for … Read more
Founders: Greg Jackson (CEO), Stuart Jackson, James EddisonLaunched: 2016Headquarters: LondonFunding: $2 billionValuation: $7.8 billionKey technologies: Artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, machine learningIndustry: EnergyPrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 List: 1 (No. 8 in 2023) Aiming to spark further transition to renewable energy, British-based power conglomerate Octopus Energy pulled in $800 million in new funding last year to expand … Read more
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email A Chinese hiker died on Sunday after falling off Hong Kong’s popular Lion Rock mountain. The 37-year-old tourist, identified by his surname Liang, is believed to have lost his balance after he climbed the rock face. … Read more
Most alcohol enters the bloodstream via the mucous membrane layer of the stomach and the intestines. These days, the consequences of this are undisputed: even small amounts of alcohol impair people’s ability to concentrate and to react, increasing the risk of accidents. Drinking large quantities on a regular basis is detrimental to one’s health: common … Read more
Xiaodan Li and Richard Kammerer have characterized an enzyme for the first time that could become an important tool for the circular economy. The monitor shows a schematic representation of the key part of the active center of this enzyme. Credit: Paul Scherrer Institute/Markus Fischer Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have—for the first … Read more
Red curtains and ceiling drapes create a pink-tinged glow inside the run-down community centre, an hour south of Johannesburg, where Palesa Hlohlolo tells her neighbours about her experiences of domestic violence. “I’m not a punching bag and I’ll never be one. For anyone,” she says, grabbing a tissue from a rapidly emptying box. Every Wednesday, … Read more
Putin sends message to West as he is sworn in for fifth term as Russian president For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Russia and Ukraine were engaged in a fierce fight for the northeastern … Read more
Today’s rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice. The findings, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provide important new understanding of abrupt climate change periods … Read more
