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Could the next pandemic be triggered by melting permafrost?

Members'-only content Rich Wordsworth — Fri 13 Oct 2023 — updated 2 Nov 2023

The melting permafrost of Siberia exposed live anthrax spores in the remains of long-dead animals. What other possible triggers are there for another pandemic?

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Government not doing enough to halt ‘devastating’ wildlife declines, report finds

Thu 5 Oct 2023
The UK risks losing nearly one in six native species as wildlife continues its “devastating” decline, a study has found.
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Project watch: a look at Sizewell C and the Thames Tideway Tunnel

Thu 12 Oct 2023
Around the world, many great projects are changing the built environment and our infrastructure – however, progress can appear slow. Each issue, Tim Fryer takes a quick look at notable recent developments in some of these major projects.
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Gadgets review: Acer’s e-assist bike, EZVIZ PS300 Portable Power Station and more

Thu 12 Oct 2023
The latest tech makes it easy to enjoy stargazing, cycling, making pizza, playing chess, watching TV with distant friends and going camping
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Fintech brings banking to the unbanked in developing countries

Wed 11 Oct 2023
As digitally enabled banking becomes more widespread in Africa and Asia, a recent white paper has suggested that challenger bank fintech services could play a major role in promoting financial inclusion, provided more is done to introduce robust cyber protection.
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Cream of the crop: meet the finalists for the IET Excellence and Innovation Awards

Tue 10 Oct 2023
Another year and a new batch of people, projects and products have been revealed as finalists in the IET Excellence and Innovation Awards.
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The drones and cameras that could keep homes secure

Thu 5 Oct 2023
Domestic surveillance gadgets are here to stay, and likely to become even more sophisticated.
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Engineering workforce skill gap threatens UK’s net zero goals

Tue 3 Oct 2023
The engineering sector has an infamous skills shortage that could hamper the delivery of the UK’s net zero ambitions. Why haven’t countless industry-led programmes plugged the gap?
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Extreme weather: the technologies used to combat climate change

Mon 2 Oct 2023
Extremes of weather and unseasonal meteorological patterns have been experienced around the globe in 2023, but each phenomenon has localised effects.
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More from Animals

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Evil Engineer - remote-controlled crocodiles

Fri 1 Mar 2024
Could I turn my crocodiles into remote-controlled cyborgs?
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Video system captures colours through animals’ eyes

Wed 24 Jan 2024
UK and US researchers have developed a new camera system that produces videos replicating the colours perceived by different animals in natural settings with high accuracy.
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Nasa streams cat video from deep space

Wed 20 Dec 2023
A tabby cat named Taters has become the protagonist of the first high-definition video streamed back to Earth from the depths of space using laser technology.
Open-access content
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Turtle shells hold clues on nuclear contamination, researchers find

Wed 23 Aug 2023

Minuscule traces of uranium have been found in the outer shells of turtles and tortoises, providing a new way of tracking radioactive contamination over time.
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More from Coronavirus

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Weather services reincorporate climate data from aircraft after 14-month suspension

Wed 24 Jan 2024
Climate observations from aircraft are being used to improve the quality of weather forecasts for the first time since 2022.
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Airbus reports strong 2023 aircraft sales as it finally shakes off pandemic downturn

Fri 12 Jan 2024
Airbus has reported strong sales of its planes in 2023 despite various supply chain problems.
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Taxpayer funding for railways falls as post-pandemic passenger numbers recover

Tue 28 Nov 2023
Passenger numbers on the UK’s train network increased by more than 40 per cent in the last financial year, which meant the sector needed less financial support from central government.
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Breaking the link between industrial pollution and antibiotic resistance

Fri 20 Oct 2023
The link between environmental pollution from industrial sources and the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance has been exposed in a new UN report. What can be done to break the cycle?
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More from Healthcare Technologies

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NHS confirms plans to roll out ‘artificial pancreases’ to diabetes sufferers

Tue 2 Apr 2024
The NHS has confirmed plans to roll out “artificial pancreases” to patients living with type 1 diabetes across England.
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A shot in the arm for antibiotics research

Fri 29 Mar 2024
Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise, yet no new classes of antibiotics have been discovered in decades, diminishing doctors’ arsenal in the fight against infection. Can a new wave of drug discovery targeting ‘narrow spectrum’ end the hiatus?
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Smartphone sensors able to detect alcohol intoxication with high accuracy

Thu 9 Nov 2023
Smartphone sensors could be used to help determine a person’s level of alcohol intoxication based on changes in their voice, a study has found.
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Breaking the link between industrial pollution and antibiotic resistance

Fri 20 Oct 2023
The link between environmental pollution from industrial sources and the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance has been exposed in a new UN report. What can be done to break the cycle?
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More from Nature

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Evil Engineer - Can I steal a river?

Mon 15 Apr 2024
The Evil Engineer advises a dictator on how to get one over a rival by rerouting a river away from his borders
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Calls for blanket ban on deforestation-linked products rejected by government

Tue 26 Mar 2024
The government has rejected recommendations to ban UK businesses from trading in products linked to deforestation, regardless of whether their production was legal.
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Green spaces and infrastructure ‘under serious threat’ in the UK

Thu 14 Mar 2024
‘Urgent action is needed’ to reverse a decline in green spaces, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has said.
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Evil Engineer - remote-controlled crocodiles

Fri 1 Mar 2024
Could I turn my crocodiles into remote-controlled cyborgs?
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More from Rich Wordsworth

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Where would we be without Google?

Mon 5 Feb 2024
Has Big Tech moved from corporate to infrastructure? We take a wry look at why it is now part of the air we breathe, and why we must let it continue.
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The AI pilot: can we remove Maverick from his cockpit?

Mon 16 May 2022

Implementing autonomous technology into fighter jets will mean convincing human pilots to cede control.
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Could we fall in love with robots?

Mon 6 Dec 2021

Signs are that we are capable of forming intimate relationships with many things, especially those that are programmed especially for us.
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Is the aviation sector ready for another supersonic age?

Tue 13 Jul 2021

Nearly two decades since Concorde retired, the world is edging closer to again having passenger jets that can fly faster than the speed of sound. Beyond safety issues, Concorde was expensive and environmentally damaging – a new aircraft needs to...
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More from Features

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Riding the population curves

Wed 15 May 2024
Is population spiralling out of control, or is growth levelling off? Either way, do we have the resources to maintain the human race?
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5 Minutes....Gigafactories

Tue 7 May 2024
Decarbonisation depends on electric vehicles – and on the huge plants that churn out lithium-ion batteries.
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Project Watch - The gulf railway

Fri 3 May 2024
Around the world, many great projects are changing the built environment and our infrastructure – but sometimes progress is slow and they slip off the radar. This column follows their development
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News analysis - where are we with nuclear?

Wed 1 May 2024
Nuclear power is yet to face its day of reckoning in the UK, despite revamped enthusiasm for low-carbon energy.
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