International Young Scientist Awards

A massive survey of the cosmos is revealing new details of one of the most mysterious facets of the universe, dark energy. Intriguingly, when combined with other observations, the data hint that dark energy, commonly thought to maintain a constant density over time, might evolve along with the cosmos. The result is “an adrenaline shot to the cosmology community,” says physicist Daniel Scolnic of Duke University, who was not involved with the new study. Dark energy, an invisible enigma that causes the universe’s expansion to speed up over time, is poorly understood, despite making up the bulk of the universe’s contents. To explore that puzzle, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, DESI, has produced the largest 3-D map of the universe to date, researchers report April 4 in 10 papers posted on the DESI website , and in talks at a meeting of the American Physical Society held in Sacramento, Calif. By analyzing patterns in the distributions of galaxies and other objects on that map,

With global energy demands soaring and mounting concerns about pollution and climate change, the shift towards clean energy has become paramount. While nuclear, wind, and solar energy are well-established alternatives to fossil fuels, hydrogen energy is emerging as a potent contender that also does not generate carbon dioxide. “​​Hydrogen is an important vector in the energy transition towards carbon neutrality,” Lifeng Liu, a professor at the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory in China, explained in an email. “It [could not] only be used to decarbonize the transportation sector, […] taking advantage of hydrogen fuel cells, but also finds a wider range of applications in hard-to-abate industries like steel making, synthesis of ammonia/methanol, metal refining, and others, helping in net-zero emissions in these sectors.” \ However, no matter how clean this energy is, traditional methods of producing hydrogen through coal gasification and steam reforming are environmentally harmful, w

The Department of Homeland Security has set up an advisory board on AI safety and security to provide guidance on elevated cyber threats facing critical infrastructure The US  Department of Homeland Security  (DHS) has named the members of its new security advisory board that will advise the government on the safety of  artificial intelligence  (AI) systems. The 22-member board, made up of business leaders from the nation’s largest technology companies , will develop a series of recommendations for critical national infrastructure (CNI) organizations on AI implementation. The board’s guidance will help CNI orgs “prevent and prepare for AI-related disruptions to critical services that impact national or economic security, public health, or safety.” Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, said the goal of the board is to deliver practical solutions for the implementation of AI in everyday life during a briefing call naming its members. The board will be composed of senior

At a time where AI is enhancing and automating tasks, Accenture discusses how technology will positively impact human opportunities in the energy sector The philosophy ‘human by design’ centres around an approach to technology development where the primary focus is on enhancing human potential and experience, rather than solely optimising efficiency or automating tasks. Data from consultants Accenture says 93% of executives in the energy industry believe making technology more human will massively expand the opportunities not only across the energy landscape but in a variety of industries. As well as this, 95% agree that, with technological advancements evolving rapidly , innovating with purpose has never been more important for organisations. Emmanuel Viale, Managing Director at Accenture, has worked for the firm for more than 25 years and oversees the Technology Innovation organisation in Europe. Leading R&D activities with a particular focus on identifying, incubating, applying

JRC foresight expert exercise: what are the most promising current and emerging technologies for being up to the task when the next airborne disease like COVID-19 hits? In a JRC-HERA study published today, well-established filtration and ventilation topped the list of the highest-impact current technologies for capturing and cleansing germs that spread through the air indoors. UV radiation and nucleic acid amplification came next in the impact ranking. The foresight study also pinpointed other promising technologies, which require more development or are expected to appear in the future. From these, the impact of plasma-based inactivation, aerosol samplers, biosensors, and direct identification through physico-chemical properties came out on top. Which technology should we prioritise? A balancing act The study is the result of a foresight process designed and managed by the JRC and implemented by the JRC and HERA. The more than 50 experts involved in the process emphasised that, despit

Eradicating smallpox, one of the deadliest diseases in history, took humanity decades and cost billions of dollars. Bringing the scourge back would probably take a small scientific team with little specialized knowledge half a year and cost about $100,000. That's one conclusion from an unusual and as-yet unpublished experiment performed last year by Canadian researchers. A group led by virologist David Evans of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, says it has synthesized the horsepox virus, a relative of smallpox, from genetic pieces ordered in the mail. Horsepox is not known to harm humans—and like smallpox, researchers believe it no longer exists in nature; nor is it seen as a major agricultural threat. But the technique Evans used could be used to recreate smallpox, a horrific disease that was declared eradicated in 1980. "No question. If it's possible with horsepox, it's possible with smallpox," says virologist Gerd Sutter of Ludwig Maximilians Univ