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Superluminous supernovae, though rare, tend to be found in star-forming regions of our universe. Image credit - ESO/L. Calçad/ Wikimedia, licenced under CC BY 3.0
space | frontier research
26 February 2020

How astronomers are piecing together the mysterious origins of superluminous supernovae

When a massive star reaches the end of its life, it can explode as a supernova. But there’s a unique type of supernova that’s much brighter that we’re just starting to understand – and which may prove useful in measuring the universe.

Autonomous vehicles must be well-integrated into public transport systems if they are to take off in Europe's cities, say researchers. Image credit - Keolis
transport
25 February 2020

Driverless shuttles: what are we waiting for?

In the zero-carbon cities of the future, commuting to work may take the form of hailing a driverless shuttle through an app which ferries you from your door to the nearest public transport terminal. In fact, autonomous shuttles have been in development in restricted areas for the past few years. So what will it take to make them part of our daily commute? 

Dr. Roth studies the evolution of male pregnancy in syngnathids. Image credit - Sabrina Koehler
interview | environment | frontier research
24 February 2020

Q&A: The curious case of male pregnancy in seahorses and pipefishes

Male seahorses not only become pregnant and give birth, but do so in ways that take different forms, which make them unique research subjects to understand the evolution of pregnancy, according to Dr Olivia Roth from the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) in Germany.

Caterpillar saliva causes maize to release a fragrant chemical that prepares other parts of the plant for attack. Image credit - Pxhere, licensed under CC0
environment | frontier research
20 February 2020

Plants can detect insect attacks by 'sniffing' each other's aromas

Fragrant aromas from plants can actually be a response to attacks by insects, and can alert neighbours to an attack or summon the insects’ predators. Now, scientists are deciphering these secret codes to develop better, greener chemicals to defend crops against herbivorous insects.

The number of fish parasites is rising with climate change and as fish farming becomes more common, say researchers. Image credit - Flickr/Artur Rydzewski, licensed under CC BY 2.0
environment
18 February 2020

Fish farmers seek new weapons to fight thriving parasites

Salmon farmers battling large numbers of parasites that flourish on fish farms are seeking – and finding – new ways to cut their losses and protect marine wildlife.

Delivering online purchases to people’s homes and offices is a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions. Image credit -Piqsels, licenced under CC0 1.0
transport | environment
17 February 2020

The carbon cost of home delivery and how to avoid it

Delivering online shopping to people’s homes is a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly when deliveries fail and the journey needs to be repeated. Researchers are now re-thinking home deliveries to see if there is a better way of doing things, with ideas including robot couriers, jointly owned parcel lockers and an ‘Uber’ for parcels.

Brown bears show individuality in the distance they travel each day, their preference for daytime or night-time movement and other behaviours, according to research. Image credit - Rufus46, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
environment
13 February 2020

Understanding different brown bear personalities may help reduce clashes with people

The brown bear is one of Europe’s five large carnivores and can sometimes cross paths with people, with potentially fatal consequences. But bears have different personalities and behaviours, say researchers, and understanding this is the key to reducing conflict and protecting both them and humans.

Monsoons occur throughout the tropics and sub-tropics but scientists are still uncertain about how climate change will affect them. Image credit - Jean-Marie Hullot/Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0
environment | frontier research
11 February 2020

A 40-million-year-old layer of dust can help predict how monsoons will change

A fine layer of dust thought to have been left by the first winter monsoon ever to cross northeastern Tibet has been uncovered by scientists, revealing the moment when the great weather phenomenon that waters much of Asia’s summers and dries its winters may have begun.

Urban goods deliveries add to traffic congestion, noise and pollution. Image credit - Andrew Kambel/ Unsplash
transport | environment
10 February 2020

Electric bikes and silent trucks to green goods deliveries

Across Europe’s cities, the demand for delivery services is increasing. But these deliveries affect urban life as they add to traffic congestion, noise and pollution and many cities are now trying out alternative modes of transport that could help.

The Solar Orbiter will let us see the sun in unprecedented detail, potentially including the first-ever view of the sun's poles. Image credit - ESA/ATG medialab
space | frontier research
07 February 2020

Five things we’re going to learn from Europe’s Solar Orbiter mission

At 23.03 (local time) on Sunday 9 February, Europe’s newest mission to study the sun is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US. Called Solar Orbiter, this European Space Agency (ESA) mission will travel to within the orbit of planet Mercury to study the sun like never before, returning stunning new images of its surface.

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