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Dr Rolien Terblanche | Designing Living Walls that Can Survive in South African Cities
What does it actually take to build a living wall that survives one of South Africa’s driest, most climatically varied cities, and what would it cost? Those were the questions Rolien Terblanche and colleagues at the University of Cape Town set out to answer, designing a new system for the Western Cape.
Ole Anders Nøst | Why Bigger Wind Farms Are Less Effective
As climate change accelerates and energy demand continues to rise, countries are racing to replace fossil fuels with cleaner sources of power, such as off-shore wind. In regions such as the North Sea, plans are underway for a dramatic expansion of off-shore turbines, with the hope that wind could supply a large share of Europe’s future power. But how much energy can we realistically extract from the air?
Professor Nigel Spooner | Shining a Light on Asbestos: How Fluorescence Technology Could Save Lives
In Australia, asbestos remains a hidden danger in countless buildings, despite being banned more than two decades ago. Roughly one in three homes still contains asbestos, and when materials degrade or are disturbed, the fibres can pose deadly health risks. Each year, about 4,000 Australians die from asbestos-related diseases – a sobering reminder of the urgent need for safer detection methods. A research team led by Professor Nigel Spooner at Adelaide University has been tackling this challenge head-on.
STUOD: Predicting the Oceans in a Warming World
Climate change is changing our oceans in ways that we are still working to understand. The sea absorbs vast amounts of heat and carbon, and even more so as the global temperature rises. But predicting how that energy moves through the ocean – and what it means for climate, sea level, marine life, and weather – remains a major scientific challenge. The international research project STUOD is working to address this.
Michael Evans | Statistical Evidence and Statistical Reasoning: Rethinking What Data Really Tell Us
Statistics is everywhere. From clinical trials to particle physics, from economic policy to public health, researchers rely on statistical analyses to determine what the data are telling them. Despite this central role in modern science, there is a striking gap at the heart of the discipline: no universally agreed definition of what statistical evidence actually is. That gap matters. When scientists say ‘the evidence suggests’ or ‘based on the data we conclude’, what exactly do they mean? University of Toronto statistician Michael Evans has spent years arguing that this question is not merely philosophical – it is foundational, and leaving it unanswered has real consequences for scientific reliability.
Dr Nicholas Nicholson | Why Data Needs Context and How to Achieve it in Practice
Data are a key driver in the modern era. Combining data from different domains brings new insights and adds further dimensions to scientific research, but data on their own rarely explain themselves. Without context, data are not meaningful and can lead to erroneous conclusions. Making sense of data is at the heart of recent research led by Dr Nicholas Nicholson at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and Dr Iztok Štotl at the University of Ljubljana, to build a standardised data-contextualisation framework called SOLICIT.
The NTLGroup Cognitive Systems Platform: From Cognitive Recovery to Real-World Performance
What if the problem is not whether someone has ability… but whether they can reliably access that ability when it matters? Traditional models tend to separate cognitive recovery from performance enhancement. But many people fall in between. They may function well at baseline, yet lose consistency under stress, fatigue, or increasing demand. NTLGroup developed the Cognitive Systems Platform to close this gap. Rather than training isolated skills, the platform focuses on the underlying system conditions that make reliable cognition possible: coordination, stability, efficiency, regulation, and access.
Dr Yevgenia Chvertko | Welding Art: The Ukrainian Researchers Joining Steel and Sculpture
When Ukrainian sculptor Serhii Minakov set out to create ‘Into the Future’ – a towering steel artwork featuring a young man and woman inside a globe – he ran into a problem familiar to anyone who has tried to weld complex sculptures: how do you make a strong, clean joint when you can only reach it from one side?
Higher Performing Steel and Sections for a Modern Energy Grid
As climate change accelerates and our demand for electricity increases, our existing electricity networks will need to be fundamentally restructured. Steel pylons are a vital part of the electricity grid – supporting the transmission lines that carry electricity from energy sources to local distribution networks. Traditionally, these pylons are made from a steel grade S355, which has a steel strength of 355 MPa.
Dr Fatema Alali | How Ring-Shaped Gold Nanoparticles Could Revolutionise Cancer Treatment
Nanoparticles may be tiny, but their potential impact on medicine is enormous. In a new study, researcher Fatema Alali explores how carefully designed gold nanoparticles could make light-based cancer treatments safer, more precise, and more reliable. Her research focuses on how the shape of these particles controls the way they absorb light and turn it into heat – a key process in photothermal therapy.
Dr. Missy Thompson | Uncovering the Science Behind Elite Ice Climbing
Ice climbing is one of the most dramatic winter sports, with athletes swinging axes into frozen walls and hauling themselves skyward on vertical sheets of ice. But behind the spectacle lies a science of movement, endurance and strength that is only starting to be explored. Research led by Dr. Missy Thompson at Fort Lewis College takes a close look at the biomechanics of elite ice climbers, revealing what separates top performers from the rest.
Dr. Mark Greenwald | The NET Device™: A New Tool to Help People Recover from Opioid Addiction
For people trying to stop using opioids, the most dangerous point in recovery often comes right at the start. Withdrawal can arrive quickly and fiercely, bringing physical pain, severe anxiety, sleeplessness, and intense cravings. Even when someone is deeply motivated to quit, these symptoms can overwhelm their resolve and lead them back to use. New research led by Dr. Mark Greenwald at Wayne State University is investigating a novel way to ease this early hurdle.
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