Katie Spivakovsky wins 2026 Churchill Scholarship
by
-
MIT senior Katie Spivakovsky has been selected as a 2026-27 Churchill Scholar and will undertake an MPhil in biological sciences at the Wellcome Sanger Institute at Cambridge University in the U.K. this fall. Spivakovsky, who is double-majoring in biological engineering and artificial intelligence, with minors in mathematics and biology, aims to integrate computation and bioengineering […]
-
Counter intelligence
by
How can artificial intelligence step out of a screen and become something we can physically touch and interact with? That question formed the foundation of class 4.043/4.044 (Interaction Intelligence), an MIT course focused on designing a new category of AI-driven interactive objects. Known as large language objects (LLOs), these physical interfaces extend large language models […]
-
SMART launches new Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care research group
by
What if ultrasound imaging is no longer confined to hospitals? Patients with chronic conditions, such as hypertension and heart failure, could be monitored continuously in real-time at home or on the move, giving health care practitioners ongoing clinical insights instead of the occasional snapshots — a scan here and a check-up there. This shift from […]
-
SMART launches new Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care research group
by
What if ultrasound imaging is no longer confined to hospitals? Patients with chronic conditions, such as hypertension and heart failure, could be monitored continuously in real-time at home or on the move, giving health care practitioners ongoing clinical insights instead of the occasional snapshots — a scan here and a check-up there. This shift from […]
-
Europe’s hidden methane impact from landfills: New study
by
A new study appears to show that methane from landfilled municipal waste in Europe is a major, long-term climate risk that is systematically underestimated in policy debates. Methane is one of the most powerful short-lived climate pollutants; it plays a critical role in near- and long-term warming while also contributing to climate destabilisation. The authors […]
-
Plastics treaty negotiations scheduled to restart, and report sets out recommendations for a reset
by
A new report published on 2 February identifies critical challenges in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and sets out practical steps to strengthen the next phase of the process ahead of the next UN negotiation committee meeting on 7 February. The authors of the report, released by the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University […]
-
A rocky road ahead? EU risks running short of raw materials for renewables
by
According to the audit, “we are now dangerously dependent on a handful of countries outside the EU” for the supply of materials critical to the energy transition, including cobalt (pictured). The EU is having difficulties securing the supply of the raw materials it needs to meet its energy and climate goals. This is the conclusion […]
-
‘Rush’ for new coal in China hits record high in 2025 as climate deadline looms
Proposals to build coal-fired plants in China reached a record high in 2025, finds a new study. The report, released by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM), says that, in 2025, developers submitted new or reactivated proposals to build a total of 161 gigawatts (GW) of […]
-
How generative AI can help scientists synthesize complex materials
by
Generative artificial intelligence models have been used to create enormous libraries of theoretical materials that could help solve all kinds of problems. Now, scientists just have to figure out how to make them. In many cases, materials synthesis is not as simple as following a recipe in the kitchen. Factors like the temperature and length […]
-
Cost-sharing model unlocks growth opportunities for connecting biomethane to the gas network
by
Image credit: Cadent Gas distribution network Cadent says it has taken a major step towards removing one of the biggest obstacles facing developers of biomethane – the high cost of reinforcing the gas network – by introducing the UK’s first cost-sharing model for entry connections capacity. The group, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, has […]
-
Late January arrests made over Oxfordshire illegal waste dump
by
A 2025 photograph of the site (image credit: Thames21). Four further arrests have been made in late January in connection with a large illegal waste dump occurring in Kidlington, Oxfordshire last Summer, which was widely reported in November. In a joint raid early on Tuesday 20 January, officers from both the Environment Agency and the […]
-
The Material You Never Notice: The Rise of Polycarbonate
by
Image Source: Pixabay People walk beneath roofs, walkways and canopies every day without giving much thought to the clear sheet above them. Polycarbonate blends into the background, it keeps the space bright and stays strong in rough weather. It’s an incredible material, but most passersby still assume they are standing under glass. That quiet presence […]
-
Tips for Managing Mobile Workers Effectively
by
Field service businesses hemorrhage money through inefficient mobile workforce management, not from hiring mistakes or lazy employees, but from supervisory systems designed for cubicles, not service trucks. Dozens of pest control and field service operations adopt the latest pest control scheduling software, implement GPS tracking, and roll out new communication platforms, only to see technician […]
-
The philosophical puzzle of rational artificial intelligence
by
To what extent can an artificial system be rational? A new MIT course, 6.S044/24.S00 (AI and Rationality), doesn’t seek to answer this question. Instead, it challenges students to explore this and other philosophical problems through the lens of AI research. For the next generation of scholars, concepts of rationality and agency could prove integral in […]
-
DeBriefed 30 January 2026: Fire and ice; US formally exits Paris; Climate image faux pas
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week Fire and ice OZ HEAT: The ongoing heatwave in Australia reached record-high temperatures of almost 50C earlier this week, while authorities “urged caution as three forest fires burned out of control”, reported the Associated Press. Bloomberg said […]
-
Factcheck: What it really costs to heat a home in the UK with a heat pump
Electric heat pumps are set to play a key role in the UK’s climate strategy, as well as cutting the nation’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. Heat pumps took centre-stage in the UK government’s recent “warm homes plan”, which said that they could also help cut household energy bills by “hundreds of pounds” a year. […]
-
Met Office: A review of the UK’s climate in 2025
The UK’s climate saw a record-breaking 2025, with the year being both the warmest and sunniest seen since observations began. The year 2025 has joined 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2014 in the UK’s top-five warmest years. In this review, we take a look back at the UK’s climate in 2025 and place the record-breaking year […]
-
Experts: Will Chinese wind power help or hinder Europe’s climate goals?
The European Union and the UK are not on track to meet their 2030 offshore wind targets. At the same time, Chinese wind-turbine manufacturers – who account for more than half of global wind-turbine capacity – are looking to grow their footprint in the European market, where their presence is currently tiny. To some, the […]