3 Questions: On the future of AI and the mathematical and physical sciences
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Curiosity-driven research has long sparked technological transformations. A century ago, curiosity about atoms led to quantum mechanics, and eventually the transistor at the heart of modern computing. Conversely, the steam engine was a practical breakthrough, but it took fundamental research in thermodynamics to fully harness its power. Today, artificial intelligence and science find themselves at […]
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Cropped 11 March 2026: Iran water worries | Seabed-mining treaty progress | Women farmers and climate change
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight. This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for free here. Key developments Fertiliser disruption in Middle East FOOD RISKS: The US-Israel war on Iran is “disrupting” the production and […]
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Analysis: Why clean energy will cut UK gas imports by more than North Sea drilling
The Iran war has spurred a range of commentators to renew calls for the UK government to issue new licences for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. They argue that new domestic drilling could boost energy security at a time of volatility in major oil-and-gas producing countries in the Middle East. However, such […]
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New MIT class uses anthropology to improve chatbots
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Young adults growing up in the attention economy — preparing for adult life, with social media and chatbots competing for their attention — can easily fall into unhealthy relationships with digital platforms. But what if chatbots weren’t mere distractions from real life? Could they be designed humanely, as moral partners whose digital goal is to […]
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Call for Presentations: Corporate Climate Accountability Litigation – Law, Strategy and Accountability
The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, the GDR ClimaLex, CNRS, and the Institute of Legal and Philosophical Sciences (ISJPS) at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne are pleased to invite submissions for the workshop Corporate Climate Accountability Litigation: Law, Strategy and Accountability, to be held at the Columbia Global Center in Paris […]
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Dolphin-shaped robot developed to skim oil spills using sea-urchin-inspired filter
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RMIT’s Electronic Dolphin minibot is a proof‑of‑concept device designed to skim oil from the surface of water. It has a front‑mounted nozzle and compact dolphin‑like body (image credit: Peter Clarke, RMIT University) Engineers at RMIT University in Australia have developed a remote-controlled miniature robot designed to collect oil spills from the surface of water using […]
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Back British biofertiliser to protect farmers from rising prices: Trade body issues call
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British biofertiliser could replace imported artificial fertilisers whose costs are soaring if the Government removes unnecessary restrictions to help farmers, according to the UK trade body representing green gas and bioresources. In an open letter of 11 March to Emma Reynolds (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) the UK trade association for […]
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A better method for planning complex visual tasks
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MIT researchers have developed a generative artificial intelligence-driven approach for planning long-term visual tasks, like robot navigation, that is about twice as effective as some existing techniques. Their method uses a specialized vision-language model to perceive the scenario in an image and simulate actions needed to reach a goal. Then a second model translates those […]
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CCC: Net-zero will protect UK from fossil-fuel price shocks
The “cost” of cutting UK emissions to net-zero is less than the cost of a single fossil-fuel price shock, according to a new report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC). Moreover, a net-zero economy would be almost completely protected from fossil-fuel price spikes in the future, says the government’s climate advisory body. The report is […]
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How Joseph Paradiso’s sensing innovations bridge the arts, medicine, and ecology
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Joseph Paradiso thinks that the most engaging research questions usually span disciplines. Paradiso was trained as a physicist and completed his PhD in experimental high-energy physics at MIT in 1981. His father was a photographer and filmmaker working at MIT, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and the MITRE Corporation, so he grew up in a house where artists, […]
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3 Questions: Building predictive models to characterize tumor progression
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Just as Darwin’s finches evolved in response to natural selection in order to endure, the cells that make up a cancerous tumor similarly counter selective pressures in order to survive, evolve, and spread. Tumors are, in fact, complex sets of cells with their own unique structure and ability to change. Today, artificial Intelligence and machine […]
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Q&A: What does the Iran war mean for the energy transition and climate action?
The US and Israel’s war on Iran has caused oil and gas prices to soar, with the world now preparing for the possibility of another energy crisis. The conflict, which has seen Iran respond with missile strikes across the region, has killed more than 1,000 people so far and sent global markets into disarray. With […]
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Building Greener With Steel: Why Prefab Metal Buildings Are Getting A Second Look
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When people talk about sustainable buildings, the conversation usually starts with the visible upgrades: rooftop solar, high-efficiency HVAC, LED lighting, smart controls. Those features matter, and they often deserve the attention they get. But they are only part of the environmental story. A building’s real sustainability profile starts earlier and runs deeper. It begins with […]
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Modern buildings “not fit for future climate”, warns architecture academic
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Road questioned the cost and usefulness of large glass office building types. A leading climate‑resilience architecture academic has warned that new thinking is needed in how modern buildings are designed to cope with a warming climate. (Words: Heriot-Watt University). Professor Emeritus at Heriot-Watt University Susan Roaf says most modern public and private buildings are simply […]
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Recovery after 2025 drought, but risks remain, says SEPA
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Glen Finglas reservoir in the Trossachs, with soil Layers visible due to low water level. Parts of eastern Scotland have seen improvements in water resources over the winter following the 2025 drought, although some areas could still face water scarcity later this year if spring rainfall is lower than normal. According to the Scottish Environment […]
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Study links falling phosphorus levels to ecological improvements in English rivers
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The report examines changes in plant communities to assess whether reductions in phosphorus are helping freshwater ecosystems recover. A new report from the Environment Agency and the University of Stirling looks at the links between phosphorus concentrations and ecology in English rivers. It offers evidence that reductions in phosphorus pollution in these rivers are associated […]
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Can Europe’s Largest Emitters Be Sanctioned for Climate Harm?
One of the most fundamental questions in climate justice is also one of the most difficult to answer: how can the climate impacts of carbon dioxide emissions generated in one country be made legally sanctionable in another? Those most affected by climate change often lack access to effective remedies, while major emitters remain largely shielded […]
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Firms recast aluminium recycling possibilities with advanced multi-sensor sorting technology
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Historically, Cusiana’s business model was based solely on the melting and production of aluminium ingots, but the company has “strategically transformed its business model”. A strategic partnership between firms in the recycling technology and aluminium refining space has pioneered a multi-stage sorting line that is said to make it possible to move beyond traditional ingot […]