New control system teaches soft robots the art of staying safe
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Imagine having a continuum soft robotic arm bend around a bunch of grapes or broccoli, adjusting its grip in real time as it lifts the object. Unlike traditional rigid robots that generally aim to avoid contact with the environment as much as possible and stay far away from humans for safety reasons, this arm senses […]
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Asia-Pacific faces ‘$500bn-a-year’ hit from rising seas if current policies continue
Coastal flooding could bring $500bn of annual damages to the Asia-Pacific by the year 2100, if countries do not adapt to rising sea levels. This is according to new research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, which assesses how coastal flooding is impacting the Asia-Pacific region – and models how the damages could worsen as […]
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New predictive tech tackles oxygenation of fisheries
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The RA BASE system in situ, connected to solar power. A new technology solution to tackle problems like algal blooms combines data science, environmental science, AI and IoT to monitor and predict water-quality issues, and to trigger interventions intelligently rather than running interventions 24/7 Leeds innovation consultancy Parallax has teamed up with aquatic technology business […]
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Aberdeen project to turn potato waste into “skincare gold”
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Image credit: Gordon Joly, CC BY-SA 2.0 license. A new project at the University of Aberdeen is exploring how to turn potato waste into high value compounds that can be used for cosmetics, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. The Scottish seed potato industry, worth £24.2 million, generates over 51,000 tonnes of potato shaws annually. As part […]
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Competency certification makes a difference with running AD plants
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Recording engine readings is one element of maintaining certification. Anaerobic digestion (AD) plants across the UK are raising the bar on compliance and safety through the introduction of Competency Management System (CMS) certification – a standard created by the Energy and Utility Skills (EUS) body and recognised by the Environmental Agency (EA). One group to […]
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Research flags light pollution as a silent threat to the planet (and one easily solved)
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Image credit: Hi I’m Charlie, CC BY 2.0 license. New research seems to have revealed for the first time the full extent of how Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) is increasing carbon released by plants and animals across continents – without any increase in the carbon they absorb. The result is reduced carbon storage in […]
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Government announces strengthened Environmental Improvement Plan
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New funding for landscape recovery is the centrepiece of the publication (image credit: Marc Barrot, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license). The UK government published its revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) on Monday 1 December, presented as a five-year roadmap to tackle the nature and climate crisis, improve public health, and support sustainable growth. It includes significant […]
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MIT Sea Grant students explore the intersection of technology and offshore aquaculture in Norway
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Norway is the world’s largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon and a top exporter of seafood, while the United States remains the largest importer of these products, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Two MIT students recently traveled to Trondheim, Norway to explore the cutting-edge technologies being developed and deployed in offshore aquaculture. Beckett […]
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Driving American battery innovation forward
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Advancements in battery innovation are transforming both mobility and energy systems alike, according to Kurt Kelty, vice president of battery, propulsion, and sustainability at General Motors (GM). At the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) Fall Colloquium, Kelty explored how GM is bringing next-generation battery technologies from lab to commercialization, driving American battery innovation forward. The colloquium […]
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The Journey of a Token: What Really Happens Inside a Transformer
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Large language models (LLMs) are based on the transformer architecture, a complex deep neural network whose input is a sequence of token embeddings.
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Exploring how AI will shape the future of work
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“MIT hasn’t just prepared me for the future of work — it’s pushed me to study it. As AI systems become more capable, more of our online activity will be carried out by artificial agents. That raises big questions: How should we design these systems to understand our preferences? What happens when AI begins making […]
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Guest post: Why carbon emissions from fires are significantly higher than thought
Scientists have long known that fires release substantial amounts of greenhouse gases and pollutants into the atmosphere. However, estimating the total climate impact of fires is challenging. Now, new satellite data has shed fresh light on the complex interplay between the climate and fires in different landscapes around the world. It suggests that global emissions […]
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DeBriefed 28 November 2025: COP30’s ‘frustrating’ end; Asia floods; UK ‘emergency’ climate event
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week ‘Lukewarm’ end to COP30 BYE BELÉM: The COP30 climate talks in Belém ended last weekend with countries agreeing on a goal to “triple” adaptation finance by 2035 and efforts to “strengthen” climate plans, Climate Home News reported. […]
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Revealed: Leak casts doubt on COP30’s ‘informal list’ of fossil-fuel roadmap opponents
A confused – and, at times, contradictory – story has emerged about precisely which countries and negotiating blocs were opposed to a much-discussed “roadmap” deal at COP30 on “transitioning away from fossil fuels”. Carbon Brief has obtained a leaked copy of the 84-strong “informal list” of countries that, as a group, were characterised across multiple […]
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What the Budget statement means for different sectors
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One year on: Rachel Reeves in 2024 (image credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock). Observers in sectors such as waste, energy and construction responded to Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget, delivered on 26 November. The statement talked much about growth but seemed to offer little to fund it. The main headline-grabber was a £150 cut to the […]
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China Briefing 27 November 2025: COP30 wraps; Climate and critical minerals at G20; Coal use up
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China Briefing. China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past fortnight. Subscribe for free here. Key developments China called for ‘strengthened’ climate cooperation ‘URGENT ACTION’: As the COP30 climate talks in Brazil drew to a close (see today’s spotlight below), world leaders gathered […]
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UK budget 2025: Key climate and energy announcements
UK chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced new measures to cut energy bills alongside a “pay-per-mile” electric-vehicle levy as part of Labour’s second budget. The policy changes are expected to cut typical household bills by around £134 per year, amid intense political scrutiny of energy prices and a government pledge to reduce them. This cut is […]
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COP30: Key outcomes for food, forests, land and nature at the UN climate talks in Belém
The COP30 climate summit – held in the city of Belém, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest – saw the Brazilian presidency launch a new forest fund and promise a “roadmap” to put an end to deforestation. Almost every country in the world signed off on a final COP30 package called the “global mutirão” […]