DEVELOPMENT
Sub-Saharan Africa has a huge electricity problem – but with challenge comes opportunity
Oct 22, 2021
Written by
Katie Burton
Access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa is the worst in the world, a fact that touches every facet of people’s lives there. But change can happen with the right policies in place
Africa's most ambitious idea: The Great Green Wall
Oct 11, 2021
Written by
Words by Eleonora Vio, images by Patrick Tombola
In 2007, the African Union announced a hugely ambitious project – to plant the Great Green Wall, a band of trees that would stretch the length of the Sahel. Progress has been slow, but as a trip to Burkina Faso…
Bioleaching: Using bacteria to recycle precious metals from electronic waste
Sep 09, 2021
Written by
Jacob Dykes
A technique that uses bacteria to leach precious metals from electronic waste could help to create a circular economy
Dossier: Could opening up the UK to meat from other continents end the Great British farm?
Sep 09, 2021
Written by
Mark Rowe
Mark Rowe asks whether opening up the UK to meat from other continents will spell the end of British farming as we know it
When no one wants to host the Olympics, can a radical remodel work?
Aug 05, 2021
Written by
Chris Fitch
Overshadowed by the uncertainty surrounding the Tokyo games, the Olympics have been quietly undergoing big changes. But not everyone is convinced that a bright future awaits
More than half of the world’s agricultural land at risk of pesticide poisoning
Apr 09, 2021
Written by
Mabel Lewis
A new model of pesticide use highlights the risk to huge swathes of land
How far off is the steel industry from decarbonising?
Mar 12, 2021
Written by
Jacob Dykes
Pressure is mounting on steelmakers to decarbonise, but it’s proving to be a particularly difficult industry to clean up
Learning from nature: how scientists use biomimetics to build a better world
Mar 10, 2021
Written by
Katie Burton
Traditional methods of design and construction have led to a built-world of inefficient, unsustainable materials and structures. By unpicking nature’s secrets and copying them, scientists in the field of biomimetics aim to create a more intelligent world
Portable genetic sequencing technology helps track malaria
Jan 15, 2021
Written by
Katie Burton
The recipient of the 2018 Land Rover bursary, supported by the RGS-IBG, has been awarded extra funding to continue its work
Mother's mighty microbes: Scientists restore gut microbes of c-section babies
Nov 25, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
Scientists are working to mimic the transfer of immune-boosting microbes that takes place during vaginal births to help those born by caesarean section
Spending more money on the dangers of cannabis risks lack of medical research, say scientists
Nov 11, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
Cannabis divides opinion in the USA, where money is spent on researching both its health benefits and its dangers
Politics regularly suppresses environmental research, Australian study finds
Nov 03, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
A survey of Australian scientists reveals a worrying trend towards suppression of important environmental research
From lab-grown meat to GMO: are you ready to embrace novel food tech?
Oct 27, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
Surveys suggest that Westerners aren’t yet willing to accept novel food technology
The silent pandemic: Is the market for new antibiotics in need of reform?
Sep 30, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
Covid-19 has reignited concerns about antibiotic resistance. The economics for new antibiotics are struggling to innovate new products. Is the market in need of reform?
Vaccine nationalism or global access: can we ethically distribute a COVID-19 vaccine?
Sep 23, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
The Covid-19 vaccine allocation plan aims to pool funding from high-, low- and middle-income countries to develop a COVID-19 vaccine that will be accessible to countries across the world. But will the rise of ‘vaccine nationalism’ jeopardise the endeavour?
What lurks beneath: creating a complete picture of the UK’s underground world
Sep 21, 2020
Written by
Jacob Dykes
The Department of Transport believes street works impact the UK economy by £4.3 billion per year, slowing transport links as well as affecting public safety. Poor understanding of what lurks beneath exacerbates the problem. The Geospatial Commission and Ordnance Survey…
Jade mine collapses in Myanmar, exposing a lucrative industry with a deadly record
Sep 07, 2020
Written by
Katie Burton
The recent collapse of a jade mine in Myanmar has shone a light on a deadly industry
Can the tourism industry recover from the Covid-19 pandemic?
Sep 03, 2020
Written by
Katie Burton
The sudden cessation of international tourism as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world's largest employer to a standstill, with widespread hardship following in its wake. Can the sector recover?
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