There will be more than a BILLION CCTV cameras globally by the end of next year, researchers claim

Feeling watched? More than a BILLION CCTV cameras will be in operation around the world by the end of next year, researchers claim, as London comes THIRD in a list of 20 most surveilled cities 18 of the top 20 most surveilled cities in the league table are found in China London came third with … Read more

GoPro for beetles: Researchers create a tiny robotic camera backpack

A tiny robotic camera backpack has been created by scientists that can be strapped on the back of insects to record the world from the perspective of a bug. The GoPro-style action camera for beetles was made by scientists in the US and weighs just 250 milligrams – about one-tenth the weight of a playing card. … Read more

Researchers discover cat remains in Poland that could date back to 4,200BC

Researchers discover 6,200 year old cat remains in Poland where the animals lived on the periphery of human farming settlements ‘somewhere between wild and domesticated’ Cat bones were discovered in four caves in southern Poland dating to 4,200 BCE The bones are one of the earliest examples of cats living in northern Europe Analysis of … Read more

Researchers create a ‘smart’ mask for COVID-19 with a speaker and translation software

Japanese researchers create a ‘smart’ mask to protect against COVID-19, with a built-in speaker and software that can translate speech into eight different languages A Japanese tech firm has developed a new Bluetooth-powered ‘smart’ mask It will have a built-in speaker and translation software for eight languages  The mask is currently planned for release in … Read more

US Honeybee populations fell 22.2% over the winter, but researchers say that could be good news 

Beekeepers in the US lost more than 22% of their honeybee colonies during the past winter, but experts say that’s the smallest loss in years and could be a sign the global honeybee crisis is slowing A beekeeper survey found US honeybee colonies declined 22.2% in the winter The declines were actually the second smallest … Read more

Google to release data from project that allows researchers to map air quality block-to-block

Google to release data from pollution project that allows researchers to map air quality on a block-to-block basis Google will release data on a pollution mapping project The data was taken using sensors from pollution mapping company, Aclima It gives insight into air quality on a street-by-street basis Data could help set future policy and … Read more

Researchers reveal how a 12th century volcano eruption in Japan led to years of famine in Europe

New research connects a 12th century volcano eruption in Japan to years of famine in Europe, as volcanic sulfates in the atmosphere contributed to frigid summer days, heavy rainfall and widespread crop failure Researchers found new links between a volcano in Japan and European famine The team identified volcanic sulfates in ice core samples from … Read more

Researchers identify bacteria in permafrost samples in the Swiss Alps that could break down plastics

Researchers identify 13-million-year-old bacteria in permafrost samples collected in the Swiss Alps, which could be used in bioreactors to break down plastic waste Swiss researchers have discovered a new species of bacteria in the Swiss Alps It was found in permafrost samples and is believed to be 13million years old The team describes permafrost as … Read more

Chinese researchers unveil AI that can turn simple drawings into fake photorealistic pictures

Chinese researchers unveil AI that can turn simple sketches into fake photorealistic pictures The AI, called DeepFaceDrawing, was demonstrated by Chinese researchers  It can extrapolate a rudimentary sketch into photo-like pictures  The AI looks at facial features like eyes, hair, and lips individually It could be used by law enforcement for brining suspect sketches to life  … Read more

Researchers in the Arctic Ocean map undersea methane pockets in a 250-million-year-old ‘fault zone’

Researchers in the Arctic Ocean map undersea methane pockets distributed across a 250-million-year-old ‘fault zone’ that could accelerate ice sheet withdrawal with future ruptures Researchers mapped a network of undersea methane pockets in the Arctic They found structural instability in the seafloor was the biggest factor effecting which region would experience a rupture, releasing the … Read more