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One of the world’s most-studied volcanoes turns out to be hiding plenty of secrets. Geologists have unearthed major clues about past eruptions of the Greek island of Santorini by drilling into the sea floor around the partially submerged volcano. · Santorini is famous among volcanologists for its Bronze Age eruption in approximately 1600 BC, which might have contributed to the decline of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. Santorini…

In a teaser of things to come, BAE Systems has displayed a model of its future drone at the World Defense Show in Riyadh. Steeped in more mystery than a Raymond Chandler novel, it gives us a hint of what future military drones might look like. · International defense shows can often be more like bird watching events than showcases for the latest military hardware. Defense contractors don't just like to show off their wares for sale, they also…

Researchers have devised an economically viable way of reducing the environmental impact of both the steel and aluminum industries by using hydrogen to melt down the toxic red mud left over from aluminum production to produce green steel in around 10 minutes. · The aluminum industry produces around 198 million tons (180 million tonnes) of bauxite residue – ‘red mud’ – yearly, which is extremely corrosive because it has high alkalinity and is…

From sniffing out diseases and explosives, to some clever animal and dinosaur adaptations for life, the nose and its broad olfactory functions are an important, if somewhat underappreciated, part of many animals' sensory systems. · Now, scientists believe it could be wielding more power over our behavior than previously thought, with researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz) uncovering that certain odors…

After sugarcane crops have been harvested, a great deal of fibrous stalk waste known as bagasse is left over. That substance has been incorporated into an eco-friendly building material called Sugarcrete, which recently won an international Climate Positive Award. · First announced last May, Sugarcrete was developed via a partnership between the University of East London and British firm Tate & Lyle Sugars. · The material consists of…

Artificial intelligence has helped decipher an ancient papyrus scroll, which was transformed into a lump of blackened carbon by volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The first passages of readable text reveal never-before-seen musings from a Greek philosopher. · The discovery nabbed the $700,000 grand prize in the Vesuvius Challenge, and used a combination of 3D mapping and AI techniques to detect ink and decipher letter shapes within…

In all the buzz around eVTOLs, there's still plenty of appetite for more conventional electric planes – especially, it seems, if they make ludicrous amounts of lift, and can take off and land at incredibly slow speeds, using absolutely tiny runways. · Electra's hybrid-electric STOL (short takeoff and landing) aircraft is one such plane. When it hits the market, it'll carry nine passengers, and a pilot, plus luggage, up to 500 miles (805 km) at…

The Houthi attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen is a significant escalation suggesting the British-American strategy to deter and degrade the Houthi threat is failing. · Who owns ships is a murky business. The debate about British links with the Marlin Luanda is a bit of a red herring. · The point is the Houthis say they attacked it because they believe it is British-owned. · That's important because this week Prime Minister Rishi…

Self-deploying sea barriers offer coastal towns some protection from the destructive forces of tsunamis – but one problem can arise when power goes out in a disaster scenario. Hence this Japanese proposal for a wall that generates its own power. · There are only around two tsunamis a year worldwide that cause death or damage, according to the US Tsunami Warning System. Larger ones capable of causing death or damage more than 1,000 km (620…

A Dutch startup says everyone's hugely underestimating the potential of battery-electric aircraft – that it's possible to build large battery-electric airliners covering distances most assume we'll need hydrogen for. Elysian plans to prove it. · The company doesn't believe it'll need some giant leap in batteries to do it, either; it says it can take 90 passengers some 800 km (497 miles) using a pack with 360 Wh/kg. Amprius, meanwhile, was…