Latest Stories from Jamie
India begins enforcing federal ban on single-use plastic
As part of a federal crackdown on single-use plastic, India has outlawed the production and distribution of 19 wasteful items including plastic cups, straws, and cigarette carton film. Staunch on enforcing these rules, New Delhi will shortly be announcing further measures. In our global bid to get a stranglehold on plastic waste, we’ve just registered a pretty big win. India, home to nearly 1.4bn people, has enforced a slew of federal...
Are space-built supermaterials a secret weapon against climate change?
‘Earth is a terrible place to make things,’ according to aerospace engineer Andrew Bacon. Here’s how low gravity provides the unique conditions to build high-performance materials which may arm us against climate change. Finding ways of building sustainable technologies in a sustainable way is a requirement which perpetually limits our fight against climate change. Here’s one ingenious (albeit strange) solution to this problem. In our endeavours to replace fossil fuels with...
Report: Gen Z are becoming default ‘tech support’ in their offices
A recent survey on office habits found that Gen Z employees spend on average eight hours a week providing unofficial tech support. The ‘Digital Natives’ are said to be becoming increasingly frustrated at having to pick up the slack. Technology struggles are a universal problem in offices across the globe, but the responsibility of troubleshooting them falls heavily on one particular demographic – if new data is to be believed. A...
Apps and advertisers are officially coming for our lock screens
It’s only a matter of time until our lock screens become the next hottest real estate in tech. Advertisers are upping the ante with rollout in the coming months, according to reports. Have you ever sat peacefully with your phone locked beside you wishing it would, of its old accord, grab your attention with a fast-food offer, or a shortcut to a nifty app for filling out tax returns? Despite my...
Amsterdam airport becomes first to cap flight total for the climate
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is the third-largest in Europe, and yet it will become the world’s first to cap the number of flights permitted every year. Touted as a response to the climate crisis, will this prompt wider industry change? Still preoccupied with the whole EPA debacle? Here’s a tidbit of positive news for you. While the aviation industry currently makes up 2.1% of all human-induced carbon emissions, a recent milestone...
Cryptocurrency scams on course for record numbers in 2022
In a year that has been anything but stable for crypto, more than $1bn has been scammed from digital traders. This puts 2022 on course for a worrying record, according to the FTC. Enthusiasts are finding it harder by the day to defend the integrity of decentralised financial platforms. The blockchain dream seemed a little too good to be true in its infancy, and its lack of stability is now grabbing...
One in six UK adults still doubt human links to climate change
In a frankly exasperating turn of events, a report has revealed that one in six UK adults are doubtful that humans significantly contribute to climate change. Ready for the most face-palm inducing content you’ll consume this week? According to a recent survey conducted by the King’s College London, one in six adults in the UK do not believe human activity to be a major contributor of climate change. With the aim...
Google Earth Engine update helps companies monitor their ecological footprint
For the first time, Google Cloud is commercialising its Earth Engine software for companies. This means they can now keep tabs on their own ecological footprint with real-time, detailed data – and so can we. This is a greenwasher’s worst nightmare, and we’re pretty excited about it. Among the boundless applications of cloud computing is the ability to map out real-time digital info-graphics of our planet. Talking of which, Google’s Earth Engine...
Scientists discover the largest known bacteria on record
Measuring roughly the length of an eyelash, Thiomargarita magnifica is 50 times larger than any bacteria we’ve previously discovered. This challenges long held basics about our understanding of bacterial cells. Germaphobes, get ready to squirm. ‘We’re going to need a bigger dish.’ Government scientists have discovered the first form of bacteria that is instantly visible to the naked eye, as reported in the journal Science. Resembling white filaments around a centimetre...
UK government announces plan to drive space sustainability
The UK has just unveiled a raft of new measures to ensure the sustainable use of space in the years ahead. Already a leader of green initiatives on Earth, the nation is now looking to lead into the great beyond. Speaking at the Space Sustainability Summit, UK science minister George Freeman has just outlined the government’s plan of action to protect the ecological integrity of space in the years ahead. Having...
