Coca-Cola pumps millions into scientific research disproving link between sugary drinks and obesity October 9, 2015 Coca-cola has spent millions of pounds on funding research bodies to disprove the link between drinking sugary drinks and obesity, it has been alleged. An investigation by The Times suggested the drinks giant spent £4.68m on setting up the European Hydration Institute, a body that recommends that people drink sports and soft drinks of the type [...]
Smart homes could transform our lives, but only if we connect our data October 9, 2015 The "smart home" – a familiar term? We’re already seeing the start of the connected home, with products such as automated under floor heating, curtains and music gaining real traction in the consumer world. So you may already have an element of “internet of things” technology in your own home. But this isn’t the smart home [...]
World Mental Health Day 2015: The city is stressful, but we have to be positive October 9, 2015 Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day, a time when stressed Londoners should take a step back from the hustle and bustle of daily life and assess what's making them happy, and just as importantly, what isn't. Mental health is now a bigger issue for society than ever. The stresses of occupational life can be the [...]
Glencore share price lifted by plans to slash zinc production by a third October 9, 2015 Glencore announced this morning that it plans to cut zinc production by 500,000 tonnes each year. The reduction, which will knock off around a third of the mining company's current zinc output, is taking place to counteract plummeting prices of the metal. Since May, zinc has lost around 30 per cent of its value. Shares [...]
Brexit: The EU is a science powerhouse – leaving it will put us behind the US in innovation October 9, 2015 From today onwards, when you hear “EU”, you should think “science and innovation”. The EU has more scientific output than the US, it’s better networked, and its output is growing faster. In the UK, we are huge beneficiaries of being in the EU. Although our own successive governments have dithered on backing science, the EU [...]
Stephen Hawking: It’s super-wealthy technology-owners, not robots, that we should really fear October 9, 2015 Robots stealing your job are the least of your worries, Stephen Hawking has said – it's the humans who own them that pose the biggest threat. Hawking, who has in the past warned against the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, claims that "automated machines" are not in themselves the biggest problem facing a cohesive society and healthy [...]
China is smoking itself to death: One in three young men will die from the habit October 9, 2015 A new study published in The Lancet reveals that two-thirds of men in the world's second largest economy start to smoke at a young age, and of these half will die as a result of the habit. In total, one in three young men in China is expected to die because of smoking. Read more: As [...]
The Earth Index: How much does nature add to the global economy? October 8, 2015 The Earth's natural resources are a crucial part of the world's economy, helping to drive agriculture, tourism and the production of man-made objects. Today, BBC published its “Earth Index”, which shows how the contribution of these vital resources compares to other parts of the economy. It turns out the financial value of nature is huge, [...]
Will an asteroid hit the Earth? Not this time, but we should take today’s fly-by as a warning October 8, 2015 Later today, an asteroid called 2014 RC will pass by the Earth, flying 25,000 miles over New Zealand as it makes its way through space. While that's far enough away to pose no direct threat to Earth, we shouldn't simply brush it off. It was, after all, an asteroid that supposedly killed off the [...]
Bioengineers have created a “psychic robot” that understands human intention October 8, 2015 A robot which can understand why humans behave the way they do has been created by scientists at the University of Illinois. Dubbed the “psychic robot” by its creators, it uses a mathematical algorithm to “see” the intention behind even the most simple act, such as lifting your arm to reach out for a cup of tea. [...]
