Monthly science column

Capturing carbon gases with cost-efficient slurry

Berend Smit - The National (UAE) - 08.11.2014

Carbon dioxide has a bad reputation these days – perhaps deservedly so, as it is one of the main culprits behind global warming.

Although global CO2 emissions continue to increase, the European Union’s share of emissions has declined by 19 per cent from their levels in 1990.

Monthly science column

Computers could bridge the gap caused by spinal injuries

Grégoire Courtine - The National (UAE) - 11.10.2014

Every year, close to 50,000 people suffer accidents and neurological disorders that lead to paralysis. Life dreams shatter in seconds, and to this day, the prospect for even partial recovery remains bleak.

But there are signs of hope on the horizon.

Monthly science column

Ant venom opens the door to emission-free transport

Gabor Laurenczy - The National (UAE) - 14.09.2014

Next year, several car manufacturers will start selling their first fleets of hydrogen-cell electric cars to the general public.

Powered by hydrogen fuel cells that produce electricity by combining oxygen from the air and hydrogen into water, this new generation of vehicles...

Monthly science column

Web tool helps devise value for money electric bus lines

Michel Bierlaire - The National (UAE) - 09.08.2014

Electric buses usually come with strings attached – literally. A dense web of overhead power lines has to be strung above the routes they service.That grid of powerlines is expensive and unsightly – two factors that can be off-putting to municipalities considering installing electric bus systems. But advances in battery and charging technology...

Monthly science column

Compressed air: the battery of the future?

Sylvain Lemofouet - The National (UAE) - 14.06.2014

The last thing you would want on a hot, sunny day in the not too distant future is for your solar-powered air conditioning to switch off every time a cloud gets in the way of the sun. This mundane problem points at a much larger challenge we face as we shift towards renewable energy sources – reliable and...

Monthly science column

Solar colours set to shine

Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin - The National (UAE) - 11.05.2014

While today’s silicon solar panels have become common, several factors – affordability, a complicated production process, and their bulky aesthetics – are holding them back...

Monthly science column

How to turn research theories into commercial enterprises

Franco Vigliotti - The National (UAE) - 13.04.2014

When Gorkem Soyumer, an EPFL Middle East student, finished his master’s thesis, he was able to do what many young graduates only dream of – help turn his research into a business...

Monthly science column

Coming soon to a shop near you – parcel drones

Jonathan Ledgard - The National (UAE) - 16.03.2014

Drones have a bad reputation. They kill, they spy. They loom overhead and remind us of our vulnerability. But in the next decade new forms of drones will gain a better reputation. The most profitable of these will be...

Monthly science column

Big plans to power the future with microscopic algae

Christian Ludwig - The National (UAE) - 09.02.2014

Tiny, microscopic algae may seem like an unlikely replacement for today’s fossil fuels, but recent advances in technology are turning them into a candidate of increasing potential. In order to offer a viable alternative to oil or natural gas, the microalgae have to be produced sustainably......

Monthly science column

‘Guardian angels’ for the elderly could soon be possible

Adrian Ionescu - The National (UAE) - 12.01.2014

Today, the elderly make up 4 per cent of the UAE’s population. Twenty years from now this figure could be three times as high, according to estimates by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Anticipating an ageing population, the Government has set about...

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