Science and Tech

Recovering from a stroke can be a long process, requiring hours of repetitive exercises to regain limb function. Robotic “coaches” programmed to guide stroke and brain injury survivors through rehabilitation exercises could soon be tested in Scotland. Using a headset worn by the participant, the Nao robot picks up patient brain waves to understand their intended movements and guide them …

ESO/F Carrasco The Extremely Large Telescope under construction in Chile’s Atacama desert High on a mountain, in Chile’s bone dry Atacama desert the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is currently building the world’s largest optical telescope. No time was wasted on choosing a name – it will be called the Extremely Large Telescope or ELT. Instead, huge energy has gone into …

Getty Images Once everywhere the magnetic keycard is being phased out As he slipped the key card into the reader on his hotel room door and tried the handle – to no avail – he realised what he had done. For years, Steven Murdoch, a security researcher at University College London, had taken care not to put tickets or cards …

Dahlia Katz Comedian Anesti Danelis used AI to make his show for the Edinburgh Festival “Why did the politician bring a ladder to the debate? To make sure he could reach new heights with his promises!” Ask AI to write a political joke, and the above is an example of what you can get. Perhaps not funny enough to deliver …

The IOC announced the inaugural games will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. Not all are happy

Phool dev Shahni Phool dev Shahni makes a living harvesting makhana or lotus seeds Like his father and grandfather before him, Phool dev Shahni once made a living by diving to the bottom of 8ft-deep (2.4m), muddy ponds. “I used to dive in 7 to 8ft of water for hours a day – coming to the surface to breathe after …

Hysata Paul Barrett’s firm has developed tech to make cheaper green hydrogen “If you remember being a kid and blowing up a balloon or into a milkshake, your cheeks got sore because there is an energy penalty associated with bubble formation.” Paul Barrett, the Dublin-born chief executive of the Australian green energy firm Hysata, is explaining the plan to create …

As New Yorkers experience flash floods and severe thunderstorms, NYC emergency officials have begun using drones for the first time as an early weather warning system. The drones are an addition to other forms of emergency messaging, including social media and text alerts.

We speak to the BBC journalist who exposed an online con.

Getty Images Climeworks’ Icelandic plant captures CO2 direct from the atmosphere It could be a scene from science fiction. Towering over dark, mossy lava fields are stacks of noisy machines the size of shipping containers, domes, and zig-zagging silver pipes. Found 30km (19 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, this is the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) facility. Called …