Emily Smith

Technology | Analysis 2 August 2019 By Michael Le Page A helicopter helps shore up the damROLAND HARRISON/AFP/Getty Images The town of Whaley Bridge in the UK has had to be evacuated after damage to a dam built in 1831. The Toddbrook Reservoir is just one of many ageing dams worldwide not designed for ever…

Environment 2 August 2019 There’s probably worse to comeBERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images By Michael Le PageIf you suffered during the recent record-smashing heatwave across Europe, there’s bad news. Such heatwaves are the new normal for countries like the UK, and we can expect even more extreme ones in the next few years, say climate scientists who…

The hyper-fast star was spotted by the Anglo-Australian Telescope in AustraliaBABAK TAFRESHI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY By Will GaterAstronomers have spotted a star tearing through the Milky Way that appears to have been flung outwards following an encounter with the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s heart. This ‘hyper-velocity star’ has been named S5-HVS1. It is travelling…

The Milky Way isn’t quite as flat as we thoughtJ. Skowron / OGLE / Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw By New Scientist Staff and Press AssociationAstronomers have presented a twist on how we see our galaxy, the Milky Way, with a new three-dimensional map. Our galaxy was generally thought to be a flat disc consisting…

Organ donation without the risk of rejection could become a realityCraig Stennett / Alamy Stock Photo By Clare WilsonPeople having organ transplants in future may no longer have to take anti-rejection medicines, thanks to a new technique that makes their immune system see the donor’s tissue as their own. The method involves giving the recipient…

Health 2 August 2019 Should they be offered to dads-to-be?Aleksandra Gigowska / Alamy Stock Photo By Jessica HamzelouPrenatal vitamins like folic acid are par for the course for many women thinking about getting pregnant. But growing evidence suggests that folate may be essential for healthy sperm, too. Is it time to offer supplements to men?…

Physics 1 August 2019 Blood cells can be damaged in the tubes of surgical pumpsJames King-Holmes / Alamy By Chelsea WhyteGetting fluid to flow through tiny pipes without being damaged or slowed down is a tricky problem that comes into play in all sorts of places, including in some parts of the blood pumps used…

This robot is tougher than it looksJunwen Zhong, Yichuan Wu and Liwei Lin By Chris BaraniukEver tried to stamp on a pesky insect only to see it scuttle off gleefully once you raise your shoe? You may soon have the same difficulty eradicating tiny robots. A simple machine seems to have the robustness of a…

People have extra smell receptors for cheesy odoursWestend61/Getty By Jessica Hamzelou Smell that? If it’s cheesy, sweaty or sweet, you might be more likely to sense an odour. Humans have evolved many more smell receptors for these scents than anything else, probably to help us choose which foods to eat. Luis Saraiva at Sidra Medicine…

AI could be used to predict kidney injuryDeepMind By Donna LuArtificial intelligence trained on health records can now detect kidney injury up to two days before it occurs. The idea is that an advance warning could help doctors intervene earlier to prevent irreversible damage to the kidneys. AIs are already touted as rivals to doctors…