The Douro River is one of Portugal’s best-known waterways. It flows through the region that produces the famous port wines, and attracts a growing number of tourists each year. That brings economic benefits, but also problems. “Passenger ships are becoming more popular as tourists discover the area,” said Filipe Martins from APDL, the
As Europe ramps up efforts to transition to a greener economy, hydrogen is taking centre stage as a clean energy solution, particularly for decarbonising sectors like transport and heavy industry. But turning hydrogen into a reliable, large-scale energy source depends on something deceptively simple: the ability to measure it accurately as it moves
What if there was a place where young people could learn the basics of coding, analyse fossil remains, assemble a wind turbine and learn how to predict earthquakes? The two-day Science is Wonderful fair in Tervuren, near Brussels, was just that. On entering Tervuren’s imposing Africa Museum, which hosted the 10th iteration of
At the Las Matas train station in the town of Las Rozas, just north of the Spanish capital Madrid, life is going on as usual. The sound of a highway can be heard in the background as a train pulls in. On the roundabout in front of the station, a churros vendor is
Ph. An etching by Pietro Fabris of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, where thousands of people continue to live, despite the risk. Wellcome Collection Ralph Hertwig, Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Bristol The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 paved the way for the democratisation of
Nicolas ‘Niko’ Dubreuil, a veteran polar explorer with over three decades of experience in the Arctic, knows first-hand the dangers of navigating the region’s icy landscapes. In 2001, while trekking on an icepack in Greenland, he suffered a severe fall, sustaining major injuries. Instead of being deterred though, the experience left him captivated
Guy Plint examines one of the dinosaur tracks, which is above his head. Annemarie Plint, CC BY-NC-ND Guy Plint, Western University and Charles Helm, Nelson Mandela University Dinosaurs have captured people’s imagination ever since their bones and teeth were first scientifically described in 1822 by geologist and palaeontologist Gideon Mantell in England. Dinosaur
Red, white, or rosé, sparkling or still, dry or fruity, wine is deeply embedded in European culture. But so are attempts to counterfeit good wines. Except that researchers have now created a smart system that could put an end to such transgressions. Countering the counterfeits Counterfeiting spirits and wine costs European businesses €1.3 billion
George Wittemyer, Colorado State University Surveying elephants is hard, risky work. Dedicated biologists have been doing this challenging task across Africa for decades. Systematic surveying started in the late 1960s but has been sporadic, as access to remote areas takes logistical planning, funding and well-trained teams. Surveys can easily be derailed by civil
An international team of researchers is developing a model of Mars’s evolution that could unlock some of its long-held secrets, including whether it once harboured life. François Forget, a space scientist from the Pierre Simon Laplace Institute in France, is the man looking for those answers. He is not a time traveller, but