A private startup company called Spinlaunch could be the first to throw a payload into space rather than use a rocket for primary propulsion. The company has said that it’s received millions of dollars in funding, and a prototype launch contract from the U.S. Department of Defence for its technology. The company is apparently developing…

At 6:45 a.m. on June 1, 2018, Monique Richard called Parks Canada for help. The Quebec mountaineer was in her tent, 5,550 metres up on Mount Logan. The batteries on her communication device were getting low, and she was running out of food and fuel.  Richard was cold and exhausted. She hadn’t slept since reaching the summit…

Reports that the United Kingdom plans to limit the use of Huawei equipment to less critical parts of Britain’s 5G networks is the most “pragmatic position” for the country, a British cybersecurity expert says.  Sources revealed to Reuters this week that senior government officials settled on the recommendation Wednesday, though a final decision is expected…

A team of American researchers has developed a new kind of biological concrete that could redefine what we mean by “green buildings.”  The concrete, developed by researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, uses bacteria as a binder. This leads to a material that can grow and even heal itself — much like a living organism. “When…

Researchers say they’ve mimicked the voice of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy by recreating much of its vocal tract using medical scanners, 3D printing and an electronic larynx. In a paper published Thursday by the journal Scientific Reports, the authors say the technique allowed them to produce a single sound — somewhere between the vowels in “bed”…

Hello, people! This is our weekly newsletter on all things environmental, where we highlight trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world. (Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.) This week: Microgrids: An idea whose time has come? Oil and gas firms say they’re investing in green tech. What do the…