Cleantech ticker: 1 June 2009
Cleantech news as it happens — check back for regular updates:
- Recognising objects and groups of objects is something we humans take for granted. For computers, this is far from straightforward. A European project has come up with novel solutions to this conundrum;
- A group of researchers from the University of Granada (UGR) has developed Inmamusys, a software programme that can create music in response to emotions that arise in the listener. By using Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, the programme means that original, copyright-free and emotion-inspiring music can be played continuously;
- Microorganisms trigger the formation of manganese nodules and manganese crusts — a model for future extraction of raw materials;
- Ocean acidification, a direct result of increased CO2 emission, is set to change the Earth’s marine ecosystems forever and may have a direct impact on our economy, resulting in substantial revenue declines and job losses;
- Crossrail Ltd (CRL) has confirmed the appointment of an Arup/Atkins team to undertake one of the largest and most important elements of the Crossrail project — the detailed design of the major twin tunnels to be bored beneath Central London;
- Researchers in Germany have managed to make the old semiconductor element germanium into a superconductive material. The findings, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, have implications for nanoelectronics and the development of novel computers;
- Ocean acidification, one of the world’s most important climate change challenges, may be left off the agenda at the United Nations Copenhagen conference, the world’s science academies warned today.
