How the end of carbon capture could spark a new industrial revolution


Steelmaking uses a lot of energy, making it one of the highest greenhouse gas-emitting industries. David McNew/Getty Images The U.S. Department of Energy’s decision to claw back US$3.7 billion in grants from industrial demonstration projects may create an unexpected opening for American manufacturing. Many of the grant recipients were deploying carbon capture and storage – […]

Stone tools from a cave on South Africa’s coast speak of life at the end of the Ice Age


The Earth of the last Ice Age (about 26,000 to 19,000 years ago) was very different from today’s world. In the northern hemisphere, ice sheets up to 8 kilometres tall covered much of Europe, Asia and North America, while much of the southern hemisphere became drier as water was drawn into the northern glaciers. As […]

Small businesses are an innovation powerhouse. For many, it’s still too hard to raise the funds they need


The federal government wants to boost Australia’s productivity levels – as a matter of national priority. It’s impossible to have that conversation without also talking about innovation. We can be proud of (and perhaps a little surprised by) some of the Australian innovations that have changed the world – such as the refrigerator, the electric […]

Defence firms must adopt a ‘flexible secrecy’ to innovate for European rearmament


In the face of US President Donald Trump’s wavering commitments and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inscrutable ambitions, the talk in European capitals is all about rearmament. To that end, the European Commission has put forward an €800 billion spending scheme designed to “quickly and significantly increase expenditures in defence capabilities”, in the words of Commission President […]

From prototype to construction site: how innovative smart materials make it out of the lab and into our cities


Building material made from recycled plastic waste. Rene Notenbomer/Shutterstock The construction industry accounts for approximately 37% of global CO₂ emissions. Traditional materials like cement, steel, and bricks contribute over 70% of its footprint, with cement production making up an especially large share. To confront this problem, researchers are developing all manner of innovative construction materials […]