#science

If human beings were forced to leave Earth due to some major event and were to decide to colonise other planets, what would we need to do to prepare? This is where the concept of terraforming comes in, which refers to potential methods for preparing other worlds to make them suitable places for living beings from Earth. Mars would seem the best choice from among our neighbouring planets, but, is it a real option or just science fiction?

You may never have actually seen a meteorite, but they keep falling to earth. According to a study by researchers at the University of Manchester and Imperial College published in Geology, there are about 17,000 of them a year. One reason for their apparent invisibility is their size, which shrinks after passing through the Earth's atmosphere to the point at which they are virtually imperceptible.

Humans use our eyes to understand the world around us. Artificial vision is a scientific discipline that aims to enable computers to achieve the same capacity, i.e. it tries to ensure that machines can perceive and understand one or more images and act in a certain way. Below, we review some of its applications.

The electrolyser is an apparatus that produces hydrogen through a chemical process (electrolysis) capable of separating the hydrogen and oxygen molecules of which water is composed using electricity. Hydrogen produced in this sustainable way, i.e. without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, can be the basis for a decarbonised economy.

Why is it warmer in a large town or city than in a village located only a few miles outside it? The answer lies in what are known as heat islands. This thermal phenomenon, which raises the temperature in urban areas —especially at night—, can be attributed to several factors: elements that give off heat, such as HVAC systems, or the construction materials used, including asphalt. In addition, they exacerbate climate change and negatively affect health.

On 10 September 2024, a Space X rocket took off from Florida, in the US, carrying billionaire Jared Isaacman into space. A few years earlier, on 20 July 2021, Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, took off into space on board the New Shepard. Just days earlier, Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, achieved the milestone that is paving the way for space tourism, albeit only for multimillionaires. Let's travel into the past to learn about history's earliest examples of space tourism, and then look to the future to glimpse what might be on the horizon for this booming industry.