The World Literacy Foundation and Dutch marketing firm Media.Monks have teamed up to create a pen designed to help millions of people around the world grappling with illiteracy.  The device, dubbed Literacy Pen, is compatible with any standard pen or pencil. Users slip the device onto the pen and then speak their desired words into the built-in microphone. Voice dictation technology then transcribes these words, letter by letter, onto a... Read more âș
0
The unimaginably complex task of creating, containing, and commercialising fusion energy is undoubtedly one of the greatest scientific endeavours of our time. Since the 1950s, hoards of the worldâs top scientists and engineers have toiled away trying to turn the process that powers the Sun into a clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy source for humanity. Despite huge progress, fusion energy has always seemed to be that â20-years-awayâ technology. But... Read more âș
13
When researchers revealed the results of a study on the prevalence of microplastics in human placentas earlier this year, the findings were profoundly disturbing. Researchers analysed 62 placental tissue samples â and found microplastics in all of them. In the words of the lead author of the study, âIf we are seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this planet could be impacted.â The world desperately needs to... Read more âș
0
Technology is often accused of causing loneliness. The US Surgeon General recently warned that tech can deepen isolation, increase fear of missing out, and reduce social interaction. Surveys frequently show that isolation among young people surges when their social media use grows. But what could possibly solve these problems caused by tech? Why, more tech of course! Itâs a common response from (who else?) technologists, who have a remarkable variety... Read more âș
23
Last month, Finnish startup Polar Night Energy announced that it is building a giant sand battery capable of heating a town of 5,000 people for up to a month. Thatâs on a single charge. Polar Night is constructing the sand battery for the town of Pornainen in southern Finland. The system is expected to enable the town cut all oil use in its district heating network â slashing greenhouse gas... Read more âș
18
Are you frustrated with your employerâs lack of commitment to sustainability? Maybe âclimate quittingâ is for you. Climate quitting means leaving your job due to concerns about your employerâs impact on the climate or because you want to work directly on addressing climate issues. If youâre contemplating leaving your job over climate concerns, youâre not alone. Half of Gen Z employees (people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s)... Read more âș
3
Europeâs linguistic diversity has received a boost into the AI era with the launch of new LLMs for Nordic languages. Fittingly named Viking, the model family is the brainchild of Finnish startup Silo AI. The company claims to host Europeâs largest private AI lab and has pledged to protect the continentâs digital sovereignty. Viking is the latest step of that mission. By integrating Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish into... Read more âș
2
ï»ż Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast â the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In todayâs episode, Linnea and Andrii talk about flying cars, unexpected effects of climate change, espresso origins, and real-life invisibility shields. The guest of the show is Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and CEO of... Read more âș
0
Health tech has a rocky history. For every story of the Apple Watch saving someoneâs life, thereâs a Theranos out there ruining it for everyone. Yet the sector marches on. We all want to be healthy and know more about our bodies â and this is an opportunity for profit that tech companies canât ignore. The problem is that, as consumers, we struggle to separate the wheat from the chaff,... Read more âș
0
Two of the leaders in quantum technologies, Quantinuum and Microsoft, today announced a breakthrough in reducing ânoiseâ that could mean quantum advantage is closer than previously thought. When it comes to quantum computing, noise refers to internal and external interference that lead to errors in quantum computations. Without properly conquering challenges such as variations in temperature, external electromagnetic fields, and quantum decoherence, quantum computers will not surpass the capabilities of... Read more âș
9
Amazon Bedrock, the tech giantâs platform for building generative AI applications, has added Mistral Large, the latest and most advanced Large Language Model (LLM) of Mistral AI, to its service. The Paris-based startup released the model in February, boasting its top-tier reasoning capabilities. Mistral Large is also proficient in code, text, and mathematics. Itâs fluent in five languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Italia. The move follows the addition... Read more âș
0
Days before a total solar eclipse sweeps across North America, scientists in Europe have revealed another plan to block out the sun. The audacious project â called Proba-3 â will align two spacecraft to produce artificial eclipses. By creating this complicated calibration, the mission will capture new views of the Sun â and complete the first-ever precision formation space flight. At an event today in Belgium, the European Space Agency... Read more âș
3
Opera now becomes the first major browser to offer built-in access to local AI models. Starting today, the Oslo-based company is introducing experimental support for 150 variants of local Large Language Models (LLMs), covering approximately 50 families. These include Mixtral from Mistral AI, Llama from Meta, Gemma from Google, and Vicuna. The introduction of built-in local LLMs come with a series of advantages, according to Jan Standal, VP at Opera.... Read more âș
14
Carpoolingâs resurgence continued today as Franceâs BlaBlaCar reached two big new milestones. The Paris-based trip-sharing service has raised a âŹ100mn credit line and hit profitability over the last 24 months â its first full years in the black. The company plans to use the new funding to expand its multimodal transport network. Initially launched in 2006 to pair passengers with drivers who have spare car seats, BlaBlaCar has since added... Read more âș
1
The World Bank estimates that by 2050 the global urban population will double in size, putting ever-increasing pressure on city streets, housing markets, infrastructure, government services, and the environment. Luckily, over the last few years, advancements in the fields of AI, IoT, robotics, and the ongoing deployment of 5G have made the timing ripe for new technological solutions to come to the rescue. In 2023, the global smart cities market... Read more âș
9
A few weeks back, Amsterdam announced it was trialling new technology that can automatically reduce ebike speed when riders enter certain parts of the city.  Predictably, the initiative sparked debate. On Reddit, some expressed concerns about data privacy and state nannying, while others felt that stricter measures were needed to protect other road users from ebikes, especially those with aftermarket mods that make them go faster. Some felt the technology... Read more âș
33
Following the recent approval of the EUâs risk-based AI Act, the UK has now partnered up with the US to co-establish testing procedures and guidelines on AI safety. As part of the transatlantic deal, the two countries will combine their capabilities and expertise to develop tests for the most advanced artificial intelligence models and systems, as well as create tools for risk evaluation. The plan is to perform at least... Read more âș
1
In a potentially transformative move for healthcare, the NHS is rolling out an âartificial pancreasâ for people suffering from type 1 diabetes. Known as the Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) system, the artificial pancreas is a device that significantly automates the management of blood sugar and insulin levels â a necessary process for those living with the condition. Specifically, the device continuously monitors blood sugar (glucose) levels, determines the amount of... Read more âș
36
The US is getting increasingly aggressive about TikTok. In March, the House of Representatives passed a bill that could see the Chinese social media app banned across the entire country due to security concerns. If signed into law, the bill would give ByteDance â the company that owns TikTok â six months to sell the platform. If this doesnât happen, TikTok wonât be accessible to users in the United States.... Read more âș
0
Technology-related stress, overload, and anxiety are common problems in todayâs workplace, potentially leading to higher burnout and poorer health. Many of these issues are likely to have increased since remote working became much more widespread following the pandemic. In 2022, along with colleagues at the University of Nottingham, I conducted a review of the academic literature on the downsides of digital working. We looked at nearly 200 studies from over... Read more âș
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06.05.2026 04:52
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