Stuart Nathan

Ingenia focuses on all aspects of engineering. Our articles showcase a wide range of engineering and technology innovation, from robotics and data to the latest in renewable energy and medical technologies.

Ingenia focuses on all aspects of engineering. Our articles showcase a wide range of engineering and technology innovation, from robotics and data to the latest in renewable energy and medical technologies.

One of the biggest environmental problems of the early 21st century is discarded electronic waste. It’s chock-full of materials which are often toxic and even if not are persistent. Heavy metals, plastics – they’re all in there and none of them are…

We’re used to the idea that we can find out about developing foetuses by sampling the amniotic fluid in which they grow. Several medical conditions – most notably Downs syndrome and sickle-cell anaemia – can be detected by testing amniotic fluid: the…

One of the biggest stories in science this week concerns a negative: According to an influential group of geologists, the planet is not in the Anthropocene era. The international Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS), which rules on the…

NB: From tomorrow, all non-Monday posts will be set to subscribers-only. I’ve never been much for video games. My hand-eye co-ordination is terrible; a series of MRI scans in my 40s revealed that the area of my brain responsible for these tasks is…

It might not exactly count as science news, but I couldn’t not mention the first US soft-landing on the moon in over half a century, and the first led by a commercial company: the spacecraft Odysseus touched down at crater Malapert A, near the lunar…

There’s a science communication truism that if you want people to read your work, you have to write about one of two things: space or dinosaurs. I’ve done a few items on space. It’s dinosaurs’ turn. People think dinosaurs are extinct. They’re wrong.…

Back Green technologies such as batteries and wind turbines depend on a range of important metals and minerals. With concerns about environmental damage from conventional mining, scientists and engineers are seeking alternative sources. Stuart Nathan…

Phase change materials are interesting things. I first came across them as materials for building: most people will have noticed that buildings made of stone or concrete tend to be quite cool inside, even when the weather is extremely hot. This is…

My eye was caught this week by a feature article about the history of human cannibalism To be precise, I first saw it thanks to a comment by a friend enquiring “Did a cannibal write this?”…

These digests of latest research stories which catch my eye will be paid-for content on the Alcedo newsletter once it’s up and running. We’ve been using solar cells for longer than you think. The underlying science – the photovoltaic effect, when…

I’ve been writing about nuclear fusion since about 2005 (when, of course, it was supposed to be available by now) so the news about the largest ever amount of energy obtained through it - at JET, the Joint European Torus experimental tokamak in…

Back Renewable solar energy harvested from space could help us to meet net zero. Stuart Nathan looks into the idea of putting large arrays of photovoltaic panels in orbit to send solar energy down to Earth. It’s common knowledge that we need more…

Back Artworks dating back hundreds of years have been lost, stolen, destroyed, or are too fragile, heavy or integral to their location to be moved anywhere else. Madrid-based Factum Arte is using state-of-the-art technology and manufacturing…

Back Did you know? Commercial aviation accounts for 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions Hydrogen can be produced from resources including natural gas, nuclear power, biogas, and renewable power like solar and wind Hydrogen has more than three…

Back During a time when testing for COVID-19 became routine for almost everyone, an award-winning test helped organisations such as the Royal Ballet and the London Symphony Orchestra to ensure that their shows could go on safely. Stuart Nathan spoke…

Back The UK has a solid foundation in space technology, from our space telecommunications and electronics know-how, to engineering planetary rovers for exploration missions. Now, its ambitions are growing, with satellite launches from UK soil almost…

The UK has a solid foundation in space technology, from our space telecommunications and electronics know-how, to engineering planetary rovers for exploration missions. Now, its ambitions are growing, with satellite launches from UK soil almost on…