OPINION - Tech & Science Daily: Breathing on Mars now possible

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

It looks like our chances of one day living and surviving on Mars are one step closer, as a device which converts carbon dioxide on the red planet into breathable oxygen has proved to be working.

The device, called Moxie, is about the size of a lunchbox and was taken to Mars as part of Nasa’s Perseverance rover mission.

At the moment it’s effectively doing the work of a small tree - but the team behind the device now want to send a much bigger one that can produce oxygen at the rate of several hundred trees - ahead of humans eventually landing on Mars.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge believe friendly robots could play an important role in detecting mental wellbeing issues in children.

They’ve found that kids were willing to confide in the Nao robot they used in the study, sometimes sharing information they hadn’t yet shared via online or in-person questionnaires.

The research team told us the aim is not to replace psychologists or other mental health professionals, but to use this type of robot as a tool.

Tech & Science daily spoke to PHD students at Cambridge University Nida Abbasi and Minja Axelsson about the study, and how else they’re using robots to evaluate people’s mental wellbeing.

The company behind Nokia phones has revealed a new eco-subscription service called Circular. It rewards users for holding onto their device for longer, by giving them tokens or ‘seeds’ they can use to invest in green causes.

Tech & Science Daily spoke to Adam Ferguson, Global Head of Product Marketing at HMD Global about the subscription service, and why more companies will need to rethink the way they operate from an eco-perspective.

An offshore wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire has claimed the title of the world’s biggest. A toxic red tide seen around the San Francisco Bay Area in the US is being blamed for the death of thousands of fish and other marine life washing up on the shore, a study has found visiting rivers and canals can boost people’s mental health, French fashion brand Balmain has teamed up with Pokémon Unite to create exclusive shoes and clothing with built-in NFC’s, and the highest resolution footage of the Titanic wreckage has been shared on YouTube.

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