Blurs

Space exploration has always been associated with advanced materials, precision engineering and extraordinary technological complexity.  Satellites are typically constructed using aluminium alloys, specialised composites and other materials designed to survive the extreme conditions beyond Earth's atmosphere. Yet one Japanese research team has pursued an unexpectedly different approach: building a satellite using wood. In November 2024, Japan launched LignoSat, an experimental satellite incorporating magnolia wood into its structure. Developed by researchers at Kyoto University in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry, the project set out to investigate whether a material used in construction for thousands of years could have a role in modern space technology. The satellite was not a wooden spacecraft in the traditional sense of the word. Its electronics, power systems and other essential components remained technological products of the modern space industry.  However, its woo...

The Yarlung Tsangpo River is one of Asia's most extraordinary rivers. It cuts through the Tibetan Plateau, plunges through a spectacular Himalayan canyon, and eventually becomes the Brahmaputra River, which flows through India and Bangladesh.  It is also at the centre of one of the world's most ambitious and controversial engineering projects. Where is the Yarlung Tsangpo River? The river begins in western Tibet, near the Angsi Glacier, and flows eastwards across the Tibetan Plateau before reaching the eastern Himalayas. Its journey takes it through some of the most remote and dramatic terrain on Earth. As it approaches Mount Namcha Barwa, the river makes a huge horseshoe-shaped turn known as the Great Bend. It then plunges through the spectacular Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, before turning south into India. The river has different names along its journey: Tibet : Yarlung Tsangpo. Arunachal Pradesh, India : Siang, also known as the Dihang. Assam, India : Brahmaputra. Banglades...

Gemstones were far more than decorative objects to ancient societies. They could represent the gods, the heavens, royal authority, protection from evil, immortality and the power of nature.  Some were so highly prized that they travelled thousands of miles along ancient trade routes, connecting civilisations that might otherwise never have encountered one another. Lapis lazuli — The stone of the gods Civilisations: Ancient Egypt, Sumer, Mesopotamia and Persia Key symbolism: Divinity, royalty, the heavens and spiritual protection Lapis lazuli is an intensely blue rock, often scattered with golden flecks of pyrite. It was one of the most prestigious decorative materials in the ancient world. In ancient Egypt, it was fashioned into beads, amulets, scarabs and elaborate jewellery. It appears in objects associated with pharaohs, including the treasures of Tutankhamun. The stone was imported over vast distances, with a major ancient source at Badakhshan in what is now northeastern Afghan...