BIG Exclusives

Last year on BIG Media’s site, I talked about CCUS – carbon capture, utilization and storage. It is the process of extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) from smokestacks, refineries, cement plants, biofuel facilities, and other human-made sources, then using it to make new products, or storing it permanently underground in geological formations. CCUS is an important strategy for reducing net CO2 emissions from human activity, as I said then: “CCUS encompasses established, reliable technologies and innovative new...

Picture a vast wheat field under a clear sky, where a farmer in a tractor cabin releases from a large herbicide sprayer implement a fine mist of Roundup. It is harvesting time, and glyphosate – the active ingredient in Bayer's (formerly Monsanto’s) blockbuster herbicide –doesn't just kill weeds; it forces the crop to ripen uniformly and according to a schedule that works best for the farmer, reducing losses and increasing yield. This scene, repeated across...

Key takeaways Angola spends more on fuel subsidies than on health or education, with $3.8 billion in 2022 alone. The government has compressed IMF’s six-year plan into just two years, heightening social and political risks. Despite being Africa’s second-largest oil producer, Angola imports 70% of its fuel consumption due to weak refining capacity. Fuel subsidy removal is tied to Angola’s refining expansion plans – new refineries must operate profitably without state support. Angola’s shrinking...

The world is starting to recognize the tremendous impact that drones and robots are having on the modern battlefield. Whether they fly, walk, wheel, or float, they are quickly becoming a necessity in warfare of today and tomorrow. Science-fiction films have shown us what is possible to imagine, and once imagined, humans have the extraordinary ability to create and make it real. It is no different in the field of war. Numbers matter when it comes...

When you doomscroll on your phone, use the washing machine, fly in an airplane, activate the anti-lock brakes in your car, switch on the air-conditioner or watch television – you are using semiconductors. So, what the heck is a semiconductor? It is the material used as building blocks to create the chips that act as the “brains” inside almost all of our modern devices and electronics across consumer, military, and industrial sectors. These elements can...

In 2019, a major healthcare system implemented an AI tool to help doctors identify patients at risk of sepsis – a condition that kills more than 250,000 Americans annually. The system analyzed patient data and flagged high-risk cases with impressive accuracy during testing. But when doctors tried to understand why the AI made specific recommendations, they hit a wall. The system could not explain its reasoning. It could not tell doctors which factors led...

History shows that urbanization throughout the western world has been largely fuelled by increases in agricultural productivity, and that the enabling commodities are hydrocarbons. The discovery of how to unlock geological energy beneath our feet has given rise to the mechanization of farm labour and the scalable production of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Unfortunately, urbanization has also created historic levels of agricultural naivety. With increasing productivity, fewer people are required to produce food for society. As a...

The hallucination problem: when AI makes things up Right now, as you process this sentence, your brain is performing thousands of micro-decisions that you're not even conscious of. You're contextualizing the phrase "hallucination problem" within your existing knowledge of AI, inferring that this isn't about psychiatric symptoms, and automatically adjusting your reading speed based on your assessment of the content's complexity. Meanwhile, you're simultaneously monitoring your environment—the sound of traffic outside, the temperature of your...

Key takeaways India’s energy demand is poised to soar, but duplicating China’s path could mean quadrupling coal use to 6 billion tonnes/year. Despite big gains in solar and wind capacity, low-capacity factors mean coal still delivers 70%+ of electricity consumed. India’s energy strategy is shaped by security and cost, not just climate goals, making coal more resilient in its energy mix than gas. If India consumed energy at China's per-capita level, its oil...

Right now, as you read this sentence, your brain is performing a feat so sophisticated that it makes quantum computing look simple. You are not just recognizing words; you are understanding that this is the beginning of an article about AI, inferring the author's intent, contextualizing it within your existing knowledge about technology, and simultaneously processing countless environmental cues about where you are, what you are doing, and what matters most in this moment. This...