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The deep seas - vast expanses of water and seabed hidden more than 200 metres below the ocean surface to depths up to 11,000 metres - are recognised globally as an important frontier of science and discovery. But despite the fact they account for around 60% of Earth's surface area, large areas remain completely unexplored, yet the habitats they support impact on the health of the entire planet.

Startups funded by US agency ARPA-E file patents at twice the rate of similar cleantech firms. Cambridge researcher argues that the UK should trial its own climate-focused ARPA as part of COVID-19 recovery package. The UK should adapt the ARPA model to create an agency for the climate challenge as part of any COVID-19 recovery package Laura Diaz Anadon A new analysis of the successes and failures of green energy companies in the US has found that those with ARPA funding filed for far more patents in the years after launching than other "cleantech" startups from the same time.

The most massive gravitational-wave source yet has been detected - a binary black hole merger, which produced a blast equal to the energy of eight Suns, sending shockwaves through the universe. The detection provides answers to some fundamental questions about how black holes are formed - and poses some intriguing new ones.

The overwhelming 'Whiteness' of artificial intelligence - from stock images and cinematic robots to the dialects of virtual assistants - removes people of colour from the way humanity thinks about its technology-enhanced future. If the developer demographic does not diversify, AI stands to exacerbate racial inequality Kanta Dihal This is according to experts at the University of Cambridge, who suggest that current portrayals and stereotypes about AI risk creating a "racially homogenous" workforce of aspiring technologists, building machines with bias baked into their algorithms.

New muscle has successfully been created in mice using a minimally invasive technique dubbed 'intravital 3D bioprinting' by a team involving UCL scientists. This new research could pave the way for minimally invasive surgical techniques for organ repair and reconstruction that could remove the need for transplantation in children with complex conditions.

Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From new insights into Saturn's dusty rings, to funding for an Imperial startup that develops next-generation rechargeable batteries, here is some quick-read news from across the College. Saturn's dusty rings Dust from Saturn's rings falling towards the planet is making the top of its equatorial atmosphere 10-100 times more electrically conductive than previously estimated.

Scientists at the Healthcare Technologies Institute, University of Birmingham and King's College London are working on a solution to improve the seal and fit of facemasks used in hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis. Since the onset of the crisis the subject of personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a key discussion point.

They found that the pattern of thinning is evolving in complex ways both in space and time with thinning rates now highest along the slow-flow margins of the glacier, while rates in the fast-flowing central trunk have decreased by about a factor of five since 2007. This is the opposite of what was observed prior to 2010.

Led by UK Universities, multi-disciplinary researchers from around the globe are joining forces in an innovative new research centre aimed at speeding up the use of radical new cooling solutions to help small-holder farmers, medicine suppliers and others make the most of clean and sustainable chilled distribution systems.

DnaNudge, co-founded by Imperial professor Chris Toumazou, has launched a flagship store in London's Covent Garden. DnaNudge offers the world's first DNA-based service for healthier food choices. The new Covent Garden store provides on-the-spot DNA testing, which is then used to 'nudge' users to make healthier food shopping choices.

Deep divides fuelled by the Brexit debate have been laid bare in new research from Cardiff University and the University of Edinburgh. Academics say the latest Future of England Survey, which explores people's attitudes to the constitution across England, Scotland and Wales, will be 'uncomfortable reading' for both those who voted Leave and those who voted Remain in the 2016 EU Referendum.

UCL is a key partner in four of seven new centres announced by Health Data Research UK. The data hubs, to be set up across the UK from October this year, will speed up research for new medicines, treatments and health technologies to support quicker diagnosis and save lives. They will promote better use of health data by linking up different types of data and making it more easily accessible and user-friendly for research, while maintaining strict controls around data privacy and consent.

Professor Ruth Morgan (UCL Security and Crime Science) writes about the misinterpretation of forensic evidence and the issues that this causes for the criminal justice system. Imagine you're in court, accused of a crime that you know you didn't commit. Now imagine a scientist takes the stand and starts explaining to the court how your DNA is on the murder weapon.

Global threat detection and security technologies company Smiths Detection have announced the opening of an office at Imperial College London. The new office is opened in the I-Hub with the intention of establishing an R&D partnership between the two organizations. Smiths Detection, part of Smiths Group, specialises in sensors and detection technology for security and defence purposes.

Scientists discover novel viruses carried by the Scottish midge Scotland's biting midge population carries previously-unknown viruses, according to new research. The study - published in Viruses and carried out by scientists at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) - used high throughput sequencing to study, for the first time, the total collection of viruses in the biting midge ( Culicoides impunctatus ).

A Royal Society report, led by Imperial experts, has urged the UK Government to take the lead on tech that merges brain, body and machine. The report , part of a new perspective on this emerging technology and published by the Royal Society , argues that the UK government should launch a national investigation into neural interface technologies - devices that "blur the lines between mind and machine" - and their ethical implications.

Europe has the capacity to produce more than 100 times the amount of energy it currently produces through onshore windfarms, new analysis from the University of Sussex and Aarhus University has revealed. In an analysis of all suitable sites for onshore wind farms, the new study reveals that Europe has the potential to supply enough energy for the whole world until 2050.

The Cancer Research UK Convergence Science Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research and Imperial College London was announced today. Cancer Research UK is bringing together scientists from two of the UK's foremost academic research institutions under the leadership of renowned cancer experts, Professor the Lord Ara Darzi from Imperial College London and Professor Paul Workman from The Institute of Cancer Research, London.

A University of Sussex professor has helped draw up new guidance to aid European policymakers in making better informed decisions on issues of complex scientific evidence. Professor Andy Stirling has contributed to the new report Making Sense of Science by Science Advice for Policy by European Advisors (SAPEA) which brings together outstanding expertise in engineering, humanities, medicine, natural and social sciences from over 100 academies, young academies and learned societies across Europe.

Researchers have developed world-leading Compound Semiconductor (CS) technology that can drive future high-speed data communications. A team from Cardiff University worked to innovate an ultrafast and highly sensitive 'avalanche photodiode' (APD) that creates less electronic 'noise' than its silicon rivals.