BBC Futures: How AI could unlock world peace

Predicting where and when conflicts will escalate into war or where food shortages might lead to famine could help peacekeepers and aid agencies intervene before they turn into humanitarian disasters.

National Infrastructure Commission: Data for the Public Good

The recommendation is made that the government should encourage the uptake of new data-driven solutions to the asset management of critical infrastructures. The development of a national ‘digital twin’ of UK infrastructure can help to bridge geographic and sectorial divides, provide a framework for determining sensor locations, and serve as a technology demonstrator for new tools.

The Economist: It’s the alcohol talking

Humans have long experimented with how best to communicate at a distance. Smoke signals and drums date back to prehistoric times. The Romans used carrier pigeons as messengers to support their conquests. Since the early 1830s, however, communication has been dominated by electrical or electromagnetic signals, from the first telegraph to the carrier waves in fibre-optic cables and the wireless networks of cellular telephones. But now a new contender is signalling its presence: molecular communication.

BBC News: Can mapping conflict data explain, predict and prevent violence?

Interview by Gordon Corera - BBC Security correspondent

Press Association: Quicker commuter trains could help reduce delays

Commuter trains that skip stations could be one way of improving the rail network, say researchers. The aim would be to break “feedback loops” in the system that have been identified as one of the main causes of delays and cancellations. Britain’s rail network transports more than 1.7 billion passengers each year, including 1.1 billion commuting in or around London. Last year, only 86.9% of passenger services arrived on time in the London area and 4.8% of journeys were cancelled or significantly late, according to the Office of Rail and Road.