Issues

Issue 106

March 2026

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, wearing a red racing ski suit leans forward into his skis at high speed on a snowy slope, with motion blur showing rapid movement.
  • Sports & leisure
  • Issue 106

Perfecting the slopes for the 2026 Winter Olympics

Due to climate change, the Winter Olympic Games can no longer depend on natural snowfall. Behind the scenes, and thanks to many months of infrastructure preparation, ski racing courses at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics have been highly engineered to ensure fairness for competitors, writes Chau-Jean Lin.

Quick read

Illustration of a side view of a human head showing a coloured cross‑section of the brain overlaid on a grayscale skull rendering.
  • Health & medical
  • Innovation Watch
  • Issue 106

Could brain imaging become as routine as ultrasound scans?

UK neurotech spinout Sonalis is developing a first-of-its-kind ultrasound brain imaging technology that will be more portable and affordable than MRI.
Colourful illustration showing a plant above ground with its root system below, intertwined with DNA strands, insects moving in the soil and a representation of circuit diagrams.
  • Food & agriculture
  • Issue 106

Could engineering crops save our food systems?

Synthetic biology is making waves in manufacturing and medicine. Could its tools help us re-engineer plants to cope with the harsh reality of a changing climate? Amy Lyall reports on the UK researchers harnessing synthetic biology in plants.
A person wearing outdoor gear and a safety helmet stands on a pile of rubble in front of damaged, sunlit buildings.
  • Software & computer science
  • Civil & structural
  • Profiles
  • Issue 106

The humanitarian face of engineering

When disasters strike and buildings collapse, Dr Josh Macabuag OBE FREng is one of the engineers who runs towards the danger. A volunteer with a UK search and rescue team, he has helped locate and free people trapped after earthquakes.
Close-up of layered concrete being extruded in a 3D-printing process.
  • Civil & structural
  • Issue 106

Can 3D-printed concrete set new standards in housebuilding?

3D-printed concrete is increasingly being employed on building sites around the world, resulting in significant time and labour savings, and transforming the construction sector.
Large solar panels pictured on ground frames on a solar farm, with a blue, slightly cloudy sky above.
  • Energy
  • Environment & sustainability
  • Issue 106

Giving solar panels a second life

As millions of solar panels reach the end of their useful lives, the question of what to do with them is set to become pressing. Stuart Nathan looks at how reuse and recycling are the first step in a circular solar panel economy.

Quick read

Princess Anne and Rachel Chiu are in evening wear, standing indoors in a wood-panelled room; Rachel holds a certificate scroll and an open presentation case with a medal, indicating a formal award ceremony.
  • Aerospace
  • How I got here
  • Issue 106

Q&A: Rachel Chiu, Principal Systems Architecture Engineer

Rachel Chiu has built a career around tackling complex challenges in spacecraft systems engineering. She received the 2025 Smeaton Medal for accelerating a major satellite constellation launch – despite plans being derailed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.