Editor's note

This month marks 50 years since the Apollo 11 moon landing – a time during which we have made great technological progress. In fact, it is often said that we now have more computing power in our mobile phones than the computer aboard Apollo 11 did. Yet we haven’t been back to the moon since 1972, so could it really be true? And, if so, what does that mean for those planning to go back to the moon in the next few years?

Throughout the month, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing not only with a number of articles, but also with the launch of an exciting new global podcast series called To the moon and beyond. Hosted by me and Martin Archer, a space plasma physicist at Queen Mary, University of London, we’ll be talking to academic experts around the world as we explore the past 50 years of space exploration and the 50 years to come. Listen to the trailer or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from. The first episode will launch later this week so stay tuned.

Sadly, the technological success we’ve seen since the moon landings also has a dark side. It could start with a Facebook notification, or a concerned message from a friend – before you know it, your life has been shattered and there’s no end in sight. That’s just the beginning of what victims and survivors of “revenge porn”, upskirting, deepfake porn and sexual extortion experience when sexually explicit images of them are shared online. New research published today reveals how a patchwork of complex and outdated legislation is failing to protect people from online sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, a new method for sucking up CO₂ has been found – and it’s been staring us in the face for decades. Researchers added glue to the liquid chemicals that are usually used to bind the greenhouse gas and found the new material could capture one-fifth of its own weight in CO₂ – a major improvement. That’s the same cheap glue that we use everyday for fixing ornaments or making furniture. Materials chemist Louise Hamdy believes glue could be the magic ingredient in a new generation of carbon capture technology, which could play a big role in slowing climate change.

Miriam Frankel

Science Editor

Top stories

Astronaut David R. Scott, Apollo 15 commander. NASA

Would your mobile phone be powerful enough to get you to the moon?

Graham Kendall, University of Nottingham

Here is how our mobile phones compare with the computer that landed man on the moon in 1969.

To the moon and beyond podcast series – trailer

Miriam Frankel, The Conversation ; Martin Archer, Queen Mary University of London

A new podcast series from The Conversation exploring the last 50 years of space exploration and the 50 years to come.

Shattered lives. Shutterstock.

Sexual abuse happens online, too – but current laws leave too many victims unprotected

Erika Rackley, University of Kent; Clare McGlynn, Durham University; Kelly Johnson, Durham University

Laws against 'revenge porn', upskirting, deepfake pornography are piecemeal, and a review will take years to conduct. Here are three things government can do now to support victims.

Ronstik/Shutterstock

Glue could be the magic ingredient for cheap and efficient CO₂ capture

Louise Hamdy, Swansea University

A key tool for capturing and storing carbon may have been hiding in plain sight all along.

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