Labworx

With their hot climates, rapid industrialisation and heavy reliance on fossil fuels for their energy and economic stability, Gulf nations are often associated with less-than-ideal air quality. But is that really a fair assessment of the situation? Where do Arab nations fare on the Air Quality Index (AQI), for example?

Although no Arab cities feature among the most polluted cities on the plan...

A recent spate of salmonella infections in the UK has grabbed headlines of late, with one product on sale in the UAE being recalled by distributors as a result. Although no cases of salmonella linked with the company have yet been recorded in the Emirates or indeed the wider Gulf region, the move is a precautionary measure.

Nonetheless, it should be recognised that salmonella is one of the m...

As we enter the summer months, the frequency and intensity of sandstorms in the UAE and the wider Gulf region is only expected to become more severe. A common phenomenon in the Arab world, sandstorms can negatively impact the Air Quality Index (AQI) and reduce visibility to just a few metres on roads and walkways.

But what exactly causes such sandstorms to happen? How commonly do they occur?...

The publication of the Energy Strategy 2050 in 2017 outlined the Emirati government’s goal of making sure that 44% of the energy consumed in the country came from renewable sources by 2050. While solar power farms can provide a significant percentage of that total, hydrogen is also viewed as the future of clean energy in the UAE.

Despite the enthusiasm for hydrogen in the country, however, t...

State-owned and private businesses from the UAE and Egypt have announced their intention to work together to develop green hydrogen projects on a sizable scale. Masdar, which is the renewable energy arm of the UAE’s sovereign wealth fund, has signed agreements with several firms backed by the Egyptian government and Hassan Allam Utilities to develop this new energy source.

The accords will f...

Water is the most precious resource on Earth, upon which all life depends for its very survival. We’re regularly told by our doctors and physicians that we’re not consuming enough of the stuff, with plenty of apps now available which monitor your intake and issue reminders when you’re not drinking enough.

But in a country like the UAE, where the arid climate and dearth of precipitation make ...

The Emirati government has announced that water consumption has been drastically reduced in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. Thanks to innovative irrigation methods and improved use of groundwater resources, the region was able to save some 12.4 billion gallons of H2O last year.

In a country where rainfall is an infrequent occurrence and water scarcity is a real issue as a result, such mea...

Almost 30 months after the initial outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the world appears to be finally adjusting to life after Covid. Of course, the development of viable vaccination candidates has been instrumental in bringing the disease under control, with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer playing a key role in the research.

But whereas the lion’s share of research has concentrated on miti...

The Al Jalila Foundation has announced that it will make history next year when it opens the doors to the UAE’s first robotic biobank in Dubai. The Foundation, which is part of the Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum Global Initiatives group, will launch the facility in conjunction with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Services (MBRU).

The UAE’s plans to expand its oil production capacity from four million barrels per day (bpd) today to five million bpd by 2030 are continuing apace. Last month, the state-owned oil company ADNOC announced that it had awarded multiple contracts worth a cumulative $653 million to a variety of different companies operating in the industry.

Those deals will allow the UAE to drill thousands of n...