Led by computing academics at Lancaster University in collaboration with researchers from University College London, the study examined how frequently adults aged 50 and over use the internet, and why some use it less than others.

The study’s authors examined nationally representative data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which includes responses from more than 6,000 people, to also discover how ageing itself plays a part in how often people access the online world.

Their analysis reveals that most older people in England are using the internet a lot. ELSA data shows that more than 90% of people aged over 50 are regular (daily or monthly) internet users and internet use is higher than commonly assumed.

Although internet use is high, the analysis shows an age-related ‘digital divide’ among older people and their use of internet still persists, with internet use dropping with age. The data shows that 97.7% of people aged 50-64-years-old are regularly digitally active; 91.1% among those aged 65-79-years-old, and 65.7% of those aged 80 and older.

Warren Buffett advised that you should never invest in a business you can’t understand. But that hasn’t stopped many investors.

New research from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin might help them better understand the complications of companies they’re investing in. The study offers the most precise and comprehensive tool yet for measuring business complexity.

The tool, devised by Sara Toynbee, associate professor of accounting, simplifies the measurement by using artificial intelligence. It also finds that in areas such as structuring debt, complexity can sometimes be a good thing.

A new Concordia study presents a simplified way to estimate how reflective surfaces, such as light-coloured roofs and pavements, can offset carbon dioxide emissions. Building on earlier research, the method uses widely available weather data to make calculations easier at regional and national scales. The approach could help planners and policymakers better assess climate benefits and support wider adoption of reflective materials as a practical climate mitigation strategy.

Europe's droughts are challenging its clean energy ambitions — with considerable social and environmental costs. There's a solution – but it's not quite what you might expect.