National governments are failing to plan properly for energy efficiency savings in their own buildings, according to new analysis by a group of businesses, local authorities, trade unions and civil society organisations.

The EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive requires EU member states to renovate 3% of the total floor area of central government buildings every year. The rule applies to buildings with a floor area of more than 500 m2 and do not meet minimum performance requirements.

Alternately, they must take different measures that lead to the same savings, such as deep renovation or changing the behaviour of staff.

Member states must notify the European Commission of which of the two approaches they take, and submit plans and inventories.

Google today moved deeper into the Internet of Things with the announcement of its new IoT operating system, Brillo, and a new common language for connected devices called Weave.

Brillo is designed to run on connected devices that have small processors and low memory. The OS manages and stores data collected by sensors in the device.

Device makers will be able to bake the OS software onto the chips used in their devices, so those devices can immediately connect with Android platforms.

Des scientifiques du National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), créé par le Department of Biotechnology (DBT) du gouvernement indien à Manesar, Haryana, ont mis en évidence un nouveau bio-marqueur qui permettrait de diagnostiquer de manière précoce la maladie d'Alzheimer. La publication présentant ces résultats a été acceptée par la revue internationale Biological Psychiatry.

Novartis AG has an extensive line of biologic drugs that can only be taken by injection, but now the pharmaceutical giant is making a bet on a “robotic pill,” a preclinical product that could make drugs like insulin available for the first time without the use of a needle.