A prosthetic limb is always a work in progress. Even after fitting and adjustments, the body keeps changing. Weight shifts. New pressure points show up. A socket that feels fine one month might cause irritation the next. For many people, comfort relies on a device that cannot sense what is happening.
Continue readingCompelling PDFs to Give Up Their Text
With the advent of large language models, large collections of text are more crucial than ever nowadays, and PDFs are abundant and important sources of Maltese text. But how do you reliably extract clean Maltese text, given all the challenges with doing so? The NOMOCRAT project seeks to do just that – extract Maltese text while leaving out errors.
Continue readingUnseen Invaders: An Investigation into the Pathogenic Threats Facing Malta’s Cannabis Industry
As Malta’s cannabis sector continues to develop, understanding plant health risks is becoming increasingly important. This study provides the first structured insight into the presence of Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd) in local cultivations, offering practical guidance for growers and contributing to long-term industry sustainability.
Continue readingThe Courage to Care: Why Young Activists Choose to Keep Going
When systems stop working in the interest and favour of all, staying quiet can feel impossible. Across Malta, many young people are beginning to step forward because something inside them refuses to remain silent when faced with injustice. THINK meets with two young activists to learn why, despite everything, they choose to keep going.
Continue readingKeeping Your Power Running: A Simple Guide to Emergency Power Supply in Battery Storage
Residential battery storage systems are an excellent tool for homeowners to increase renewable energy self-consumption. However, their role becomes truly meaningful during a grid outage. While mainstream battery storage inverters now commonly offer an Emergency Power Supply to support critical loads, a key question remains: how does maintaining this ‘backup readiness’ actually impact the long-term efficiency and day-to-day operation of the system?
Continue readingAI Services at the UM Library: What Do You Need?
Students are already using Artificial Intelligence, so what should libraries do about it? Drawing on research and observation at the University of Malta Library, this intern-led article investigates how students actually use AI, and whether library services are keeping pace. It ultimately reframes the conversation: not what libraries can build, but what users truly need.
Continue readingDignity in Defiance: A Conversation with Dr Andrè Callus
HUMS marked the conferment of an honorary doctorate on Dr Andrè Callus by inviting him to discuss his activism in detail, shedding light not only on his background but also on the meaning behind the activism. The unique and personal insights offered by Callus illuminate the context within which one of Malta’s leading NGOs operates, and what has made it a success.
Continue readingYour Body Is the Key: Malta’s Biometric Security Breakthrough
A Maltese research team has developed a system that transforms the unique contours of your face and palm into a cryptographic key without ever storing a single biometric record.
Continue readingA Bird’s-Eye Warning
At the entrance to For Want of (not) Measuring, a contemporary art exhibition, visitors gape at a skull. It is of a bird, but its scale suggests something other. The sculpture rises 2.8 metres above the floor of Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta and balances improbably on its beak atop a column. From some angles, it resembles a fossil; from others, a warning. The work is by Maltese artist Prof. Trevor Borg, titled In the Balance.
Continue readingThe Economy and the Book: Charting a Sustainable Future for Maltese Literature
What does it take for a micro-economy like Malta’s to sustain a thriving book industry? How can local authors compete with international markets, and what economic challenges are shaping the literary world? With its inaugural edition, ‘The Economy and the Book’, the National Book Council’s first Annual Book Conference sets out to answer these questions, bringing together key players to contemplate the industry’s future.
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