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A coalition of 15 European countries has announced plans to build the biggest telescope in the world. The mirror inside the telescope will measure 39metres across - four times wider than today’s biggest telescope - and it will be so powerful that astronomers will even be able to observe dark, rocky plants far beyond our solar system. 

The European Southern Observatory project is supported by 15 members of the European Union and has the catchy name ‘European Extremely Large Telescope’... even if it will be built in Chile, to avoid light pollution. The twin infrared/optical telescope will sit on top of a 3,060metre mountaintop, giving unparralled views of the sky above, and should hopefully come online in 2022. 

Astronomers hope the observatory will help provide insights into the formation of galleries and the nature of black holes. The £872million project will be built on Chilean mountaintop by 2022. 

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Microsoft supremo and billionaire Bill Gates wants to fit school students with mood bracelets to measure how interested they are in their lesson. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is spending $1.1 million (£700,000) testing galvanic skin response bracelets to see if they can measure whether students find their teachers engaging.

The move is part of the billionaire’s mission to evaluate and improve the quality of teachers, which has already included controversial initiatives such as fitting classrooms with video cameras. The move is certainly controversial, with numerous people voicing their dissatisfaction with the idea.

Education blogger Valerie Strauss wrote in the Washington Post: “Why would anybody spend money on this when some school systems can’t afford to pay their electric bills? The obsession with measurement in data and school reform has reached nutty new heights.”

Teacher Anthony Cody, writing in Education Week, commented: “The wonderful thing about having human beings as teachers is that we are naturally empathetic. We do not need galvanic skin sensors to detect when our students are drowsy or disinterested - we can look around the room in an instant and know!”

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