In less than a decade they grew to a size and scale that places like London and Paris had taken many hundreds of years to achieve.

Professor Karl Friston, a neuroscientist at University College London, told the Scientific American journal the techniques used in the small-scale study were rigorous.

In a statement, the London-based company said it "will continue with its strategy of operating and developing large scale, long life, low cost assets to generate significant value for shareholders."