Science and Technology

Friday, 27 November 2020 05:43

The grand plan to beam power from space

It sounds like science fiction: giant solar power stations floating in space that beam down enormous amounts of energy to Earth. And for a long time, the concept – first developed by the Russian scientist, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, in the 1920s – was mainly an inspiration for writers. A century later, however, scientists are making huge strides in turning the concept into reality. The European Space Agency has realised the potential of these efforts and is now looking to fund such projects, predicting that the first industrial resource we will get from space is “beamed power”. Climate change is the greatest…

Wednesday, 25 November 2020 04:19

Scientists device chemotherapy method that targets only cancer cells

A group of scientists have discovered a “more elegant chemotherapy” that can accurately target cancerous cells in a first in the battle against the disease. The research successfully killed cancerous cells while leaving healthy ones around it using a technique which relies on DNA editing tools. The technology has already been used in mice and could be used on humans as soon as within the next two years, the scientists said. Professor Dan Peer, a cancer expert from Israel’s Tel Aviv University, explained that there are “no side effects” and they believe that a “cancer cell treated in this way…

Tuesday, 24 November 2020 05:45

Oxford university’s Covid-19 vaccine 70 percent effective

The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford stops 70% of people developing Covid symptoms, a large scale trial shows. It is both a triumph and a disappointment after vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna showed 95% protection. However, the Oxford jab is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two. So it will still play a significant role in tackling the pandemic, if it is approved by regulators. The Oxford researchers have performed the normally decade-long process of developing a vaccine in around 10 months. The UK government has…

Tuesday, 24 November 2020 05:44

Scientists create diamonds at room temperature in minutes

Diamonds might be forever, but that doesn't mean they have to take eons to form. The gemstones are usually created after carbon is crushed and heated far beneath the Earth's surface over billions of years -- which is what makes them so coveted. Now, scientists in Australia say they have sped up the process into just a matter of minutes -- and at room temperature. An international team of researchers led by the Australian National University (ANU) and RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia said Wednesday they have created two types of diamond at room temperature by using high pressure equivalent…

Sunday, 22 November 2020 05:23

With this scientific breakthrough, ageing is now optional

Scientists claim they have successfully reversed the human ageing process in a group of elderly adults in a breakthrough study. Oxygen treatment altered the elderly people's bodies at a cellular level to how they were 25 years earlier, researchers claimed. In a unique study, scientists used oxygen therapy to reverse two key indicators of biological ageing - telomere shortening and an accumulation of malfunctioning senescent cells. As humans age, their bodies experience the shortening of telomeres - the protective caps on chromosomes - which leads to illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Senescent cells, or so-called zombie cells, prevent regeneration…

Saturday, 21 November 2020 05:13

Microsoft Teams takes on Zoom with free all-day video calling

Microsoft is making a big push to entice fans of Zoom over to Microsoft Teams with a new all-day video calling option that can be used for free. While the software giant launched Microsoft Teams for consumers on mobile earlier this year, it’s now bringing Teams’ friends and family features to the desktop and web allowing you to create a Microsoft Teams meeting for up to 300 friends and family that can run all day free of charge. You won’t need a Microsoft Account or the Microsoft Teams app to join calls, as you can join free via a web…

Wednesday, 18 November 2020 05:47

Waste not, want not: Students build electric car from plastic, other waste materials

Dutch students have created a fully functioning electric car made entirely out of waste, including plastics fished out of the sea, recycled PET bottles and household garbage. The bright yellow, sporty two-seater which the students named ‘Luca’, can reach a top speed of 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour and has a reach of 220 kilometres when fully charged, the Technical University of Eindhoven said. “This car is really special, because it’s made all out of waste”, project manager Lisa van Etten told Reuters. “Our chassis is made out of flax and recycled PET bottles. For the interior we also…

Tuesday, 17 November 2020 04:36

New Covid-19 vaccine promises 95 percent protection

A new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective, early data from US company Moderna shows. The results come hot on the heels of similar results from Pfizer, and add to growing confidence that vaccines can help end the pandemic. Both companies used a highly innovative and experimental approach to designing their vaccines. Moderna says it is a "great day" and they plan to apply for approval to use the vaccine in the next few weeks. However, this is still early data and key questions remain unanswered. How good is it? The trial involved 30,000 people in the…

Monday, 16 November 2020 05:33

New telecom infrastructure to connect Nigeria with 7 West Africa countries underway - Report

A new submarine cable system that is expected to boost Internet access across West Africa will connect Nigeria with Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, and Senegal. Named Djoliba, the infrastructure, which is based on a terrestrial fiber-optic network, coupled with undersea cables, offering secure connectivity abroad from West Africa, is being championed by French telecoms firm, Orange. Interconnected with the domestic networks within the countries, Orange said the broad coverage would generalise access to connectivity for operators and companies and support the digital ecosystem to meet the growing need for connectivity in the region. Chief Executive Officer…

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 04:40

Pfizer vaccine trial success signals breakthrough in pandemic battle

Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) exnperimental Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, the drugmaker said on Monday, a major victory in the war against a virus that has killed over a million people and battered the world's economy. Scientists, public health officials and investors welcomed the first successful interim data from a large-scale clinical test as a watershed moment that could help turn the tide of the pandemic if the full trial results pan out. However, mass roll-outs, which needs regulatory approval, will not happen this year and several vaccines are seen as necessary to meet…

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Saturday, 07 November 2020 02:03

8 new uses for your old smartphone

Just because you got a nifty new phone doesn’t mean you have to ditch your old one The excitement of getting a new phone is often tempered by nagging regret. A lot of times, it’s not like there was anything really wrong with the old phone (unless there was — a bulging battery or a shattered screen is always a bad look). If it was a breakup, the conversation with an old phone would start, “You’re terrific. It’s not you. It’s me. I just wanted a newer model.” Ashamed of yourself? Don’t be. There’s no need to stick the old…

Friday, 06 November 2020 04:53

WhatsApp is introducing ‘disappearing messages’. This is how it’ll work

WhatsApp is introducing a "disappearing messages" option that will erase chats from the phone of both the sender and recipient after seven days. The Facebook-owned app, which has two billion users worldwide, said the setting would help keep chats private. But it said recipients would still be able to screenshot or forward any messages, photos or videos that they wanted to keep. The option will appear for WhatsApp users by the end of November. In a blog, the company said messages could be set to expire after seven days to offer "peace of mind that conversations aren't permanent, while remaining…

Friday, 06 November 2020 04:52

Scientists provide reasons why people in some countries are taller than those in others

Poor diets for school-age children may contribute to an average height gap of 20cm (7.9in) between the tallest and shortest nations, an analysis suggests. It reports that in 2019 the tallest 19-year-old boys lived in the Netherlands (183.8cm or 6ft) and the shortest lived in Timor Leste (160.1cm or 5ft 3in). Meanwhile the UK's global height ranking fell, with 19-year-old boys being 39th tallest in 2019 (1.78m or 5ft 10in) from 28th tallest in 1985. The study appears in The Lancet. Researchers say tracking changes in the height and weight of children across the world and over time is important…

Monday, 02 November 2020 05:17

The most popular painkiller on the planet has been poisoning people

One of the most popular painkillers on the planet is increasingly being blamed for overdoses and poisonings. Individuals taking much higher than recommended doses, and taking them for extended periods of time, is becoming more and more common. The medication can be used safely, but directions have to be followed. Got a headache? How about back pain? Maybe a fever? Don’t worry, there’s a magical pill that will take care of all those things… if only for a short while. It’s acetaminophen (or paracetamol), and it’s sold under various brand names like Tylenol and included in multi-drug combo pills like…

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