Science and Technology

Saturday, 31 October 2020 04:39

5-storey building in Shanghai 'walks' to a new location

Shanghai residents passing through the city's eastern Huangpu district earlier this month might have stumbled upon an unusual sight: a "walking" building. An 85-year-old primary school has been lifted off the ground -- in its entirety -- and relocated using new technology dubbed the "walking machine." In the city's latest effort to preserve historic structures, engineers attached nearly 200 mobile supports under the five-story building, according to Lan Wuji, chief technical supervisor of the project. The supports act like robotic legs. They're split into two groups which alternately rise up and down, imitating the human stride. Attached sensors help control…

Monday, 26 October 2020 05:36

MTN, 9mobile get nod for national roaming

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted two mobile network operators MTN and 9mobile approval to carry out trial on National roaming services. Roaming Service enables a mobile subscriber to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive data, or access other services when travelling outside the coverage of a particular network geographical area by utilising the network coverage of other networks. National roaming services means that subscribers in Nigeria can seamlessly make calls in areas of the country their Network operators do not cover because such networks have entered into agreement with other operators that have services in those…

Wednesday, 21 October 2020 03:59

Google hit by landmark competition lawsuit in US over search

The US government has filed charges against Google, accusing the company of violating competition law to preserve its monopoly over internet searches and online advertising. The lawsuit marks the biggest challenge brought by US regulators against a major tech company in years. It follows more than a year of investigation and comes as the biggest tech firms face intense scrutiny of their practices at home and abroad. Google called the case "deeply flawed". The company has maintained that its sector remains intensely competitive and that its practices put customers first. "People use Google because they choose to - not because…

Wednesday, 14 October 2020 05:29

What, exactly, is 5G wireless — and will you even notice when it comes online?

A much-hyped network upgrade called “5G” means different things to different people. To industry proponents, it’s the next huge innovation in wireless internet. To the U.S government, it’s the backbone technology of a future that America will wrestle with China to control. To many average people, it’s simply a mystery. What, exactly, is 5G wireless — and will you even notice when it comes online? WHAT IS 5G? 5G is a new technical standard for wireless networks — the fifth, naturally — that promises faster speeds; less lag, or “latency,” when connecting to the network; and the ability to connect…

Monday, 12 October 2020 04:43

Home-made Covid-19 vaccine appears to work, but questions remain

Josiah Zayner’s plan was simple: replicate a Covid-19 vaccine that had worked in monkeys, test it on himself and then livestream the experiment online over a period of months. Now, that improbable bid is over.Around the world, dozens of Covid-19 vaccines are in human clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people. While vaccines typically take years to develop, U.S. scientists are racing to produce one in months through Operation Warp Speed. But Zayner, a one-time NASA researcher who left the scientific establishment in favor of engaging in do-it-yourself experiments, bet that by working outside regulatory structures, he could test…

Friday, 09 October 2020 04:58

FG deploys kits to convert vehicles using petrol to gas nationwide

Federal Government has acquired about 1,000 conversion kits that will change petrol powered trucks and small vehicles to run on autogas. It was also gathered that the kits were being deployed across the country, as government intensified move to reduce consumption of petrol and promote use of gas in automobiles. Technical Assistant, Gas Business and Policy to Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Derefaka, in a response to inquiries by our correspondent in Abuja, said government had explored solutions to address barriers to the deployment of its autogas scheme. Derefaka doubles as Programme Manager, Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme,…

Tuesday, 06 October 2020 05:37

NCC warns of cyberattacks as Nigeria’s internet users hit 150m

Executive Vice Chairperson (EVC) of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Umar Danbatta, has said internet users in Nigeria were 149.8 million as of August. Danbatta disclosed this in a statement by the commission’s spokesperson, Mr Ikechukwu Adinde, on Monday. ”Internet across mobile networks in Nigeria currently stands at 149.8 million as at August, 2020.” The statement said that more users are expected online as services in different sectors of the economy are becoming digitalised. He said the increase in digital financial transactions for e-commerce activities calls for greater responsibility on the part of individuals and corporate internet users to protect…

Tuesday, 06 October 2020 05:33

Three scientists share Nobel Prize for Medicine

Three scientists who discovered the virus Hepatitis C have won 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology. The winners are British scientist, Mr Michael Houghton and US researchers Messrs Harvey Alter and Charles Rice. The Nobel Prize committee said their discoveries ultimately "saved millions of lives". The virus is a common cause of liver cancer and a major reason why people need a liver transplant. In 1960s, there was huge concern that people receiving donated blood were getting chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation) from an unknown, mysterious disease. The Nobel Prize committee said a blood transfusion at the time was like…

Tuesday, 29 September 2020 05:22

FG launches digital Nigeria portal, mobile app

Federal Government has launched a Digital Nigeria Portal and Mobile Application in furtherance of Digital Nigeria Programme, which was kick-started by President Muhammadu Buhari, on March 19, 2020. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy (FMCDE), Mr Isa Pantami, performed the virtual launch of the mobile application on Monday in Abuja. Pantami said it was part of the government’s key initiatives aimed at empowering innovators and entrepreneurs with the requisite skills to thrive in an emerging digital economy. He explained that the Digital Nigeria programme was a key component of the Digital Literacy and Skills Pillar of the National Digital Economy…

Tuesday, 29 September 2020 05:10

Puzzled scientists seek reasons behind Africa's low fatality rates from pandemic

Africa’s overburdened public health systems, dearth of testing facilities and overcrowded slums had experts predicting a disaster when Covid-19 hit the continent in February. The new coronavirus was already wreaking havoc in wealthy Asian and European nations, and a United Nations agency said in April that, even with social-distancing measures, the virus could kill 300,000 Africans this year. In May, World Health Organization (WHO) warned that 190,000 people on the continent could die if containment measures failed. Yet as the world marks 1 million Covid-19 deaths, Africa is doing much better than expected, with a lower percentage of deaths than…

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Sunday, 27 September 2020 18:59

You have been saving photos from WhatsApp, iMessage and Android Messages. Now there’s danger

Given you’re reading this story, the chances are that you’re somewhat cyber aware. If I was to send you a file attachment in a text message—let’s say a Word or PDF document, you’re hopefully programmed to ask a whole set of questions before opening or saving that attachment to your phone. Do I know the sender? Was I expecting the file? But what if it was just a photo—something amusing or attention-grabbing to keep or share? You can view the image within the messaging app, you can see what you’re getting, surely there’s no harm in saving it to your…

Thursday, 24 September 2020 05:35

Most Covid-19 Infections spread by air, not surfaces

Maybe you come home and leave your shoes outside. You disinfect your packages, wipe down your groceries, throw your clothes in the wash, and disinfect every surface you have touched, like the door handle, countertops and cabinets. Finally, you wash or sanitize your hands. Welcome to life in the global pandemic, thanks to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19. What experts thought at first In the beginning of the pandemic, experts thought Covid-19 was spread across surfaces. In other words, touching something that had droplets of the respiratory virus on it and then touching your face could give you the…

Monday, 21 September 2020 05:17

Coronavirus: WHO sets rules for testing African herbal remedies

World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed rules for the testing of African herbal remedies to fight Covid-19. Sound science would be the sole basis for safe and effective traditional therapies to be adopted, it said. Any traditional remedies that are judged effective could be fast-tracked for large-scale manufacturing. Madagascar's leader has been promoting an untested product he says can cure the disease despite the WHO warning against using untested remedies. WHO said the new rules were aimed at helping and empowering scientists in Africa to conduct proper clinical trials. The move comes as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus…

Thursday, 17 September 2020 05:34

Nigerian students invent robot to perform medical duties

Students at Glisten International Academy, Abuja, have invented a mobile robot to perform front line medical duties in the fight against Coronavirus in the hospitals and other medical facilities. Named Mairabot, the robot performs essential medical duties such as acting as an interface between the doctor and patient as well as delivering of drugs to patient. The inventors presented it to National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Executive Director of the Academy, Mr Abba Saida who led the team to the agency revealed that one of the motivations that led to the design of the robot is to reduce the…

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