Science and Technology

Monday, 10 August 2020 04:19

Bad news: Scientists think a coronavirus vaccine might not work for one huge group of people

The earliest estimates are that a successful, viable coronavirus vaccine could make it to the finish line and be ready for introduction into the general population by the end of this year. Change wouldn’t happen overnight in terms of an impact on the coronavirus pandemic, however. Getting everyone vaccinated will represent a major logistical challenge. Even so, there are concerns that a coronavirus vaccine won’t even work or will provide little protection to at least one group of people — the obese. For the nearly 19 million people around the world who’ve contracted Covid-19 thus far during the coronavirus pandemic,…

Wednesday, 05 August 2020 05:29

WhatsApp makes it easier to fact-check forwarded messages

WhatsApp has been clamping down forwarded messages for years, but its work still isn’t complete. Today, the platform announced a new feature that lets users search the web for more info about frequently forwarded messages. Already, messages forwarded more than five times are labeled with a double arrow icon. Now, a magnifying glass will appear next to those messages too. If a user clicks the magnifying glass, their browser will open to news results or other info about the content they received. To maintain privacy, WhatsApp will never see the message itself. For now, this feature is a pilot. It’s…

Monday, 03 August 2020 05:32

SpaceX capsule and NASA crew make 1st splashdown in 45 years

Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. It was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit. The return clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month and possible tourist flights next year. Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken rode the SpaceX Dragon capsule back to Earth less than a day after…

Wednesday, 22 July 2020 05:15

New secret recipe? KFC grows chicken nuggets in a lab

For decades the challenge of creating artificial meat has occupied scientists, tech entrepreneurs and food aficionados. Billions has been spent trying to produce laboratory-grown burgers, steaks and bacon that satisfy carnivores while limiting the environmental damage of industrial farming. Now it is the turn of the chicken nugget. The American fast-food chain KFC says it is building the world’s first lab-grown chicken nuggets, joining an increasing menu of artificial meats. The skill with which foods are being recreated in the lab has meant that people are already accustomed to eating vegetarian burgers that “bleed” like real meat. Fake beef that…

Tuesday, 21 July 2020 05:04

Scientists identify 37 active volcanic structures on Venus

Scientists have identified 37 volcanic structures on Venus that appear to be recently active - and probably still are today - painting the picture of a geologically dynamic planet and not a dormant world as long thought. The research focused on ring-like structures called coronae, caused by an upwelling of hot rock from deep within the planet’s interior, and provided compelling evidence of widespread recent tectonic and magma activity on Venus’s surface, researchers said on Monday. Many scientists long had thought Venus, lacking the plate tectonics that gradually reshape Earth’s surface, was essentially dormant geologically for the past half billion…

Monday, 20 July 2020 05:47

UAE launches Arab world's first Mars mission

United Arab Emirates successfully launched its Mars-bound Hope Probe on Sunday, marking the the Arab world's first interplanetary mission and the first of three international missions to the Red Planet this summer. The Hope Probe took off from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, after a delay last week due to bad weather. The solid rocket booster successfully separated from the launch vehicle, and the probe has established two-way communication with the ground segment in Dubai. Al Amal probe, as it is called in Arabic, is expected to reach Mars by February 2021. It will be the first time UAE has…

Thursday, 16 July 2020 05:12

MTN Nigeria kicks off e-SIM

MTN Nigeria Plc has commenced trial of embedded SIM services on its network. During a virtual media launch of the e-SIM, the telecom company said it had received approval from Nigerian Communications Commission to begin the trial. Chief Transformation Officer at MTN Nigeria, Mr Bayo Adekanmbi, said the trial which kicked-off on Wednesday, would run for one year and was open to a limited number of subscribers, who own compatible devices, on a first-come-first-served basis. He explained that the e-SIMs had been designed to deliver freedom and flexibility, adding that they supported multiple profiles and allowed customers to connect multiple…

Wednesday, 15 July 2020 05:32

First Covid-19 vaccine tested in US slated for final testing

The first Covid-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported Tuesday -- as the shots are poised to begin key final testing. “No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press. The experimental vaccine, developed by Fauci’s colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will start its most important step around July 27: A 30,000-person study to prove if the shots really are strong enough to protect against the coronavirus. But Tuesday,…

Sunday, 12 July 2020 04:08

You have been told ponmo has no nutritional value. Scientific facts say otherwise

Yeside Adesiyun A lot of people over time have pondered about what exactly is inside it. In times past, we were told that it contains nothing useful. But Ponmo contains something useful for the body. 100g of boiled, thick cow skin contains about 224.65kcal of energy, 6.80g of carbohydrate, about 43.9g of water, 46.9g of protein, 1.09g of fat, and 0.02g of fibre. For micronutrients, it contains small amounts of calcium (61mg), iron (4.3mg), magnesium (12mg), phosphorus (36mg) and Zinc (6.79mg). So, Ponmo actually contains something and contributes something to your diets. Let us look at the quality of what…

Saturday, 04 July 2020 03:50

What to expect from next version of 5G

5G coverage may still be sparse, and the world is still trying to understand how it works or affects us, but the people that define networking standards won’t stop working on it. The 3GPP, which is a group of organizations that develop protocols for mobile telecoms, just announced the official completion of Release 16 (Rel-16). They’re calling this Phase 2 for the 5G system, and it will expand the use of networks by vehicles and IoT devices, and tap into unlicensed spectrum as well. One of the many companies that contributes ideas and technologies that eventually get adopted into 5G…

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Friday, 26 June 2020 05:57

Three Nigerians get UK govt’s £5,000 each for innovative ideas on Covid-19

Three Nigerian entrepreneurs have been awarded funding of £5,000 each for developing innovative ideas on tackling Covid-19. The funds were provided by Royal Academy of Engineering project CARE (Covid Africa Rapid Entrepreneur) initiative in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The academy is supported by UK government funding provided through the department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS). The three Nigerians were identified as Chinenye Nwaogwugwu of Macjames Global Resources Limited, who manufactures hand sanitisers in line with World Health Organisation standards; Victor Boyle-Komolafe, of GIVO (Garbage In, Value Out), who produces face shields from recycled PET bottle; and Aisha…

Tuesday, 23 June 2020 05:02

Apple announces phone-based car keys, new features

Apple on Monday announced a system to let iPhone owners unlock and start cars with their devices at its annual conference for software developers. The new system, which also lets users share digital car keys with friends and family members via the company's iMessage system, will work with BMW 5 Series vehicles that will ship next month, Apple said in a virtual keynote filmed at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. The system will work with phones running the current iOS 13 operating system so that owners can start using it when BMW vehicles arrive. Apple said more cars that work with…

Friday, 19 June 2020 05:41

Is your blood type A, B, AB or O? Study ties blood type to Coronavirus risk

A genetic analysis of Covid-19 patients suggests that blood type might influence whether someone develops severe disease. Scientists who compared the genes of thousands of patients in Europe found that those who had Type A blood were more likely to have severe disease while those with Type O were less likely. Wednesday’s report in the New England Journal of Medicine does not prove a blood type connection, but it does confirm a previous report from China of such a link. “Most of us discounted it because it was a very crude study,” Parameswaran Hari, a blood specialist at the Medical…

Thursday, 18 June 2020 14:30

How hackers use ordinary light bulb to spy on conversations 80 feet away

What if a hacker could use an ordinary, dumb, old-fashioned light bulb to spy on your conversations from afar? Here's the bad news. What's the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about how hackers might breach your privacy? Maybe it's the use of common and weak passwords or the reuse of strong ones across multiple accounts? Perhaps you would plump for critical vulnerabilities affecting Windows 10 and Android operating systems? You may even, rightly, worry that your smart home devices are vulnerable to a hacker attack. But what about that household essential, found in every room and about…

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