Ebola outbreak: Two vaccines cleared for trials in west Africa January 11, 2015 Two potential Ebola vaccines have been approved for front-line trials in West Africa. The vaccines, developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Merck & Co, are expected to begin trails in Liberia at the end of January and Sierra Leone and Guinea in February. The Merck vaccine were temporarily halted in December due to joint pain, a side effect later termed tolerable [...]
SpaceX rocket landing: Why did Elon Musk’s mission go wrong? January 10, 2015 Today, the American firm SpaceX launched a rocket into space. After releasing its cargo up in the direction of the International Space Station (ISS), the rocket started to change direction and headed back down to Earth. The plan was to eventually land the Falcon 9 rocket on a launch pad just off the coast [...]
SpaceX launch Q&A: Expert explains the science behind landing a reusable rocket January 8, 2015 Tomorrow morning at 10:09am, SpaceX will launch its Falcon 9 rocket towards the International Space Station (ISS). Once far enough into space, the rocket will release its Dragon cargo and gradually turn around to go back on itself. Then, for the first time ever, scientists will try to land a rocket on Earth. [...]
Your ultimate space travel guide: These gorgeous Nasa posters show which exoplanets should be top of your list January 8, 2015 They are the Caribbean Islands of space exploration – Nasa's top exoplanet recommendations offer landscapes you can only imagine, intense heat and out-of-this-world views. HD 40307g, Kepler-16b or Kepler-186f have been picked by the space agency's Travel Bureau, primarily because you are less likely to explode, implode or casually drift off into space than [...]
CES 2015: The good, the bad and the ugly – from QuitBit’s novelty lighter to Sony’s Walkman reboot January 7, 2015 The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is in full swing and the gadgets on display are as wacky as ever. Here are a selection of our favourites so far… Sony's tiny Action Cam FDR-X1000V SONY FDR-X100V CAMCORDER £TBC sony.co.uk Usefulness: ★★★★☆ Novelty value: ★★★☆☆ Sony is pulling out all the stops to make up [...]
Oxford University launches test on humans for J&J Ebola vaccine January 6, 2015 OXFORD University researchers are looking for 72 volunteers aged 18-50 to take part in the first trials on humans of a vaccination for the deadly Ebola virus. The trials, backed by US pharma giant Johnson & Johnson, are being led by Dr Matthew Snape of the university’s paediatrics department. Initial tests on monkeys showed the [...]
CES 2015: The internet of things is coming soon says Samsung’s UK boss Andy Griffiths January 6, 2015 Samsung’s UK boss tells Oliver Smith in Las Vegas that self-controlling central heating and self-parking cars are around the corner Will internet-connected devices change your life over the next five years? Samsung, along with most of the other tech giants in the convention halls of Las Vegas where the global tech industry has amassed this [...]
Elon Musk reveals all in Reddit AMA shortly before SpaceX rocket launch cancelled January 6, 2015 Elon Musk, Silicon Valley’s enigmatic answer to Richard Branson, had an interesting day yesterday. The soon-to-be-divorced (from English actress Talulah Riley, again) SpaceX founder was due to send one of his rockets, Falcon X, to the International Space Station – then safely land it back on earth to be used again, a first in rocket [...]
Johnson & Johnson catches up with GSK in race to develop Ebola vaccine – human safety trials begin in Oxford January 6, 2015 Johnson & Johnson has started human trials of its new Ebola vaccine, which is intended to stop the spread of the epidemic that has already killed thousands of people in west Africa. Trials are taking place on 72 people at Oxford University, and similar tests will soon get going in the US and three [...]
SpaceX Falcon 9 mission to International Space Station is put on hold until Friday January 6, 2015 SpaceX's plan to send a rocket up into space and then land it safely back on Earth has been aborted until Friday. The mission, which involves sending a cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard rocket Falcon X, was almost ready to go this morning when a technical issue meant it had to [...]