How do fireworks work? The science behind why they explode, how they make shapes and get their colours November 4, 2015 Remember remember the fifth of November… that's today, and once again people will gather across the capital to watch fireworks displays in celebration of Bonfire Night. But while we stand around and enjoy the event, the inquisitive among us might take a step back and wonder how on earth a mini, hand-sized rocket can turn [...]
Sick of email? Google’s artificial intelligence software Smart Reply can write your emails for you November 4, 2015 Sick of emails taking up half of your workday? Google’s got a solution for you in the form of artificial intelligence. Google has unveiled Smart Reply, software that can now write emails for you. The tool writes automatic responses to certain emails. Google software engineer Bálint Miklós wrote about the new tool on the company’s [...]
I let myself be hacked by an ethical hacker and this is what I learned about cybersecurity November 4, 2015 Let me tell you this: it’s quite a disconcerting feeling to sign a form agreeing to let a hacker break into all your personal data. Even when it’s an ethical one. I’d agreed to let cybersecurity expert Ollie Whitehouse do his worst, and access as much of my information online as possible. But waiting to [...]
Ever wondered what the sun looks like close up? Nasa has posted a video showing its surface in extremely fine detail November 3, 2015 When you get close up to the sun, it's no longer a big, glowing ball of light – there's a lot more going on than meets the eye from 150m km away. Nasa has posted an ultra-high definition 4K video of its surface, created by putting together a series of images taken by the space [...]
Scientists have created a robot made entirely of DNA, and it could be used to treat cancer November 3, 2015 A small robot formed from DNA has been created by scientists in the US, and it can autonomously walk in a human-like manner. The nanoscale machine, developed at the University of Texas at Austin, is made of nothing by a single piece of DNA, formed into a torso and two tiny legs. Without any need [...]
Twitter makes changes its “Favourite” star to a “Like” heart, everyone goes nuts November 3, 2015 Collective hysteria strikes again: Twitter has changed its star-shaped "Favourite" icon to a heart-shaped "Like" button. And the whole of Twitter has gone berserk. https://twitter.com/twitter/status/661558661131558915 In a blog post today, the company said the star icon could be confusing, "especially to newcomers". "You might like a lot of things, but not everything can be your favourite." [...]
Bitcoin will become sixth largest global reserve currency by 2030 November 3, 2015 Bitcoin is going to be the world’s sixth largest global reserve currency, a new study has found, as blockchain becomes increasingly important to mainstream lenders. Interviewing 30 leading bitcoin companies, mergers and acquisitions adviser Magister Advisors found that over the next 15 years bitcoin is set to soar in popularity as a reserve currency, a [...]
Cancer survival in London: A quarter die within two months following A&E diagnosis November 3, 2015 Londoners diagnosed with cancer at accident and emergency departments have a very low chance of survival, new figures from Cancer Research UK show. A quarter of people identified as having the disease at this late stage in hospitals across the capital die within two months, while the average survival is less than six months, the study found. Just [...]
Lloyds, HSBC, First Direct warn Apple Pay users: Storing other people’s fingerprints is like “giving out your pin” November 3, 2015 Store your spouse’s fingerprint on your phone? You could be in for a nasty surprise. UK banks are warning customers against the practice, announcing that if you wish to use Apple Pay, you must delete other people’s prints. Lloyds’ customers are warned in the bank’s terms and conditions: If Touch ID is available on your [...]
Britain needs to up its R&D spend or we will get left behind in innovation race November 3, 2015 The success of small and medium-sized businesses is vital to the UK’s economic success, and our ability to compete on the international stage. They make up 99 per cent of companies in the UK, yet they face a highly challenging environment in which to succeed. Even with the best will in the world, estimates show [...]