Global carbon dioxide level is at its highest in over three million years May 7, 2015 The amount of carbon dioxide in the world's atmosphere has reached its highest point since humans came into existence, and there's little chance of reversing the damage. In March 2015, the US National Atmosphere Administration (Noaa) measured the global concentration of the gas as 400 parts per million (ppm), adding that the last time it [...]
The rise of Cyberchondria: Search engines are wrongly making us believe we have terrible diseases May 7, 2015 You're feeling a bit funny – what could the cause be? A life-threatening disease? If MrDoctor123 on unknown medical blog considers it to be a vague possibility, then surely there's a genuine risk of imminent death. This over-reliance on the internet to self-diagnose our medical problems is spreading across the world faster than a highly [...]
2015 General Election 2.0: The best political apps for last-minute swatting May 6, 2015 We’re all agreed that this has been the most digital election yet. Between #milifandom and the #cameronettes, social media and online registration has played a larger role in getting people to vote than ever before. Think tanks, newspapers and crowdfunders have all had a go at creating the ultimate election tool to capture the [...]
SpaceX shows off its Dragon abort system for keeping humans safe in space missions May 6, 2015 SpaceX flexed some rocket muscle today, as it attempted to show Nasa how safely it can send humans up into space via a cargo ship. The US aerospace company, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, tested the abort system aboard its Dragon capsule, which it hopes to eventually use for transporting humans to and from [...]
Europe’s digital single market 16 point plan unveiled: What is it, what does it mean, why does it matter? May 6, 2015 Europe wants to build a digital single market – and now it has a 16-point plan of how it's going to make that happen. What is it? The European Commission intends to bring a whole number of markets that are digital, from ebooks to parcel delivery and video on demand to VAT, in line with [...]
This graphene and spider silk mixture is so strong it could be used to catch falling planes May 6, 2015 What happens if you spray unsuspecting spiders with graphene, the world's strongest artificial material? They spin ultra-strong silk webs, an Italian scientist has discovered. Nicola Pugno from the University of Trento wanted to combine natural and man-made strength to create a material with record-breaking properties, and his wish was granted. He applied “aqueous dispersions” [...]
Pieces of a failed Russian spaceship could fall down to earth on Friday May 6, 2015 Fragments of a failed Russian spacecraft are expected to fall to Earth later this week, according to space agency Roscosmos. The Progress resupply ship was sent up into space at the end of last month to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), but was unable to reach the correct orbit and went into an [...]
Drug companies are producing more new cancer drugs than ever before – but can countries actually afford them? May 5, 2015 The world faces a cancer medication conundrum. On the one hand, the ageing population means we need more effective treatments for the disease, but on the other hand these can cost so much to create that we can't use them. The IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics estimates that last year, global spend on cancer drugs [...]
Tech sector job creation climbs to new high but skills focus needed May 5, 2015 UK technology companies’ hiring has reached a record high despite the industry reporting slower growth in business. The tech sector UK business activity index published today by consultants KPMG and financial information firm Markit scored 55.7 for the first three months of the year. Any figure above 50 represents growth with higher scores marking faster [...]
How old do you look? Microsoft’s new face detection software guesses age, but how well does #HowOldRobot know top CEOs? May 1, 2015 Microsoft has created new facial recognition software which claims to be able to identify people's age and gender based solely on a single photo. Forget the bold leap into the future this technology brings, the website has caused a viral sensation as millions of people check out how they fare and whether a robot can [...]