The world’s most valuable start up? Uber eyes $50bn valuation from next fundraising round May 10, 2015 Uber is aiming to become the world's most valuable startup in a new fundraising effort. The disruptive taxi-hailing app, already valued over $40bn, is aiming to raise between $1.5bn and $2bn in a private funding round according to report in the Wall Street Journal. Such a valuation would set Uber on course to become the most [...]
Finding diamonds has just been made a lot easier, thanks to a rare African plant May 7, 2015 The Pandanus Candelabrum is more than just a fairly dull-looking, palm-like plant found in Africa – it is also a clue to where diamonds might be hidden. This rare species is very particular about its living conditions, and as such will only grow in soil fit for a diamond. The discovery was made by [...]
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 [...]