A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists. It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans, they say. The researchers are concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from […]
Science & Technology
A council leader hopes the Welsh Government will back plans for a dragon-shaped island that could harness tidal energy within the next few weeks. Rob Stewart said he wants to make tidal energy in Swansea a reality. The call comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans […]
Astronomers say big cool patches on a “supergiant” star close to Earth were behind its surprise dimming last year. Red giant stars like Betelgeuse frequently undergo changes in brightness, but the drop to 40% of its normal value between October 2019 and April 2020 surprised astronomers. Researchers now say this […]
A teaspoon of soil from the Amazon contains as many as 1,800 microscopic life forms, of which 400 are fungi. Largely invisible and hidden underground, the “dark matter” of life on Earth has “amazing properties”, which we’re just starting to explore, say scientists. The vast majority of the estimated 3.8 […]
PARIS: Scientists have found bits of polystyrene in the guts of tiny, soil-dwelling organisms in the Antarctic, raising concern that microplastics pollution has already “deeply” entered the world’s most remote land-based food systems. While the infiltration of microplastics throughout the oceans is well-known, researchers said their findings provided the first […]
SAN FRANCISCO: Alphabet Inc’s Google on Monday (Jun 22) said it would start showing fact-checking labels on Google Images search results globally, as tech companies come under increasing pressure to combat the viral spread of misleading claims online. Google will display the “fact check” labels underneath thumbnails that appear in […]
NAIROBI: Skywatchers along a narrow band from west Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, India and the Far East witnessed on Sunday (Jun 21) a dramatic “ring of fire” solar eclipse. So-called annular eclipses occur when the moon – passing between Earth and the sun – is not quite close enough […]
Japan’s Fujitsu develops new AI-video recognition technology to check proper handwashing TOKYO: Three months after the World Health Organization recommended singing “Happy Birthday” twice during hand washing to fight the coronavirus, Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd has developed an artificial intelligence monitor it says will ensure healthcare, hotel and food industry […]
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Monday (Jun 15) added a digital payments feature to its WhatsApp messaging service, starting in Brazil but with an eye to expanding around the world. WhatsApp users in Brazil can use the encrypted mobile messaging service to send money or make purchases, Facebook said in a […]
BEIJING: Rescued from a farmer’s fish pond, a young pangolin’s release back into China’s wilderness this week was hailed as a small victory in the battle to save the critically endangered animal. The freeing of the scaly creature in the eastern province of Zhejiang came after Beijing’s Forestry and Grassland […]