Video games shown to improve wellbeing for players

People who spend time video games have been shown to have improved wellbeing according to a new study from Oxford University.  With many people forced to stay at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, gaming firms have enjoyed a record year, with more people playing than ever before, coupled with the recent launch of new … Read more

‘Planet hunter’ space telescope gets seal of approval

The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved plans to build the world’s first space telescope dedicated to studying the atmosphere of exoplanets.  The Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) will be used to investigate the relationship between exoplanet chemistry and environment, collecting data from approximately 1,000 known exoplanets. Around 4,000 planets outside our solar system … Read more

Space junk-grabbing satellite’s control system to be built in UK

The attitude and orbit control system of an ESA satellite dubbed ‘the Claw’ that will remove debris from space will be designed and constructed in Britain.  The OECD estimates that there are now more than 160 million objects in object, mostly space debris that varies from defunct satellites to flecks of paint. Due to the … Read more

Nanopores and AI used to classify respiratory viruses

Researchers at Osaka University have developed a label-free method for identifying respiratory viruses, based on dips in electrical current as they pass through silicon nanopores. The method could form the basis of a rapid new Covid-19 test.  Efforts to restrict the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic have emphasised rapid, widespread … Read more

Data centres get a pandemic push

The data centre business has received strong tailwinds over the past six months – from an unlikely source – the Covid-19 pandemic. Even as the pandemic and associated restrictions threw life and business out of gear, stalling growth in most sectors, it became a massive catalyst for digital adoption.  The Government of India (GoI) had … Read more

Advanced face mask kills bacteria and viruses with sun exposure

A cotton face mask that uses a special fabric that can kill 99.99 per cent of bacteria and viruses within 60 minutes of daylight exposure has been developed by Californian researchers.  While face masks made of various cloth materials have been shown to filter nanoscale aerosol particles such as those released by a cough or … Read more

Air taxi hub to be established in Florida

The US’s first regional hub for flying cars is to be built in Orlando, Florida by the Tavistock Development Corp and aviation startup Lilium.  The Lake Nona Vertiport will be built near Orlando International Airport in the Lake Nona community, which has ambitions to become a ‘smart city’ and is already home to medical and … Read more

Water sector commits to net-zero carbon plan by 2030

UK water companies have unveiled a plan to deliver a net-zero carbon water supply for customers by 2030.  Water UK, which represents all the major water firms, has published its Net Zero 2030 Routemap, which sets out they will tackle climate change by reaching net-zero two decades ahead of the UK government’s legally binding target of … Read more

Huawei to sell budget smartphone business for $15bn

According to a Reuters report, Shenzhen-based tech giant Huawei is planning to sell its budget smartphone subsidiary Honor to a consortium led by the government of Shenzhen and Digital China Group.  Honor was established by Huawei in 2013, offering a range of budget-friendly smartphones mostly targeted at young consumers as an alternative to high-end Huawei-branded … Read more