Science and Technology

Tuesday, 10 December 2024 04:32

OpenAI launches Sora, its text-to-video AI model

OpenAI has expanded its artificial intelligence capabilities by releasing Sora, its text-to-video generative AI model, to ChatGPT Plus and Pro users. First introduced in February and previously limited to safety testers, Sora Turbo is now available at no additional cost to premium subscribers. The Microsoft-backed company aims to compete with similar text-to-video technologies from Meta, Google, and Stability AI. Users can generate videos up to 20 seconds long in 1080p resolution, with options for widescreen, vertical, and square formats. OpenAI has implemented several safeguards with the launch, including blocking the creation of harmful content such as child sexual abuse materials…

Saturday, 07 December 2024 04:46

This AI-powered App predicts when you’ll die

Death Clock is an innovative app that uses artificial intelligence to accurately predict a person’s life expectancy based on a number of factors like diet, exercise level and sleeping habits. We’re all going to die someday, but wouldn’t it be nice to have an idea of when that will be? Many people would probably answer ‘no,’ but for those curious when their demise will occur, there’s Death Clock. Launched in July, this AI-powered app uses a dataset of over 1,200 life expectancy studies and 53 million participants to provide personalized death predictions to its users. It’s a dark premise, to…

Friday, 29 November 2024 04:24

Mixed reactions as Australia bans social media use for children under 16

Australians reacted on Friday with a mixture of anger and relief to a social media ban on children under 16 that the government says is world-leading, but which tech giants like TikTok argue could push young people to "darker corners of the internet". Australia approved the social media ban for children late on Thursday after an emotive debate that has gripped the nation, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech. The law forces tech giants from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta Platforms to TikTok to stop minors from logging in…

Tuesday, 26 November 2024 04:37

WhatsApp just introduced major new upgrade that overhauls messaging

I love WhatsApp but I’ve never been fond of voice messages, leaving them or retrieving them. Now, WhatsApp has revealed an update which will overcome at least the second problem: voice message transcripts. I get self-conscious as I leave a voice message, thinking about how the words will sound. So, I mostly dictate messages so the phone transcribes it and I send it as a regular message. And when I see a voice message waiting for me, I slightly dread it. If I’m in a noisy environment, I may not hear it well. If I’m in a quiet place, everyone…

Thursday, 21 November 2024 04:41

Nigeria comes top in instant payment system inclusivity index in Africa

Nigeria’s instant payment system is projected to advance to the maturity inclusion spectrum ahead of other payment systems in Africa, according to the latest report on inclusive instant payment systems. The State of Inclusive Instant Payment (SIIP) is an annual report published by the AfricaNenda Foundation. It highlights the latest developments in the instant retail payment system (IPS) ecosystem on the continent and evaluates how inclusive these systems are in terms of functionality and governance. The 2024 report was launched on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana, with monetary regulators, fintech experts, and other stakeholders in attendance. Instant payment systems (IPS) are…

Monday, 11 November 2024 04:09

Hackers are targeting people who type these six words into their computer, smartphones

Computer users Googling whether Bengal cats are legal to own after finding themselves victims of a bizarre cyber attack. Cybersecurity company SOPHOS issued an urgent warning on its website, urging people not to type six words into their search engines. Those who Google “Are Bengal Cats legal in Australia?” have reportedly had their personal information stolen after clicking on fraudulent links that appear near the top of the page. “Victims are often enticed into clicking on malicious adware or links disguised as legitimate marketing, or in this case a legitimate Google search,” SOPHOS explained. At present, the dangerous links only…

Wednesday, 16 October 2024 05:03

The AI revolution: How Predictive, Prescriptive, and Generative AI are reshaping the world

Bernard Marr In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, three powerful forces are reshaping our world: predictive, prescriptive, and generative AI. These technologies are not just buzzwords; they're the driving forces behind some of the most exciting innovations in business, healthcare, and creative industries. But what exactly are they, and how are they changing the game? Let's dive in and demystify these AI powerhouses. Predictive AI: The Crystal Ball Of The Digital Age Imagine having a crystal ball that could peer into the future, revealing valuable insights about what's to come. That's essentially what predictive AI does, minus the mystical…

Monday, 14 October 2024 04:36

New Gmail security alert for 2.5bn users as AI hack confirmed

Google has implemented increasingly sophisticated protections against those who would compromise your Gmail account—but hackers using AI-driven attacks are also evolving. According to Google’s own figures, there are currently more than 2.5 billion users of the Gmail service. No wonder, then, that it is such a target for hackers and scammers. Here’s what you need to know. The Latest AI-Driven Gmail Attack Is Scary Good Sam Mitrovic, a Microsoft solutions consultant, has issued a warning after almost falling victim to what is described as a “super realistic AI scam call” capable of tricking even the most experienced of users. It…

Saturday, 12 October 2024 04:51

How doctors use AI to help patients

Silicon Valley CEOs and UBI-advocates and others have warned us for a while now that artificial intelligence would soon be part of work. But only recently has it come into clearer focus how and to what scale. Reading my colleague Renée Onque’s article, I learned of a new way that AI is being utilized at hospitals like Tampa General: to take notes in doctors offices. So-called “ambient AI” records and transcribes what’s said and then compiles an organized report for the physician. Practitioners won’t have to frantically type notes during your next visit or update medical charts into the wee…

Monday, 23 September 2024 04:33

LUTH begins bone marrow transplant treatment for sickle cell patients

Following years of research and planning, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has successfully launched a bone marrow transplant programme for people with sickle cell disease (SCD). The new programme would allow people with SCD to locally access a bone marrow transplant via a procedure that involves replacing the patient’s diseased stem cells with healthy ones from a matched family donor. It is the country’s first locally available bone marrow transplant programme for treating sickle cell disease. According to a statement jointly signed by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Wasiu Adeyemo, a professor, and the National Director/CEO of Sickle Cell…

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Wednesday, 28 August 2024 04:53

New study says China uses 80% artificial sand. Here’s why that’s a big deal

The world is running out of sand. About 50 billion tons of sand and gravel are extracted annually, most of which is used for construction activities. This is a problem for two reasons. First of all, it’s not sustainable. Secondly, if we continue to extract sand at this rate, it will end up causing irreversible damage to the environment. For instance, loss of sand from oceans, rivers, and beaches can lead to excessive flooding and degradation of marine ecosystems. It threatens coastal communities, and infrastructure. Plus, sand mining near aquifers can lower water tables, affecting water availability for humans, land…

Tuesday, 27 August 2024 04:44

A Russian Elon Musk with 100 biological children: Meet Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram

Pavel Durov is a lot of things to a lot of people. Programming prodigy. Billionaire entrepreneur. Kremlin stooge. Free-speech fighter. Biological father to at least 100 kids. Durov, the elusive founder of Telegram who was detained in France over the weekend, cuts the figure of a mysterious, globe-trotting tech bro with Mark Zuckerberg’s prodigiousness, Jack Dorsey’s bizarre lifestyle habits and Elon Musk’s libertarian streak – plus a similar obsession with pronatalism and fathering children. Durov said in July that he had fathered more than 100 children thanks to sperm donations he had made over the past 15 years. Worth an…

Wednesday, 21 August 2024 04:19

Plastics turned into 200x stronger material than steel, can be used in industries

Scientists have figured out a better option to deal with increasing plastic waste across the world. A team of researchers developed a breakthrough method that easily converts microplastics into a material that’s harder than diamond and has an increasing demand in multiple industries. Researchers converted microplastics into graphene that could be used for several applications, including the manufacturing of various sensors and water purification, as well as the absorption of PFAS. “Approximately 30 mg of microplastics produced nearly 5 mg of graphene in 1 minute. This production rate is remarkably higher than achieved previously, and offers a simpler, more environmentally…

Sunday, 18 August 2024 04:27

New research indicates that how often you poop could predict your health. Are you in the ‘goldilocks zone’?

Everybody poops, but not every day. New research from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) indicates that the frequency of bowel movements is connected to long-term health. An ISB-led research team examined the clinical, lifestyle, and multi-omic data of more than 1,400 healthy adults. How often people poop, they found, can have a large influence on one’s physiology and health. Their findings were recently published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. Researchers explored data from consenting participants of the consumer wellness company Arivale. The team focused on generally healthy adults and excluded those with certain health conditions or medication use.…

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