Science and Technology

Tuesday, 17 November 2020 04:36

New Covid-19 vaccine promises 95 percent protection

A new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective, early data from US company Moderna shows. The results come hot on the heels of similar results from Pfizer, and add to growing confidence that vaccines can help end the pandemic. Both companies used a highly innovative and experimental approach to designing their vaccines. Moderna says it is a "great day" and they plan to apply for approval to use the vaccine in the next few weeks. However, this is still early data and key questions remain unanswered. How good is it? The trial involved 30,000 people in the…

Monday, 16 November 2020 05:33

New telecom infrastructure to connect Nigeria with 7 West Africa countries underway - Report

A new submarine cable system that is expected to boost Internet access across West Africa will connect Nigeria with Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, and Senegal. Named Djoliba, the infrastructure, which is based on a terrestrial fiber-optic network, coupled with undersea cables, offering secure connectivity abroad from West Africa, is being championed by French telecoms firm, Orange. Interconnected with the domestic networks within the countries, Orange said the broad coverage would generalise access to connectivity for operators and companies and support the digital ecosystem to meet the growing need for connectivity in the region. Chief Executive Officer…

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 04:40

Pfizer vaccine trial success signals breakthrough in pandemic battle

Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) exnperimental Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, the drugmaker said on Monday, a major victory in the war against a virus that has killed over a million people and battered the world's economy. Scientists, public health officials and investors welcomed the first successful interim data from a large-scale clinical test as a watershed moment that could help turn the tide of the pandemic if the full trial results pan out. However, mass roll-outs, which needs regulatory approval, will not happen this year and several vaccines are seen as necessary to meet…

Saturday, 07 November 2020 02:03

8 new uses for your old smartphone

Just because you got a nifty new phone doesn’t mean you have to ditch your old one The excitement of getting a new phone is often tempered by nagging regret. A lot of times, it’s not like there was anything really wrong with the old phone (unless there was — a bulging battery or a shattered screen is always a bad look). If it was a breakup, the conversation with an old phone would start, “You’re terrific. It’s not you. It’s me. I just wanted a newer model.” Ashamed of yourself? Don’t be. There’s no need to stick the old…

Friday, 06 November 2020 04:53

WhatsApp is introducing ‘disappearing messages’. This is how it’ll work

WhatsApp is introducing a "disappearing messages" option that will erase chats from the phone of both the sender and recipient after seven days. The Facebook-owned app, which has two billion users worldwide, said the setting would help keep chats private. But it said recipients would still be able to screenshot or forward any messages, photos or videos that they wanted to keep. The option will appear for WhatsApp users by the end of November. In a blog, the company said messages could be set to expire after seven days to offer "peace of mind that conversations aren't permanent, while remaining…

Friday, 06 November 2020 04:52

Scientists provide reasons why people in some countries are taller than those in others

Poor diets for school-age children may contribute to an average height gap of 20cm (7.9in) between the tallest and shortest nations, an analysis suggests. It reports that in 2019 the tallest 19-year-old boys lived in the Netherlands (183.8cm or 6ft) and the shortest lived in Timor Leste (160.1cm or 5ft 3in). Meanwhile the UK's global height ranking fell, with 19-year-old boys being 39th tallest in 2019 (1.78m or 5ft 10in) from 28th tallest in 1985. The study appears in The Lancet. Researchers say tracking changes in the height and weight of children across the world and over time is important…

Monday, 02 November 2020 05:17

The most popular painkiller on the planet has been poisoning people

One of the most popular painkillers on the planet is increasingly being blamed for overdoses and poisonings. Individuals taking much higher than recommended doses, and taking them for extended periods of time, is becoming more and more common. The medication can be used safely, but directions have to be followed. Got a headache? How about back pain? Maybe a fever? Don’t worry, there’s a magical pill that will take care of all those things… if only for a short while. It’s acetaminophen (or paracetamol), and it’s sold under various brand names like Tylenol and included in multi-drug combo pills like…

Saturday, 31 October 2020 04:39

5-storey building in Shanghai 'walks' to a new location

Shanghai residents passing through the city's eastern Huangpu district earlier this month might have stumbled upon an unusual sight: a "walking" building. An 85-year-old primary school has been lifted off the ground -- in its entirety -- and relocated using new technology dubbed the "walking machine." In the city's latest effort to preserve historic structures, engineers attached nearly 200 mobile supports under the five-story building, according to Lan Wuji, chief technical supervisor of the project. The supports act like robotic legs. They're split into two groups which alternately rise up and down, imitating the human stride. Attached sensors help control…

Monday, 26 October 2020 05:36

MTN, 9mobile get nod for national roaming

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted two mobile network operators MTN and 9mobile approval to carry out trial on National roaming services. Roaming Service enables a mobile subscriber to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive data, or access other services when travelling outside the coverage of a particular network geographical area by utilising the network coverage of other networks. National roaming services means that subscribers in Nigeria can seamlessly make calls in areas of the country their Network operators do not cover because such networks have entered into agreement with other operators that have services in those…

Wednesday, 21 October 2020 03:59

Google hit by landmark competition lawsuit in US over search

The US government has filed charges against Google, accusing the company of violating competition law to preserve its monopoly over internet searches and online advertising. The lawsuit marks the biggest challenge brought by US regulators against a major tech company in years. It follows more than a year of investigation and comes as the biggest tech firms face intense scrutiny of their practices at home and abroad. Google called the case "deeply flawed". The company has maintained that its sector remains intensely competitive and that its practices put customers first. "People use Google because they choose to - not because…

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Wednesday, 14 October 2020 05:29

What, exactly, is 5G wireless — and will you even notice when it comes online?

A much-hyped network upgrade called “5G” means different things to different people. To industry proponents, it’s the next huge innovation in wireless internet. To the U.S government, it’s the backbone technology of a future that America will wrestle with China to control. To many average people, it’s simply a mystery. What, exactly, is 5G wireless — and will you even notice when it comes online? WHAT IS 5G? 5G is a new technical standard for wireless networks — the fifth, naturally — that promises faster speeds; less lag, or “latency,” when connecting to the network; and the ability to connect…

Monday, 12 October 2020 04:43

Home-made Covid-19 vaccine appears to work, but questions remain

Josiah Zayner’s plan was simple: replicate a Covid-19 vaccine that had worked in monkeys, test it on himself and then livestream the experiment online over a period of months. Now, that improbable bid is over.Around the world, dozens of Covid-19 vaccines are in human clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people. While vaccines typically take years to develop, U.S. scientists are racing to produce one in months through Operation Warp Speed. But Zayner, a one-time NASA researcher who left the scientific establishment in favor of engaging in do-it-yourself experiments, bet that by working outside regulatory structures, he could test…

Friday, 09 October 2020 04:58

FG deploys kits to convert vehicles using petrol to gas nationwide

Federal Government has acquired about 1,000 conversion kits that will change petrol powered trucks and small vehicles to run on autogas. It was also gathered that the kits were being deployed across the country, as government intensified move to reduce consumption of petrol and promote use of gas in automobiles. Technical Assistant, Gas Business and Policy to Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Derefaka, in a response to inquiries by our correspondent in Abuja, said government had explored solutions to address barriers to the deployment of its autogas scheme. Derefaka doubles as Programme Manager, Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme,…

Tuesday, 06 October 2020 05:37

NCC warns of cyberattacks as Nigeria’s internet users hit 150m

Executive Vice Chairperson (EVC) of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Umar Danbatta, has said internet users in Nigeria were 149.8 million as of August. Danbatta disclosed this in a statement by the commission’s spokesperson, Mr Ikechukwu Adinde, on Monday. ”Internet across mobile networks in Nigeria currently stands at 149.8 million as at August, 2020.” The statement said that more users are expected online as services in different sectors of the economy are becoming digitalised. He said the increase in digital financial transactions for e-commerce activities calls for greater responsibility on the part of individuals and corporate internet users to protect…

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