Science and Technology

Saturday, 05 December 2020 05:30

Drones replace ‘cowboys’ to lead cattle to pastures

The buzz of tiny rotors has replaced dog barks and bullwhips on this Israeli ranch, where drones are being used to herd and observe cattle. The remote-controlled quadcopters hover near the cows, which move along in response while live video is relayed back to the farmers. “Using a drone, instead of cowboys and dogs, creates a much less stressful environment for the animals, and an animal that is less stressful is a lot healthier and more productive,” said Noam Azran, CEO of BeeFree Agro, the firm developing the method. The drones also offer more efficient control of large droves and…

Friday, 04 December 2020 05:24

Health care and tech: The dawn of digital medicine

In January Stephen Klasko, chief executive of Jefferson Health, which runs hospitals in Philadelphia, chatted to a bank boss. The financier told him that 20 years ago health care and banking were the only industries yet to embrace the consumer and digital revolution. “Now”, Mr Klasko recalls him adding, “you are alone.” The banker had a point. The McKinsey Global Institute, the in-house think-tank of the eponymous consultancy, reckons that when it comes to digitisation, health care has lagged behind not just banking but travel, retail, carmaking and even packaged goods. Some 70% of American hospitals still fax and post…

Thursday, 03 December 2020 04:55

Singapore becomes first country to approve lab-grown meat

Singapore has granted San Francisco start-up Eat Just Inc. regulatory approval to sell its laboratory-grown chicken in the city-state -- the world's first government to allow the sale of cultured meat. The product, created from cultured chicken cells, has been approved as an ingredient in chicken bites following Singapore Food Agency (SFA) approval, Eat Just said Tuesday. Initially, the chicken bites will debut in a Singapore restaurant, with plans for wider expansion into dining and retail establishments in the country, Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just told CNN Business. The product will be priced at parity with premium…

Friday, 27 November 2020 05:50

TETfund: 12 universities get N1bn each for specialised research

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has enlisted 12 Nigerian universities as pioneer centres of excellence to spearhead research and development programmes that would contribute to national growth. The universities includes University of Abuja(UNIABUJA), University of Benin(UNIBEN), University of Ibadan (UI), University of Maiduguri (UNIMAD), Bayero University Kano (BUK), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Akwa, University of Uyo (UNIUYO), and Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Others are University of Jos (UNIJOS), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) and Uthman Danfodio University, Sokoto. The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Suleiman Bogoro presenting allocation letters and guidelines to Vice Chancellors of…

Friday, 27 November 2020 05:43

The grand plan to beam power from space

It sounds like science fiction: giant solar power stations floating in space that beam down enormous amounts of energy to Earth. And for a long time, the concept – first developed by the Russian scientist, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, in the 1920s – was mainly an inspiration for writers. A century later, however, scientists are making huge strides in turning the concept into reality. The European Space Agency has realised the potential of these efforts and is now looking to fund such projects, predicting that the first industrial resource we will get from space is “beamed power”. Climate change is the greatest…

Wednesday, 25 November 2020 04:19

Scientists device chemotherapy method that targets only cancer cells

A group of scientists have discovered a “more elegant chemotherapy” that can accurately target cancerous cells in a first in the battle against the disease. The research successfully killed cancerous cells while leaving healthy ones around it using a technique which relies on DNA editing tools. The technology has already been used in mice and could be used on humans as soon as within the next two years, the scientists said. Professor Dan Peer, a cancer expert from Israel’s Tel Aviv University, explained that there are “no side effects” and they believe that a “cancer cell treated in this way…

Tuesday, 24 November 2020 05:45

Oxford university’s Covid-19 vaccine 70 percent effective

The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford stops 70% of people developing Covid symptoms, a large scale trial shows. It is both a triumph and a disappointment after vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna showed 95% protection. However, the Oxford jab is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two. So it will still play a significant role in tackling the pandemic, if it is approved by regulators. The Oxford researchers have performed the normally decade-long process of developing a vaccine in around 10 months. The UK government has…

Tuesday, 24 November 2020 05:44

Scientists create diamonds at room temperature in minutes

Diamonds might be forever, but that doesn't mean they have to take eons to form. The gemstones are usually created after carbon is crushed and heated far beneath the Earth's surface over billions of years -- which is what makes them so coveted. Now, scientists in Australia say they have sped up the process into just a matter of minutes -- and at room temperature. An international team of researchers led by the Australian National University (ANU) and RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia said Wednesday they have created two types of diamond at room temperature by using high pressure equivalent…

Sunday, 22 November 2020 05:23

With this scientific breakthrough, ageing is now optional

Scientists claim they have successfully reversed the human ageing process in a group of elderly adults in a breakthrough study. Oxygen treatment altered the elderly people's bodies at a cellular level to how they were 25 years earlier, researchers claimed. In a unique study, scientists used oxygen therapy to reverse two key indicators of biological ageing - telomere shortening and an accumulation of malfunctioning senescent cells. As humans age, their bodies experience the shortening of telomeres - the protective caps on chromosomes - which leads to illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Senescent cells, or so-called zombie cells, prevent regeneration…

Saturday, 21 November 2020 05:13

Microsoft Teams takes on Zoom with free all-day video calling

Microsoft is making a big push to entice fans of Zoom over to Microsoft Teams with a new all-day video calling option that can be used for free. While the software giant launched Microsoft Teams for consumers on mobile earlier this year, it’s now bringing Teams’ friends and family features to the desktop and web allowing you to create a Microsoft Teams meeting for up to 300 friends and family that can run all day free of charge. You won’t need a Microsoft Account or the Microsoft Teams app to join calls, as you can join free via a web…

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Wednesday, 18 November 2020 05:47

Waste not, want not: Students build electric car from plastic, other waste materials

Dutch students have created a fully functioning electric car made entirely out of waste, including plastics fished out of the sea, recycled PET bottles and household garbage. The bright yellow, sporty two-seater which the students named ‘Luca’, can reach a top speed of 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour and has a reach of 220 kilometres when fully charged, the Technical University of Eindhoven said. “This car is really special, because it’s made all out of waste”, project manager Lisa van Etten told Reuters. “Our chassis is made out of flax and recycled PET bottles. For the interior we also…

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…

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