Science

Astronomers have detected a new planet around the star closest to the Sun. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) in Chile, they found evidence of the body orbiting Proxima Centauri. The candidate planet is the third detected in the system and is just a quarter of Earth’s mass, making it the

NASA is among some major companies to raise concerns about SpaceX’s plan to deploy around 30,000 satellites for its Starlink, fearing they may crash into other objects orbiting the Earth. Elon Musk’s SpaceX previously received authorisation to offer broadband internet from 12,000 satellites and has since requested authorisation for a second-generation constellation of 30,000 satellites.

Cyber security experts from the UK, US, and Australia are warning of a “growing wave of increasingly sophisticated ransomware attacks” which could have “devastating consequences”. Chief executive officers and board members are being strongly encourages to familiarise themselves with the risks and “ensure their IT teams are taking the correct actions to bolster resilience”. KP

Scientists in the UK have set a new record for generating energy from nuclear fusion, the same process that powers our Sun seen as a potential future source of near limitless power. The Joint European Torus, or JET, an experimental fusion machine near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, generated around 59 megajoules, or 11 Megawatts of energy

At last November’s Glasgow climate talks COP26, many analysts predicted the cost of electric vehicles were set to plummet in the next few years. Then in December, the government cut down the grant for buyers of electric vehicles. So will they still soon be much cheaper? In short, yes. Here’s why. Please use Chrome browser

The Foreign Office was targeted by a “serious cyber security incident” according to a recently released public tender document. It is unclear what kind of incident targeted the department, nor is it evident who conducted the incident or what damage was caused. The tender document reveals that BAE Applied Intelligence provided urgent business support to

Mankind has taken another step in its unprecedented task of bringing Martian rock, sediment and atmospheric samples to Earth for analysis. NASA has announced the selection of Lockheed Martin to build the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), a lightweight rocket that will launch samples from the surface of Mars to head back to Earth. The MAV

Sleeping for an extra hour each night can help people shave around 270 calories off their daily diet – the equivalent of three chocolate biscuits, new research has found. Over three years, this could lead to a weight loss of 26lb – simply by sleeping more, the researchers said. A team from the University of

Dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets are likely harming the environment and wildlife, according to a study. New research by scientists suggests significant amounts of phosphorous and nitrogen found in dog faeces and urine left behind in nature reserves can result in over-fertilisation of the ground. This can impact varieties of

Ice that took around 2,000 years to form on Mount Everest’s highest glacier has melted in just 25 years, scientists have warned. Ice on the South Col Glacier (SCG) has shrunk 80 times faster than it formed, according to a new report published by international scientific journal, Nature. Research led by the University of Maine

At long last, video game developer Rockstar has given fans the news they have been waiting for – it is developing a new Grand Theft Auto. There have been countless rumours about the follow-up to the wildly-successful Grand Theft Auto 5, which since its initial release nine years ago has become the second-biggest selling game

For the first time ever, Facebook is short of friends. The number of people using it each day has declined – the first time this has happened in the social network’s 18-year history. It still has 1.93 billion users logging in each day, but in its earnings report this week it revealed a drop of

Fraudsters selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have made millions of pounds from artificially inflating the price of their token through wash trading, according to a new report. NFTs have surged in popularity over the past year, with many people flocking to invest in what is marketed as a valuable and unique digital asset. However, the value

WWF UK plans to sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for nature have drawn scorn from those who say the climate impact are at odds with the work of the conservation charity. The campaigning organisation is due to launch non-fungible tokens for nature tomorrow, in the form of unique digital artworks, field trips and collectibles. WWF UK

A shortage of PlayStation 5 consoles is set to continue, according to Sony, with many consumers missing out on the company’s latest gaming hardware. Sony hailed the PS5 as its fastest console to reach 10 million sales last July, but supply issues mean it has now sold fewer units than the PS4 had at the

An asteroid discovered riding in Earth’s orbit could remain with us for 4,000 years without posing any danger, scientists have said. The asteroid – named 2020 XL5 – was spotted two years ago and is one of only two “Trojan asteroids” travelling as a companion with Earth. Trojan asteroids are captured by the planetary gravitational