Science

The Chinese authorities have long made clear their misgivings about cryptocurrency. None of that stopped it from becoming the world capital for crypto. As far back as 2013, the government banned banks from using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. In 2017, domestic exchanges and initial coin offerings were also proscribed. And this year, it banned mining

Scientists have examined the mysteries of a distant galaxy made visible not just by the Hubble Space Telescope but also a deep-space optical phenomenon known as an “Einstein Ring”. Hubble is one of the largest astronomy tools ever put into space. It has been orbiting the Earth since 1990 at an altitude of around 540km,

England is “on target” to eliminate HIV transmission by 2030, according to a new study. The research, done by experts from Cambridge University and Public Health England, shows that the country is also on track to have diagnosed 95% of those with HIV by 2025. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (Unaids)

Apple has hit back at the European Union’s plans to make all mobile phones have the same charger in a bid to crackdown on electronic waste. An 18-page directive released by the European Commission today included proposals for all devices to use USB-C ports, which are currently used by Android phones. This would force Apple

Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic less than 5mm in size, are a hidden form of pollution known to be contaminating waterways and the world’s oceans – and now, scientists say, the human digestive system. And according to a new pilot study, infants’ stools contain up to 10 times higher concentrations of a microplastic called polyethylene

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defence has urged people to stop buying Chinese phones and throw away the ones they already possess after discovering censorship software. It followed a report from the country’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) which found that Xiaomi devices were censoring terms deemed to be offensive to Beijing. According to an analysis

A new museum dedicated to the history of the mobile phone will launch online next month. The Mobile Phone Museum will chart the evolution of the technology from 1984 to the present day, showcasing more than 2,000 handsets from 200 different manufacturers. Ben Wood, who is chief analyst at technology research firm CCS Insight, has

Mars was born with a fatal flaw that doomed it to become a barren lifeless place, according to new research: it was always too small to retain large amounts of water. Evidence that water was once present on Mars has been mounting for decades and this month NASA’s Perseverance rover collected rock samples which have

A Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trial for children aged between five and 11 has produced “positive results” and has shown a “robust immune response”, the two firms have said. They said the results are the first to emerge from any vaccine trial for children aged below 12 and would “provide a strong foundation” for seeking the

Facebook has denied reports which claimed it “conducts research and then systematically and wilfully ignores it if the findings are inconvenient for the company”. The former British deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, who now heads Facebook’s global affairs team, criticised a series of articles by the Wall Street Journal last week. The stories were based

A SpaceX capsule carrying the first all-civilian crew into space has touched back down on Earth after three days in orbit. The four amateur astronauts orbited the planet every 90 minutes at a speed of more than 17,000mph and an altitude of up to 363 miles – higher than the International Space Station and Hubble

The first all-civilian astronaut crew to reach orbit have appeared in a live video feed featuring weightless flips and a ukulele performance. The crew of SpaceX‘s Inspiration4 broadcast a 10-minute live YouTube video showing Chris Sembroski, a 42-year-old data engineer, strumming chords while the craft orbits Earth. The four-member team hosted a show-and-tell session as they

The four amateur astronauts who make up the first all-civilian crew ever to orbit the Earth have had an “incredible” first day in space. The Dragon capsule containing the group was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday night. As part of the Inspiration4 mission, the

Sir Clive Sinclair, who popularised the home computer and invented the pocket calculator, has died aged 81. His daughter Belinda Sinclair told The Guardian that her father died at his London home on Thursday morning. Ms Sinclair told the BBC that her father had cancer for more than a decade and was still working on

Four amateur astronauts are due to spend about three days in orbit in a world first, after they blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday evening. The Inspiration4 mission, backed by SpaceX, was organised by entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who is also one of the passengers. They are the first all-civilian crew

The first all-civilian crew ever to orbit the earth have blasted off on their historic mission. The Dragon capsule containing the four citizen astronauts was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The launch is the latest giant leap in a new era of commercial space travel. One of