Science

The government has announced the regions in which up to 1.85m premises in England will see their broadband speeds increased by 2025 through infrastructure upgrades. The investment is coming as part of a £5bn package for what the government has called Project Gigabit “to upgrade digital infrastructure in hard-to-reach areas”. It also forms part of

Two military chiefs have criticised China and Russia for “reckless” behaviour in space, such as using weapons to destroy satellites, leaving a trail of dangerous debris orbiting Earth. Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the Royal Air Force, and General Sir Patrick Sanders, commander of Strategic Command, also for the first time

The German pharmaceutical group behind one of the most successful COVID-19 vaccines wants to use the same technology to develop a malaria vaccine.  BioNTech, who developed the first coronavirus jab with US company Pfizer, is aiming to begin clinical trials for a “safe and highly effective malaria vaccine” by the end of next year. According

More than seven years since the last iteration, and over 17 years since the release of the first Samurai Warriors game, the fifth instalment hits European markets today. Landing on UK shelves a month after the Japanese release, it remains a cult fan-favourite ‘hack and slash’ title. Japanese developer Omega Force takes the series back to its

People who have recovered from COVID-19 are more likely to score lower on intelligence tests, new research has found. Scientists tested 81,337 people between January and December last year as part of the Great British Intelligence Test, including almost 13,000 who had been infected with the virus. Those who had been on ventilators saw the

Cockatoos in Sydney have learned to open bins – and the technique is catching on, as others have worked out how to do it by watching them, scientists say. Australian sulphur-crested cockatoos were first observed opening the lids of bins to scavenge for food a number of years ago by ornithologist Richard Major. Impressed by

Scientists have captured an image of a circumstellar disc, and within it a planet with a moon-forming disc, that looks like the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings cinematic franchise. Observations of the system, nearly 400 light years away in the constellation Centaurus, reveal a planet within the circumstellar disc called PDS

A new “game-changer” scientific database could revolutionise the way diseases – including dementia, cancer and COVID-19 – are treated, scientists have said.  One expert said the new index of protein shapes contains one of the most important datasets since the mapping of the human genome – a 13-year effort that led to the cataloguing of

Fraud and computer misuse offences have risen by more than a third in England and Wales, largely driven by the coronavirus pandemic. Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales showed that there were 4.6 million fraud offences in the year ending March 2021, a 24% increase compared with the year before. The survey

The United Arab Emirates is using drone technology to enhance its rainfall amid temperatures of over 40C. Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are among the cities that have been drenched after the National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) implemented cloud seeding technology. The drones fly into clouds and release electric charges, which helps water droplets merge

Billionaire Jeff Bezos has thanked Amazon employees and customers for paying for his maiden voyage to space – but his remarks have prompted criticism from politicians and celebrities. During a news conference following his space flight aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard, Mr Bezos said: “I also want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon

There has been widespread criticism of the NHS COVID-19 Test and Trace app from business leaders, but new data analysis suggests it is doing what it is designed to do. An increasing number of people are being forced to self-isolate after coming in contact with someone with COVID, largely driven by the app. More than

A furore has broken out in India over allegations that government agencies  snooped on the phones of ministers, opposition leaders, judges, human rights activists, lawyers, businessmen and journalists. An international collaboration known as the “Pegasus Project” by news and human rights organisations has alleged that multiple governments across the world hired an Israeli surveillance technology

Sky News has analysed 99 accounts involved in racially abusing England players Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford on social media. The accounts, which were identified by the campaign group Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), were responsible for over 100 racist comments on the players’ Instagram posts. 106 accounts were reported to the

Misleading information about vaccines and COVID-19 on online platforms like Facebook is killing people, Joe Biden has said. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Friday afternoon, the US president was asked if he had a message to platforms like the social media giant regarding the misleading or incorrect information that frequently

One of the most “dramatic” meteor showers of the year is starting tonight, offering stargazers in the northern hemisphere a chance to see dozens of very fast and bright meteors. If you find yourself struggling to sleep in this weekend’s heat – potentially hitting 32 C on Sunday – seek comfort in the fact you