Science

E-bike and e-scooter owners have been urged to check whether they are using appropriate chargers to power their devices, so as not to risk a potentially catastrophic fire. If they are not compatible with the voltage of the battery, it risks a process called thermal runway – a self-heating chemical reaction that can quickly prove

A broadband provider has been slapped down by the advertising watchdog for misleadingly implying the existence of 6G. 6G Internet was the subject of a complaint about claims on its website and in a leaflet. 6Ginternet.com displayed the company logo and the promise of “full fibre speeds at affordable prices”, with an entire page dedicated

The number of online grooming crimes against children hit a record high in the last year, police figures show. A total of 6,350 crimes related to sexual communication with a child were recorded in the year to March 2023, a rise of 82% since the offence was first defined in 2017. In all, around 34,000

Mark Zuckerberg has accused Elon Musk of not being serious about the pair having a cage fight – and says it is time to “move on” from the saga. The Facebook co-founder said his tech billionaire counterpart did not appear to want to go through with the highly-anticipated clash after failing to even agree on

An unusual case of long COVID has resulted in a man’s legs turning blue after 10 minutes of standing. The 33-year-old patient has developed a condition called acrocyanosis, which is when leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to the heart and instead collect in a pool. A minute after standing, his legs

Elon Musk has suggested his planned cage fight with Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg will take place in an “epic location”. In a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, the company’s controversial owner said he has been in contact with the Italian prime minister and minister of culture about hosting the event. He

It is just 120 years since the Wright brothers strapped themselves to a rickety powered glider and flew all of 36 metres. Now flying is so routine we barely give it a thought. But Virgin Galactic has opened a new chapter in the story of aviation, taking its first tourists into space in a plane

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has made a surprising discovery that may have cracked how the red planet once supported life. The car-sized robot, which touched down on the surface back in 2012, found an array of well-preserved ancient mud cracks suggestive of past wet and dry seasons. It’s long been theorised that persistent Earth-like weather

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceflight will today fly the first ever paying customers to the edge of space. Taking off from New Mexico, Galactic 02 will take three passengers – an 80-year-old former Olympian with Parkinson’s disease and a mother and daughter duo who won their tickets in a sweepstake – 50 miles (80km)

A new fast-spreading COVID strain has been designated a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organisation. EG.5 is descended from the Omicron variant of coronavirus and is growing in prevalence globally, including in the UK, US and China. It has been detected in 51 countries in total, including South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore,

Google is in talks with major music labels to license artists’ voices and tunes for AI-generated songs, according to a report. The tech giant has discussed the prospect with Universal Music and Warner Music, the Financial Times said. It could reportedly see a tool developed allowing fans and creators to make tracks using recognisable vocals

Northern Ireland police officers have been left “incredibly vulnerable” after a huge data breach compromised the details of every serving officer and member of staff. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has apologised for the self-inflicted security breach after it inadvertently published the information in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request on

NHS England is set to push back the joint COVID-19 and flu autumn booster vaccination programme in a move criticised by clinically vulnerable patients and leading pharmacists. While school-aged children will be able to receive the flu shot from 1 September, adults aren’t expected to start getting flu and COVID vaccines until October, a month

Zoom, the online meetings platform that became synonymous with home working during the pandemic, has told staff to come into the office more often. Workers who live within a “commutable distance” of the company’s offices, including in the UK, will be expected to make the journey on designated team days. The California-based firm had been

It’s arguably the biggest existential threat facing humanity, so you’d think artificial intelligence (AI) might be an unlikely source for punchlines… but not at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Instead, an invasion is under way in the city, led by Vanessa 5000. Clown Courtney Pauroso’s invention, described on her posters as: “Artificially intelligent. Genuinely stupid. ChatGPT

The NHS must embrace robotics and AI if it is to make it through the current crisis and be fit to face future ones, surgeons have warned. Waiting lists for routine treatment, let alone complex surgery, have reached an all-time high this year as the health service grapples with a backlog made worse by the