Technology

Carbon dioxide and methane has been detected in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18 b – a potentially habitable world more than eight times the size of Earth. The ground-breaking discovery means K2-18 b may belong to a unique class of exoplanets known as “Hycean” planets, which possess hydrogen-rich atmospheres and potentially water-covered surfaces, making them

Sir Ian Wilmut, the man who led the team behind the famous cloned sheep Dolly, has died. Described as a “titan of the scientific world”, he was 79. Announcing Sir Ian’s death, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, the vice chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of

NASA has produced enough oxygen on Mars to sustain an astronaut for a few hours in a world-first experiment. The Perseverance rover, which landed on the red planet in February 2021, has been periodically burning through the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide to generate small amounts of oxygen for more than two years. Using a device no

“Get in the kitchen, don’t be playing this game.” Even with skills that allow her to wipe the floor with the vast majority of FIFA’s male-heavy player base, it usually doesn’t take long for predictable sexist abuse to ring around Lisa Manley’s headset. The 24-year-old can confidently claim to be one of England’s very best

Eleven members of a Russian hacking gang that supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and targeted UK hospitals during the COVID pandemic have been hit with sanctions. The Trickbot group extorted at least $180m (£145m) across the world, including at least £27m from 149 victims in the UK, where it targeted schools, councils and businesses,

Astronomers have discovered a new type of cosmic explosion which outshines nearly every supernova detected in the universe. As bright as hundreds of billions of suns, but quick to fade – the rare and dazzling blast is believed to have been caused by a black hole colliding with a star and was spotted by researchers

This is a genuine day of celebration among scientists – not just in the UK but also in the EU. Because although Horizon is the largest single pot of cash in the world available to scientists to fund their work, it was never just about the money. The seven-year cycles of the EU-funded programme was

More than 21 million people have suffered broadband outages of three hours or more over the last year, according to new research. The number has almost doubled compared to what was reported in Uswitch’s previous annual study into Britain’s internet services, with people said to be becoming increasingly aggrieved by disconnections. With more employees relying

The UK is set to rejoin the EU’s Horizon science programme after two years of absence post-Brexit, Sky News has been told. The final deal is set to be agreed within hours and could be announced on Thursday or at the weekend’s G20 summit by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as first reported today by Bloomberg.

TikTok’s first European data centre has gone live as the Chinese-owned company seeks to combat long-held privacy concerns. The firm behind the popular short-form video app, which has more than a billion users, has been in the crosshairs of Western politicians who believe user information could be given to Beijing’s regime. TikTok is owned by

Google celebrated the 25th anniversary of its launch this week – and it’s hard to envisage what life was like before. Few companies have become so integral to society that they become a verb, but the search giant remains the shorthand for looking something up online despite AI threatening the habit. Google has of course

Increasingly long and hot summers are raising the risk of disease-carrying mosquitoes becoming established in Britain, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned. The tiger mosquito, which transmits several fatal “tropical” diseases, has already spread to 13 countries within the European Economic Area (EEA) since first becoming established in Italy in 1990. Paris last

Sex offenders are targeting children inside virtual reality environments, a new study has warned – with some victims even suffering the physical response to being touched without their consent. The “phantom touch” sensation is one of several forms of exploitation detailed in research commissioned by the NSPCC charity, with a warning these immersive online platforms

School leaders have been warned they must prepare for the threat of cyberattacks as the new academic year begins. The National Cyber Security Centre said “appropriate security measures” should be in place to defend against any threats and prevent disruption. While there is no indication of an increased threat ahead of schools going back this

Ten days after India’s success in landing the first ever spacecraft on the southern side of the moon, the country has launched ‘Aditya L1’, its first mission to study the sun. The spacecraft was launched on the polar satellite launch vehicle rocket, from Sriharikota on the eastern coast of India at 11.50am local time. According

Shooter video game Call Of Duty has started using AI to listen out for hate speech during online matches. Publisher Activision said the moderation tool, which uses machine learning technology, would be able to identify discriminatory language and harassment in real time. Machine learning is what allows AI to learn and adapt on the fly