Technology

WhatsApp is introducing a new feature that will make messages disappear after seven days. The feature – which is already available on encrypted messaging app Signal – is being introduced globally throughout November. When the feature is turned on, new messages sent within a chat will automatically delete after seven days – “helping the conversation

Scientists have detected mysterious and powerful radio signals originating from within the Milky Way. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a puzzling phenomenon first detected in 2007 – but previous observations have never identified them from within our own galaxy. They are brief, but incredibly powerful – emitting much more energy in a single millisecond that

How unique is the platypus? Let us count the ways: It is one of the only mammals which lays eggs, it is venomous, it senses prey using electrolocation, and – as scientists have just discovered – it glows green under ultraviolet light. Biofluorescence – when light is absorbed and then emitted at a different wavelength

Despacito is no longer YouTube’s most-watched video ever… but you might regret finding out what has replaced it. Baby Shark, the super annoyingly catchy children’s song, has now overtaken the 2017 single by Puerto Rican pop stars Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. The track – recorded by a 10-year-old for South Korean kids – is

Cybercriminals could soon paralyse the US healthcare system with a ransomware attack, which has already hit five hospitals and four other facilities, the FBI has warned. In an alert on Wednesday, the FBI said it had credible evidence of an “increased and imminent cybercrime threat” to healthcare providers nationwide. They warned the fraudsters behind the

The NHS contact tracing app will stop sending “false alarms” telling people they have been near someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, bringing an end to one of the biggest issues for the software in England and Wales. Government officials have confirmed that Google and Apple, which make the technology underlying the app, would

NASA’s Perseverance rover is now halfway to Mars – having flown 146 million miles (235 million km). Although the spacecraft has travelled half the distance it needs to cover to land on Mars, it isn’t perfectly between the Earth and Mars as the journey between two planets doesn’t take a straight line. Instead, the rover

Facebook, Google and Twitter are going to be questioned by Republican senators on Wednesday over allegations the platforms are biased against conservatives. Just days ahead of the US election, the chief executives of the three companies will appear remotely before the Senate commerce committee. President Donald Trump has ordered a review of legal protections for

Mountain gorillas remember old friends and are friendly to each other even after a decade of separation, research has found. Gorillas live in familial groups, foraging, resting, and sleeping together, but these groups sometimes split permanently, separating gorillas that may have lived together for years. They tend to react aggressively when another group strays into

High intakes of vitamins A, E and D are linked to fewer respiratory illnesses, according to a study, with experts calling for more research into their effect on COVID-19. It comes soon after a separate study found 82% of 216 coronavirus patients in a Spanish hospital had a vitamin D deficiency. UK Health Secretary Matt

Experts and a cross-party group of MPs are backing a plan to have daily coronavirus figures read out with weather reports as part of a scheme to help curb the spread of the pandemic. The COVID-Secure UK plan has been assembled by campaign group March For Change, based on the work by the All-Party Group

Hopes that the population will become immune to COVID-19 have been dashed by new research showing antibodies fall rapidly after recovering from the disease. So-called herd immunity has been proposed by some scientists as a better alternative to lockdowns in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. It would require around 50-60% of the population to have protection

Water could be more common on the moon than previously thought in what would provide “everything that NASA needs” for future lunar missions. Natural supplies of water there would allow astronauts to hydrate themselves and help to provide fuel for other space projects. Researchers have suggested that in some cases tiny patches of ice might

Astronauts can lose as much as 10% of bone density during six months in space, according to NASA, because there’s no gravity for their body to push against. To offset the effect, they exercise for two hours a day, at least six days a week. But a London engineer says a machine he invented could

Falling rates of COVID-19 among students could be masking an underlying epidemic, research by Sky News has revealed. The Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said this week that Tier 3 restrictions were unnecessary because cases in the city were falling. Our analysis suggests that’s true when looking at city-wide data. But in fact, the downward

People told to isolate by the contact-tracing app are not able to claim government financial support, Sky News has learned, raising fears that low-paid workers will be forced to choose between health and hardship. A leading poverty charity said the situation was “ridiculous” and Labour accused the government of putting families at risk of destitution.