By Georgina Cooper | CHICHESTER, England CHICHESTER, England British experts will carry out tests to try to determine how a rare copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence found its way to an archive in southern England. The handwritten manuscript, only the second such parchment in existence, had been stored for more than 60 years in a strong-room among miles of documents in the West Sussex Record […]
A recent Saudi government and security shake-up aims to strengthen King Salman’s increasingly powerful son against a royal rival and to bolster ties with Washington, analysts and diplomats say. Royal decrees at the weekend saw a number of allies of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman moved into key positions and another son of the king named as ambassador to Washington. The goal, a foreign diplomat told […]
The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and later led to the creation of both PBS and NPR, also recognized the importance of archiving public broadcasting material in the United States. It stipulated that CPB should: …Establish and maintain, or contribute to, a library and archives of noncommercial educational and cultural radio and television programs and related materials and develop […]
Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Researchers at MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory have devised a way to wirelessly power small electronic devices that can linger in the digestive tract indefinitely after being swallowed. Such devices could be used to sense conditions in the gastrointestinal tract, or carry small reservoirs of drugs to be delivered over an extended period. Finding a safe […]
The malware code contains references to Felis and Mus — Latin for ‘cat’ and ‘mouse’. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto A sophisticated form of Trojan malware allows its highly-skilled creators to secretly take over an infected system — and it comes with self-updating capabilities that enable it to strengthen itself, fix bugs, or change what it looks like in order evade detection. Once it has infected a system, the […]
Since at its core, yesterday’s 1-page “tax plan” was a Goldman creation, who better to explain what Trump offered than Goldman Sachs itself, which it did overnight in a far lengthier note from its chief Washington analyst Alec Phillips. Here is Goldman with an elaboration of the handful of bullet points contained on the much anticipated one page, extended to 6 pages. Q&A on the President’s Tax […]
In a world-first, researchers have imaged electrons moving in graphene using a quantum probe found only in diamonds. The technique could be used to understand electron behavior and allow researchers to improve the reliability and performance of existing and emerging technologies. These images could reveal the microscopic behavior of currents in quantum computing devices, graphene and other 2-D materials, and be used to develop next generation electronics, […]
Screenshot via YouTube Waymo is moving forward with plans to bring self-driving cars to US roads by opening up rides to the public. Earlier this week, Waymo, formerly known as Google’s self-driving car project, said that a handful of Phoenix, Arizona residents have already tested out the technology as part of the early rider program. Now, other residents can apply to join the project as part of […]
New research has identified the minimum temperature of a bolt of lightning as it strikes rock. The study discovered that, based on the crystalline material in the sample, the minimum temperature at which the fulgurite formed was roughly 1,700 degrees Celsius. (via WSJ)
Saudi Arabia has imposed limits on the ownership of prepaid SIM cards for citizens and foreigners, restrictions that the regulator said aim to prevent the use of cards in carrying out militant attacks in the kingdom. Foreign residents, who make up more than a third of the population, are now limited to two prepaid SIM cards across all operators, according to two people familiar with the matter. […]
By Joseph Nasr | DORTMUND, Germany DORTMUND, Germany For all its economic success, Germany has a growing problem with inequality and poverty, and yet Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to be deflecting the blame so far as the battlelines are drawn for elections in September. GRAPHIC – German income inequality tmsnrt.rs/2p3AtK4 Renowned for its highly-skilled workforce, Germany has in fact a greater proportion of working poor – people […]
Ransomware incidents have surged 50 percent from a year ago, educational institutions are becoming a playground for cyber espionage and 68 percent of healthcare security threats are internal, according to Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Incident Report (DBIR). The DBIR is based on data from 65 organizations, 42,068 incidents and 1,935 breaches in 84 countries. At a high level, Verizon’s DBIR isn’t that surprising. One of the recent […]
Researchers have created a unique video that shows oxygen bubbles inflating and later deflating inside a tiny lithium-air battery. The knowledge gained from the video could help make lithium-air batteries that are more compact, stable and can hold onto a charge longer. (via WSJ)
Breitbart News hit a wall Tuesday in its campaign to storm the ramparts of the media establishment when one of the most influential press associations in Washington, D.C. denied its application for credentials to cover Congress because of concerns over the site’s funding, staffing, workspace and independence. The decision by the Standing Committee of Correspondents of the House and Senate Press Gallery — a body chaired by […]
Researchers have developed a system that can 3-D print the basic structure of an entire building. (via WSJ)
Turkish policymakers surprised investors by tightening monetary conditions on Wednesday, helping to support the lira on a day of widespread weakness across emerging market currencies and prompting some to rethink their pessimism towards the country. While the Turkish central bank kept its main interest rates unchanged, it defied expectations by raising the late liquidity lending rate by 50 basis points. Describing the move as “a hawkish surprise”, […]
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has partnered with the China Electronics Group Corporation (CETC) to launch a new joint centre for advanced research. Located at the UTS campus in Sydney, the Australia-China Research Innovation Centre in Information and Electronics Technologies (IET) is expected to conduct long-term research projects into information, communications, and electronics. The IET will be governed and managed by representatives of both UTS and […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for April 27, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Abu Dhabi Art exhibition Catch […]
Thermal image showing thermal runaway of an 18650 cell with an implanted internal short circuiting device. Credit: Donal Finegan (UCL, NASA and NREL) How lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries behave under short-circuit conditions can now be examined using a new approach developed by a UCL-led team to help improve reliability and safety. The use of high energy density Li-ion batteries is ubiquitous – from powering portable electronics to providing […]
By Luc Cohen | LA MATANZA, Argentina LA MATANZA, Argentina Billboards in Buenos Aires province’s working-class La Matanza district trumpet a soon-to-be completed bus lane alongside the face of the district’s mayor, an ally of former populist President Cristina Fernandez. Although it was originally conceived when Fernandez was president, the 2 billion-peso ($129.24 million) “Metrobus” lane is being paid for by centre-right President Mauricio Macri’s government and […]
Netflix saw a flood of demand for a €1.3bn bond sale on Wednesday, as supply-starved junk debt investors put aside concerns around the US streaming service’s substantial cash burn to get a piece of its debut euro deal. The sub investment-grade rated company announced the deal on Monday as a €1bn 10-year bond to help fund its international expansion and planned shift to developing more original content. […]
It’s official. Peggy Whitson holds the standing record for the longest amount of time spent in space, or as her crewmates better put it, the “New U.S. High-Time Space Ninja.” As of April 24, 2017, Whitson has spent 534 days, 2 hours, 49 minutes and counting. NASA noted that she may break this record herself, as her stay at the International Space Station was extended from March to […]
Artist’s impression of a diamond quantum sensor Image: David A. Broadway/cqc2t.org Researchers at the University of Melbourne (UoM) have announced a boost to the development of future electronics, producing imagery of electrons moving in two-dimensional graphene. In the above image, the spotlight-like shine below the diamond represents light passing through the diamond defect and detecting the movement of electrons. Electrons are shown as red spheres, trailed by […]
Credit: CSEM / David Marchon A team of EPFL and CSEM researchers in Neuchâtel presents in Nature Energy a new astonishing method of creating crystalline solar cells with electrical contacts at the rear, suppressing all shadowing at the front. Thanks to the new inexpensive approach, the fabrication process is strongly simplified with efficiencies in the laboratory already surpassing 23 percent. In the quest for more efficient crystalline […]
