The cost of shorting shares of Snap has fallen sharply as bets against the owner of the messaging app slowed and the share price rallied. Snap’s stock has rebounded in recent sessions after selling off earlier in the week as several analysts’ reports expressed scepticism about the group’s valuation, which had surged above $30bn in the initial euphoria following its high-profile listing last week. At midday in […]
By Ben Hirschler | LONDON LONDON Scientists have taken a big step toward designing complex forms of life from scratch by constructing five new artificial chromosomes of baker’s yeast, representing a third of the micro-organism’s genome, or genetic blueprint. The international team used computers to create laboratory-made versions of the threadlike structures that carry genetic code inside cells. Synthesizing genomes may alarm some who see biotechnologists “playing […]
Dutch paints and coatings maker Akzo Nobel has rejected an unsolicited €20.9bn takeover bid by US industrial chemicals rival PPG Industries and said it is instead looking at spinning off its specialty chemicals business. Akzo Nobel said on Thursday that the PPG bid substantially undervalued its prospects and it made a broader appeal to its stakeholders by saying the takeover was not in the interests of customers […]
Oil prices were under intensifying pressure on Thursday, with the US West Texas Intermediate benchmark dipping below $49 a barrel for the first time since late November. The falls came after oil prices fell the most in more than a year over the previous session when US crude inventories climbed for a ninth straight week to a record high. Renewed concerns about a supply glut sent ripples […]
A melting pot of nationalities and a new entry visa system to attract professionals has propelled the UAE to the top of the list of the best countries to start a career and study aboard, according to a new survey. The US News and World Report survey, released this week, ranked the UAE 22nd out of 80 countries surveyed for the best countries in 2017. The country […]
Atomic images of muscle molecules in action have now been captured by researchers, giving possibility of new nanomachines. (via WSJ)
Thursday 14:30 GMT Overview The euro is firmer and Bund yields are trundling higher with Treasuries after the European Central Bank stood pat on interest rates and indicated it was not looking to ease policy further. Oil prices tried to rally but have resumed their sell-off, putting energy stocks under pressure and weighing on equity benchmarks. Hot topic (1) After a period when politicians seemed to rule […]
New nanophotonics research could expand the color palette for companies in the fast-growing market for glass windows that change color at the flick of an electric switch. A team of researchers has used an inexpensive hydrocarbon molecule to create low-voltage, multicolor, electrochromic glass. (via WSJ)
Oil prices were back under pressure on Thursday, with the West Texas Intermediate benchmark falling under $50 for the first time since December. The falls came after oil prices fell the most in more than a year over the previous session when US crude inventories climbed for the ninth straight week to a record high. Renewed concerns about a supply glut sent ripples through the currency market […]
09 March 2017 AMMAN – Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. Consulting (TAG-Consult) for Quality Management Systems and Sana Pharmaceutical Industries signed a cooperation agreement for the preparation and application of CE Marking (the European quality mark) under the supervision and with the funding of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The agreement is considered the first of its kind in the field of management system consulting […]
Researchers investigate why pebbles and boulders on asteroid Itokawa’s surface occupy separate regions. (via WSJ)
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for March 9, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Aarti Jhurani 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 Music festival Buy […]
Christopher Lutz of IBM Research Almaden standing with the IBM microscope used to store data on a single-atom magnet Image: Stan Olszewski IBM researchers have found a way to store one bit of data in a magnet consisting of just one atom, the company announced on Wednesday. Prior to the discovery, the smallest bistable magnetic bits consisted of 3 to 12 atoms, IBM said, and hard drives […]
By Jonathan Barrett and Aaron Bunch | SYDNEY SYDNEY Notices in several languages emblazoned with the symbol of the skull and crossbones caution against the risk of being swept off the rocks at Maroubra Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. But the warnings were not enough to prevent Nepali university students Shristi Bhandari, 23, and Sudeep Uprety, 26, from walking beside an ocean pool towards a rocky ledge […]
Uber has pledged to end the use of its “greyball” system for blocking officials from booking cars with its app — less than a week after the tool was made public. An investigation into its employees’ handling of the tool, which Uber has insisted is fully legal and has other uses, follows several inquiries from regulators about the technology. Last week’s revelation that Uber offices around the […]
Biomedical engineering researchers have developed inexpensive paper pumps that use capillary action to power portable microfluidic devices, opening the door to a range of biomedical tools. (via WSJ)
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss and Trevor Hunnicutt | NEW YORK NEW YORK Investors are betting market regulators will approve what would be the first U.S. exchange-traded fund to track the price of bitcoin. From investment funds to wealthy individuals and even a Las Vegas strip club, the bitcoin ETF is generating a lot of buzz for a financial product. The surge in interest in the digital currency is […]
An international research team has engineered a molecule that uses light or electricity to convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide — a carbon-neutral fuel source — more efficiently than any other method of “carbon reduction.” The discovery is a new milestone in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere into carbon-neutral fuels and others materials. (via WSJ)
LONDON An animatronic leopard stopped Londoners in their tracks on Wednesday in Trafalgar Square, where it sat roaring as part of satellite TV channel Nat Geo Wild’s Big Cat Week campaign. Called “Lily,” the robotic leopard is intended to raise awareness about threats to the habitat of real leopards, who increasingly have to co-exist with humans. “These animals are roaming the streets in places like Mumbai because […]
POS terminals remain an attractive target for hackers. Image: iStock While threats like ransomware might have been making more headlines lately, point of sales (POS) malware is still very much active – mainly targeting retailers and hotel chains, while smaller businesses remain a prime target as they’re likely to have even less secure systems. One of the earliest forms of this type of malware was RawPOS, which […]
George Osborne will earn £650,000 a year for working four days a month at BlackRock, more than ten times what he is paid as an MP once expected share awards from the world’s largest fund manager are included. The detail of Mr Osborne’s pay at BlackRock, which he agreed to join as an adviser earlier this year, was disclosed in the register of members’ financial interests at […]
A new study has documented the use of CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing in the third domain of life, Archaea, for the first time. Their groundbreaking work has the potential to vastly accelerate future studies of these organisms, with implications for research including global climate change. (via WSJ)
Confide, a messaging app used inside the White House and touted for its ability to allow staffers to privately leak to the press, isn’t as secure as the company claims. The multi-platform app, which first broke onto the security scene three years ago but only recently made headlines for its use across the Trump administration, claims that nobody can intercept and read messages that disappear after they […]
A new study suggests it was the power of the eyes and not the limbs that first led our aquatic ancestors to make the leap from water to land. The researchers discovered that eyes nearly tripled in size before — not after — the water-to-land transition. Crocodile-like animals saw easy meals on land and then evolved limbs that enabled them to get there, the researchers argue. Source
