Tech and Science Daily | The Standard

Elon Musk has claimed a more affordable electric car from Tesla will be ready ‘in about three years’. But, his claim at his annual ‘Battery Day’ event did little to excite investors who wiped $50 billion from its market value. Plus, Facebook removes fake accounts that tried to disrupt US politics, Tom Cruise is heading to space, Nasa astronauts avoid a potential collision with space junks and, and Last of Us celebrations renamed amid the pandemic.Listen to our other podcasts:Women Tech Charge: interviews with incredible women leading in Science,Technology, Engineering and MathsThe Leader: a daily news podcast helping you make sense of the day’s most important stories Ask your Smart Speaker to ‘play the news from the EveningStandard' Visit standard.co.uk/tech for more tech news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twitter is investigating after a ‘horrible experiment’ appeared to suggest its image cropping tool was racially biased. A San-Francisco-based programmer tweeted two examples of a picture where President Barack Obama was cropped out when he appeared in an image with Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, saying it was ‘another example of racism manifesting in machine learning algorithms’. Plus, a ‘crazy’ year leads to record sea ice melt in the Arctic, the Halo Infinite delay could mean new features and, North America might soon see an explosion of super pigs.Listen to our other podcasts:Women Tech Charge: interviews with incredible women leading in Science, Technology, Engineering and MathsThe Leader: a daily news podcast helping you make sense of the day’s most important stories Ask your Smart Speaker to ‘play the news from the Evening Standard' Visit standard.co.uk/tech for more tech news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain’s top coronavirus advisers warn of a need to get new infections under control. President Trump’s WeChat ban blocked over free speech claims. TikTok gets a reprieve through a Oracle/Walmart deal and a promise to give money to US education. 28 days without spots on the sun – as we enter a new solar cycle. The asteroids flying by. China is losing Australian space tracking stations. Electric and hybrid sales over take diesel cars in the UK for the first time. Could banks verify your identity using just your face? The wealthiest 1% creating the bulk of our emissions - are we surprised?Listen to our other podcasts:Women Tech Charge: interviews with incredible women leading in Science, Technology, Engineering and MathsThe Leader: a daily news podcast helping you make sense of the day’s most important stories Ask your Smart Speaker to ‘play the news from the Evening Standard' Visit standard.co.uk/tech for more tech news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A German hospital is thought to have recorded the first death - directly or indirectly - from a ransomware attack. A woman died after the hospital’s IT systems failed following an attack by hackers and she had to be transferred to another city for treatment. Plus, 53 million tonnes of plastic waste could enter waterways every year by 2030, a new reality show plans to send the winner to outer space, the Ig Nobel prize winners are announced and, All Stars Super Mario 3D launches to mixed reviews.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sony has revealed its PlayStation 5 will be released just two days after XBox Series X and have the same price tag as its rival. It marks the start of 2020’s next-gen console war - and Sony’s armed itself with the latest instalment of Final Fantasy as well as the highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy. Plus, hackers target the global video game industry, the discovery of a new mass extinction event and Nasa makes a surprise discovery in the orbit of a dead star. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apple unveiled a number of new products at its latest virtual event but its the new Fitness+ service that experts say should have rivals worried. The subscription-based workout platform runs off the Apple Watch, which saw two new models released on Tuesday evening. But, iPhone fans will have to wait a few more weeks to see any new updates. Plus, Kim Kardashian West boycotts social media, Scientific American endorses a presidential candidate for the first time and scientists discover the oldest known fossilised animal sperm. Listen to our other podcasts:Women Tech Charge: interviews with incredible women leading in Science, Technology, Engineering and MathsThe Leader: a daily news podcast helping you make sense of the day’s most important stories Ask your Smart Speaker to ‘play the news from the Evening Standard' Visit standard.co.uk/tech for more tech news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nasa's so excited, it wants to make the planet a priority for space missions. And will Mars be next? the Evening Standard talks to the UCL team recreating the red planet's extreme conditions in London’s commuter belt for a future search for life. If 2020 wasn’t stressful enough, an asteroid is entering earth's orbit on Thursday. Creating super livestock from super sperms. LG’s winged phone to rival Samsung. YouTube’s TikTok rival soft-launches in India. And what are big tech companies doing to neutralise their carbon footprint? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The parent company of the video app TikTok has opted for Oracle over Microsoft after Trump forced it to sell the app. British chips bought by the Americans – they’ve promised jobs for the UK. Should social media companies be doing more to combat harmful online video? Worrying news out of Greenland as ice breaks off. Coronavirus surging again – how long can this go on for? And could Instagram start charging? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US political parties were among those targeted, after Microsoft security software thwarted most of the attempts. And travel firms are also being blasted for failing to secure their websites despite previous cyberattacks. Reforms have been proposed to alter laws in the UK targeting online abuse. A new study suggests the public's confidence in vaccines is improving in the UK and Europe, but there are "hesitancy hotspots". The professional gamer, Ninja, returns to Twitch, while Ubisoft announces a collaboration with the rapper Stormzy for Watch Dogs: Legion and releases its Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. The NFLStreams subreddit on Reddit gets banned. We hear about two UK-made nanosatellites the size of a shoebox, and why is NASA buying moon dirt?Listen to our other podcasts:Women Tech Charge: interviews with incredible women leading in Science, Technology, Engineering and MathsThe Leader: a daily news podcast helping you make sense of the day’s most important stories Ask your Smart Speaker to ‘play the news from the Evening Standard' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China is demanding Twitter investigate a ‘hack’ after the account of its ambassador to the UK liked a pornographic post. Liu Xiaoming retweeted an official statement condemning the ‘attack’, saying: ‘A good anvil does not fear the hammer’. Plus, Portland bans facial recognition tech, Apple makes its own face mask, the world’s animal populations are in ‘freefall’, and a search of 10 million solar systems has turned up no signs of life. Listen to our other podcasts:Women Tech Charge: interviews with incredible women leading in Science, Technology, Engineering and MathsThe Leader: a daily news podcast helping you make sense of the day’s most important stories Ask your Smart Speaker to ‘play the news from the Evening Standard' Visit standard.co.uk/tech for more tech news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.