Tech and Science Daily | The Standard

Elon Musk has bought a stake in Twitter worth $2.9 billion. The Tesla boss now has a 9.2% stake in the social media platform. He’s well known for his tweets, and has more than 80million followers.Plus - a pair of composers who created ‘the unofficial Bridgerton musical’ album using TikTok, have won a Grammy for it. Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow won the Grammy for best musical theatre album.Also in this episode:Oxitec’s genetically modified Fall Armyworms designed to save crops (1.10)Russia to suspend ISS cooperation until sanctions are lifted (2.38)The official list of Covid-19 symptoms has been expanded (3.15)IPCC to release new report on action to tackle climate crisis (3.55)Gemini research finds 1 in 5 Brits own cryptocurrency (4.44)Test could predict effective cancer drug combinations in less than two days (5.23)Samsung announces new TVs will include support for NFTs (6.08)Follow us on Twitter for more news @EveningStandard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She’s worked on global hits including Shrek, and now the woman leading tech communications at DreamWorks Animation discusses the importance of data for wowing cinema audiences.Kate Swanborg, senior vice-president of technology communications and strategic alliances at the US movie giant founded by Steven Spielberg, says there has been a “leap forward” in computer graphics capabilities since the 2001 fairytale hit starring Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy.Now, similar films contain so much data that by the final cut, half a billion digital files need rendering.Kate says it’s part of a revolution since characters had something of a “plasticky” finish in the early days of computer animation, to more a realistic - but data-heavy - appearance of fur and water effects.She also discusses why greater representation for women in the company’s engineering and artist roles is crucial, and the importance of university partnerships to encourage more black filmmakers.Kate spoke to Tech & Science Daily ahead of the release of animation caper The Bad Guys, featuring a stellar cast including Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and Richard Ayoade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blockchain network Ronin is investigating how over $600 million worth of cryptocurrency was stolen from its virtual coffers - making it one of history’s biggest virtual heists.Britney Spears and Justin Bieber’s choreographer is suing Fortnite’s maker Epic Games over character "emotes" in the popular title.Artificial intelligence art start-up Nebula 41 says anyone can now paint like a digital Picasso, and mint their efforts as an NFT.Most distant single star detected by the Hubble Space Telescope, and it’s just a billion years older than the universe’s big bang.UCLA scientists reveal how “electron rain” pouring down on our planet may look beautiful, but poses hazards for satellites and astronauts.Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall open the new headquarters of Facebook’s parent company Meta.Brits fork out on a record amount on video games last year - and it’s even more than at the peak of the pandemic lockdowns.Insurers are calling for tough laws on electric scooters, if their legal use is widened beyond current government trials - it follows injuries and battery fire risks from illegal vehicles.The secrets of parrots’ long lives revealed in a new study by Germany’s Max Plank Institute of Animal Behaviour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chunky Dyson headphones + mask to combat air and noise pollution - but are you brave enough to wear them in public? Russian hackers ‘scanning US energy giants’ for cyber weakness, says FBI. Nasa astronaut returns to Earth after record-breaking year living on ISS. Invisibility Shield: We speak with the British inventor behind the most curious invention of 2022. Plus, Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription has launched. A board game version of the hit horror title Dead by Daylight is now crowdfunding. The man who ‘lost $500,000 life savings to cryptocurrency in QuadrigaCX collapse’. Could eating an avocado weekly cut risk of heart disease? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukrtelecom says as an immediate result of the breach it throttled customers usage to focus on internet access for critical infrastructure and the military.FBI names Russians wanted over hacking of nuclear plants. Sensory hats to probe astronauts’ brain waves on International Space Station. Elden Ring: speedrunner completes game in 20 minutes (with 15 hours practice). Why the human body’s cells contain ‘tentacles’. Could deal to halt global destruction of nature be close? Type 2 diabetes: new link to early health problems. Climate crisis: ice shelf collapses in east Antarctica for first time. London Zoo residents investigate mystery crates to celebrate children’s classic book Dear Zoo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First the latest from the Oscars: The reboot of the sci-fi epic Dune’s wins include best visual effects, and with SFX supervisor Paul Lambert previously working on Blade Runner 2049, First Man and Tron: Legacy. Apple TV + Film became the first streaming service to win Best Picture at the Oscars with CODA. Warn kids about social media risks at young age, parents urged. Covid latest: 200,000 more children off school from virus and free testing row. Hubble Space Telescope snaps spectacular spiral galaxy 60 million light-years away. Delight for woman who’s cancer tumour halves in drug trial. Mental health in jails ‘still failing people’, says sister of dead MMA star. NFTs: Nelson Mandela’s original arrest warrant auctioned for $130,000. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK and its allies say Russian spies are behind ‘calculated and dangerous’ cyber attacks happening around the world. Microplastics have been found in human blood for the first time and research has found we naturally switch between social identities - like ‘work mode’ or ‘home mode’ - much quicker than we can switch between different tasks. Europe agrees to a new law designed to curb Big Tech’s dominance and Samsung might be releasing another foldable or possibly even ‘rollable’ phone. Plus, Apple is supposedly going to introduce a hardware subscription service. The CEO of a tech firm which creates special light filters explains why too much blue light can hinder your productivity, Britain's loudest bird is making a recovery after almost disappearing from the country twice and Instagram finally brings back the chronological feed – we explain how to get it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Male contraceptive pill 99% effectiveA contraceptive pill for males has been found to be 99% effective in preventing pregnancy through tests in mice. The hope is that the breakthrough medication could bring balance to the contraceptive burden.British tech firm ‘Nothing’ launches the first UK smartphone in five years, hoping to challenge global tech giants. The MoD is pressing YouTube to remove ‘Russian state’ hoax videos of the UK Defence Secretary and paleontologists finally have an answer as to where the world’s most expensive fossil is. Scientists discover a new species of glass frogs with transparent bellies, people with specific gene mutations are ‘less likely to have children’ and a study finds that apples today are way better than their wild ancestors. Plus, 5,000 planets have now been discovered outside our solar system, orchards are vanishing from the landscape and a paralysed man asks for a beer using just his thoughts after a brain implant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An independent think tank has accused UK ministers of ‘government by Whatsapp’. It comes as the High Court has been hearing claims that ministers are breaching the law by deleting messages and using private accounts for government business.US securities regulators warn that someone really needs to monitor Elon Musk’s tweets. We hear about the science behind a new DNA guessing game TV show, a British startup says it created an actual ‘invisibility shield’ and PS5/ PS4 system software updates are released globally.Scientists create a special lettuce to help astronauts avoid bone loss in space, how sounds of nature benefit mental health plus promote environmental protection and YouTube enters the world of free, ad-supported TV streaming. Also, find out how Twitter will now let you record a GIF right from the iOS app’s camera. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US comedian Pete Davidson’s replacement for the upcoming Blue Origin NS-20 space flight will be the New Shepard chief architect, Gary Lai. Lai has been with the space tourism company for 18 years and holds several patents related to the New Shepard rocket's design. We find out why dinosaurs were “just really unlucky” that sulphur gases and climate cooling sped up their extinction. President Joe Biden says Russia is ‘exploring’ US cyber-attacks. We speak to a scientist in Utah who is getting climbers to help them research the state’s famous rock formations. Also, how scientists are decoding pig emotions from their sounds, why diamonds may stud Mercury’s crust and data shows that stomach bugs decreased by more than half during the first sixth months of lockdown. Plus, how orangutans use ‘cool’ slang.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.