Sci-Tech

Interpol warns of ‘alarming’ cybercrime rate during pandemic, to spike again once vaccine becomes available

  LYON, France (AFP) — Global police body Interpol warned Monday of an “alarming” rate of cybercrime during the coronavirus pandemic, with criminals taking advantage of people working from home to target major institutions. An assessment by the Lyon-based organisation found a “significant target shift” by criminals from individuals and small businesses to major corporations, governments and critical infrastructure. “Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty […]

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Glaciers could have sculpted Mars valleys: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — The question of whether ancient life could have existed on Mars centres on the water that once flowed there, but new research published Monday suggests that many of the Red Planet’s valleys were gouged by icy glaciers not rivers. The study in Nature Geoscience, which comes amid a flurry of new Mars missions trying to discover if the now-barren planet ever hosted life, casts doubt on a dominant theory that the planet […]

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Israeli firm developing 30-second coronavirus breath test

by Jonah Mandel Agence France-Presse MISGAV, Israel (AFP) — An Israeli company is developing a coronavirus breathalyser test that gives results in 30 seconds, billing it as a “front line” tool that can help restore a sense of normality during the pandemic. NanoScent, the firm making the test kits, said an extensive trial in Israel for the presence of live virus delivered results with 85 percent accuracy, and the product could receive regulatory approval within […]

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China launches Mars probe in space race with US

  by Ludovic EHRET Agence France Presse WENCHANG, China (AFP) — China launched a rover to Mars on Thursday, a journey coinciding with a similar US mission as the powers take their rivalry into deep space. The two countries are taking advantage of a period when Earth and Mars are favourably aligned for a short journey, with the US spacecraft due to lift off on July 30. The Chinese mission is named Tianwen-1 (“Questions to […]

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First Arab space mission to Mars launches from Japan

by Miwa Suzuki with Dana Moukhallati in Dubai TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The first Arab space mission to Mars, an unmanned probe dubbed “Hope”, blasted off from Japan on Monday on a mission to reveal more about the atmosphere of the Red Planet. The Japanese rocket carrying the probe developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan right on schedule at 6:58 am local time (2158 […]

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Solar Orbiter gives scientists unprecedented look at Sun

by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — Scientists said Thursday they had obtained the closest ever images taken of the Sun as part of a pan-European mission to study solar winds and flares that could have far-reaching impacts back on Earth. The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral in February and completed its first fly by of our star last month, sending back unprecedented images of phenomena close to its […]

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James Webb Space Telescope launch pushed back to October 2021

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA on Thursday postponed the launch of its $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope from March next year to October 31, 2021, blaming the pandemic and other technical challenges. The telescope, first conceived in the 1990s, was initially to be launched in the 2000s, but its main maker Northrop Grumman has faced numerous development problems that have doubled its cost. “Webb is the world’s most complex space observatory, and our […]

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Israeli scientists use waste in battle against virus

by Alexandra Vardi TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Israeli scientists have come up with a “simple” and low-cost method to turn waste into ethanol for use as sanitisers in the battle against the novel coronavirus. Professor Hadas Mamane of Tel Aviv University (TAU) and her team have been working for the past five years on recycling waste and transforming it into alcohol. Now, in response to the global demand for hand sanitisers, they have focused […]

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China eyes July 20-25 launch for Mars rover

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s first Mars rover should launch later this month, authorities said Wednesday, as the country races to catch up with the US dominance of space. The Tianwen-1 Mars rover is scheduled to blast off from Hainan island, off China’s south coast, between July 20 – 25, according to the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. It will be China’s first interplanetary mission, and takes place shortly before the next US Mars rover — […]

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France pulls plug on country’s oldest nuclear plant

by Béatrice ROMAN-AMAT Agence France-Presse FESSENHEIM, France (AFP) — France’s oldest nuclear power plant will shut down on Tuesday after four decades in operation, to the delight of environmental activists who have long warned of contamination risks, but stoking worry for the local economy. The Fessenheim plant, opened in 1977 and already three years over its projected 40-year life span, became a target for anti-nuclear campaigners after the catastrophic meltdown at Fukushima in Japan in […]

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Israel wields startup tech against coronavirus second wave

by Guillaume Lavallee Agence France-Presse TEL-AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Israel’s armoury in the battle against the novel coronavirus includes thermal cameras scanning crowds and algorithms trawling vast medical databanks for real-time indicators of an infection spike. The Jewish state is enlisting the help of local startups in the hope of stemming a “second wave” of the virus. The chaos of daily life in Israel, or “balagan” as it is known in Hebrew, stands in contrast […]

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NASA renames Washington HQ for ‘Hidden Figures’ trailblazer

WASHINGTON D.C., United States (AFP) — NASA said Wednesday that it will rename its Washington headquarters after its first black female engineer, Mary Jackson, whose story was told in the hit film “Hidden Figures.” “Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. “Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and […]

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