New York: A new startup launched by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is building the world’s largest aircraft, bigger than the Colossus Antonov An-225, the reigning heavy weight champion among aircraft. With a gargantuan wingspan of 385 feet (117 m) and six engines, the plane is taking a new approach in the private space race, by launching satellites and spacecraft into orbit from high altitude.…

Using unmanned drones to deliver vaccines in low- and middle-income countries may save money and improve vaccination rates, says a study. The cost savings would come from drones being able to deliver vaccines more quickly and cheaply than land-based methods limited by road conditions and the need for costly fuel and maintenance, the researchers noted. “Many low- and middle-income countries are…

Apple took a hit in China after the country’s intellectual property bureau ordered Apple Inc to stop the sales of its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus citing that it broke patents of a local firm. Shenzhen Baili, a little-known startup, won a surprise injunction against sales of Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in Beijing, based on a patent covering smartphone design. Apple said the order…

SINGAPORE 's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has defended the country's controversial decision to cut off civil servants' work computers from the Internet, calling the move "absolutely necessary" to keep information systems secure. "Are we happy? I don't think so, because it will slow us down in terms of day-to-day productivity. In terms of security, safety of our systems,…

BEIJING has recorded the highest ever number of requests for electric vehicle (EV) registration in a third round of applications that ended on June 8.   A total of 17,600 individual and company applicants submitted applications for EVs, about 5,000 more than the previous round, according to bjhjyd.gov.cn, which announces Beijing's car quota allocation every two months.

Soon after the news of Twitter co-founder Evan Williams’s account hack surfaced on Thursday, another report said that hackers might have used malware to collect more than 32 million Twitter login credentials. According to the report on technology website Techcrunch.com, these credentials are now being sold on the dark web. “LeakedSource, a site with a search engine of leaked login credentials,…

Using a new satellite-based method, NASA scientists have located 39 unreported and major human-made sources of toxic sulphur dioxide emissions. The unreported emission sources, found in the analysis of satellite data from 2005 to 2014, are clusters of coal-burning power plants, smelters, oil and gas operations found notably in the Middle East, but also in Mexico and parts of Russia. In addition, reported…

A team of scientists from Harvard University has co-created a unique “bionic leaf” that uses solar energy to split water molecules and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels. Dubbed “bionic leaf 2.0,” the new system can convert solar energy to biomass with 10 percent efficiency—far above the one per cent seen in the fastest growing plants. “This is a true…

Bringing speculations to an end, Israeli start-up Sirin Labs has officially unveiled its high-end $14,000 Android smartphone that promises chip-to-chip 256-bit encryption similar to what the military uses to protect communications. Dubbed as the 'Rolls Royce of smartphones', the device called Solarin is activated via a physical security switch on the back and was launched on Tuesday at an…

Washington:  The most stunning and close-up images of Pluto's surface have been beamed back to Earth by NASA's New Horizons space probe. "This is the most detailed view of Pluto's terrain you will see for a very long time," NASA said. The mosaic - extending across the hemisphere that faced the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto on July 14, last year - includes…

New York:  Social networking platforms like Facebook can not only get you more likes, it can also influence the price of your home if you intend to sell one, say researchers. House prices rise can spread through social networks like a virus and your Facebook friends can have too much of an influence on what one pays for a house. According to researchers from the US National Bureau of Economic…

In a bid to expand its user base, social media giant Facebook has announced it will begin displaying ads to web users who are not members of its social network. “Facebook will use cookies, ‘like’ buttons and other plug-ins embedded on third-party sites to track members and non-members alike,” a report in The Wall Street Journal said. The company said it will be able to better…

HELSINKI: US biochemical engineer Frances Arnold on Tuesday won a million-euro technology prize in Finland for her work on "directed evolution", a method of rewriting DNA to improve medicines and develop green fuels.   "Frances Arnold receives the 2016 Millennium Technology Prize in recognition of her discoveries that launched the field of 'directed evolution', which mimics…