The rarely-seen robots that package what we eat
The robots actually in factories don’t have hands…they’re more unusual (SPL) From pancakes to jelly beans, a new breed of intelligent robots are preparing our food, discovers Veronique Greenwood, and it can be a dazzling sight. Last July, while touring a jelly bean factory, I came upon a startling sight. Over a conveyor belt, a […]
Business owner in trademark dispute with Microsoft
Kryssy Bryant Kate McKenzie said Microsoft had opposed the name of her literacy tool (pictured), Word Windows A woman said she was “devastated” to be in a dispute with Microsoft over the name of her business that helps children with literacy. Kate McKenzie, from Duston, Northampton, has created a tool called Word Windows. She said […]
The eccentric dog breeds that vanished
Alamy From a vegetarian dog to a walking piece of kitchen equipment, the world was once home to an abundance of strange and ancient hounds. Where have they gone – and could we bring them back? In a particularly hilly corner of South Wales, somewhere within the half-ruined walls of a Norman castle, you’ll find […]
Can YouTube fix its algorithms?
Getty Images YouTube is probably the most influential media business for a youth audience. But on this week’s Tech Tent podcast, we ask whether Google is struggling to police its platform. If you ask people my age what they think is the world’s most important and powerful TV firm, they might suggest Fox, Netflix or […]
Why astronauts are banned from getting drunk in space
Nasa (Credit: Nasa) From wine being sipped on the moon to whisky on a space station, space travel has had a long and complex relationship with alcohol. Travelling thousands of miles above the Earth, into the great inky unknown, is hard work. It’s stressful and scary. So why shouldn’t astronauts treat themselves to an end-of-Earth-day […]
Criminals targeting Northern Ireland farms
Henry Arden/Getty Farmers have adopted technology to help them run their businesses more efficiently Organised criminals are targeting farmers’ high-value global positioning systems (GPS) equipment, police have warned. The PSNI said since the start of June there had been a “significant increase” in GPS thefts across Northern Ireland. Seven thefts have been reported since the […]
How celebrities influence your everyday health
Getty Images Many watch what celebrities do, and follow their health choices (Credit: Getty Images) The famous can shape people’s health choices and what they worry about in unexpected ways, says doctor Zara Aziz, and it’s not always a good thing. One Friday morning at my practice, I meet Jake*, a 42-year-old computer engineer with […]
Baidu boss investigated for riding in self-driving car
Getty Images Baidu Chairman and chief executive Robin Li The head of Chinese online search giant Baidu is being investigated, after riding in one of the firm’s driverless cars on a Beijing ring-road. Robin Li was in the passenger seat when he made a video call to an artificial-intelligence developers conference in the Chinese capital. […]
Blake Lively accuses It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni of smear campaign
Getty Images Blake Lively has filed a legal complaint against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a campaign to “destroy” her reputation. According to the legal filing, she accuses Mr Baldoni and his team of attacking her public image following a meeting in which she brought along her actor husband, […]
How brewing beer changed a lifeform for good
iStock Brewers domesticated wild yeasts hundreds of years ago – and changed this microscopic life form forever. Brewers tend to hawk their wares on the purity of their ingredients and the provenance of their hops. But the yeast that helps turn their efforts into beer seldom gets a mention. After decades shrouded in obscurity, the […]