New mosquito experiment could shape the future of disease control
According to scientists, cases of Dengue fever in Indonesia have been cut by 77% following a ‘ground-breaking’ yearlong experiment which manipulated the mosquitoes spreading it. A new approach to fighting the spread of Dengue fever has proven remarkably effective in Indonesia. By breeding special mosquitoes with a ‘miraculous’ bacteria that reduces...
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Could satellite deepfakes become a national security threat?
Geographers are becoming increasingly concerned about the spread of AI-generated satellite imagery and its potential to create hoax content or skew visual reports. Some even suggest it’s a threat to national security. When discussing deepfakes, most of us think of Nicholas Cage memes, unresolved issues of non-consensual pornography, or doctored...
Light Phone II removes social apps to reduce anxiety
The Light Phone II removes all social media apps to give users a minimal, stripped back experience that reduces user anxiety and encourages time away from your screen. If you’re sick of endlessly scrolling through social media feeds, you may want to check out the ‘Light Phone II’, a minimalist...
Snapchat’s ‘Story Studio’ to make stories more professional than ever
Snapchat this week announced a slew of updates at the Snap Partner Summit, chief among them an overhaul of its Story editing software in the form of new standalone app Story Studio. Snapchat is embracing its evolution from a once key player in social media messaging to mobile’s chief creative...
TikTok testing out new Gen Z recruiting tool
TikTok is reportedly testing out a beta version of its new recruiting tool for Gen Z, which does away with normal CVs. Could this lead to wider change across the board? Who said TikTok was a waste of time? If, like us, you spent far too much of your lockdown limbo...
Carbon emissions are reportedly shrinking Earth’s stratosphere
New research confirms long harboured suspicions that humanity’s emissions are shrinking Earth’s stratosphere, with its thickness reportedly contracting by as much as 400 metres since the 1980s. Science is starting to draw regular connections between humanity’s role in climate change and marked shifts with the planet, and the latest reports...
Why space junk is the real enemy of the US Space Force
President Biden affirms his support for an official military presence in outer space, which means a greater risk of space debris. Spy satellites might be the least of his worries. In the final days of his presidency in 2019, Donald Trump officially launched Space Force, the USA’s first new military service in seventy years – and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Committing $40 million to the initiative, Trump signed...
Snack: The Gen Z dating platform using vertical video
Snack, billed as the perfect dating app for Gen Z, is merging young people’s love of low-pressure platforms and vertical video. Think Hinge meets TikTok. If you’ve ever been deemed too ‘thirsty’ in the TikTok comment section, Snack may soon become the natural platform to migrate to. You’d imagine if Gen Z were to put out an ad for their ideal dating app, it would look a little something like, ‘Wanted:...
Sony announces Discord integration for PlayStation
Sony has announced plans to integrate its PlayStation Network with Discord early next year. Could this deal be a gamechanger in bringing the console giant more in-line with the values of young people? If Microsoft acquiring Bethesda was the biggest gaming coup of 2021, Sony has just secured a deal to arguably take the title for 2022 already. This week, Sony has announced plans to team up with popular chat...
Historic ‘Ingenuity’ flight on Mars could change planetary exploration
This week, NASA’s Mars helicopter ‘Ingenuity’ performed the first ever flight on another world. Could this historic demonstration mark the start of a whole new mode of planetary travel? Is there a prouder moment than seeing your child break out of their bicycle stabilisers and roam free? Many an employee at NASA experienced that feeling for the first time on Monday (April 19th), as Ingenuity nailed its debut flight test. Engineers...
