Developer protests force Unity to backtrack on greedy policy change
More than 500 game developers signed a collective letter threatening to turn off Unity ad monetisation in response to greedy and blindsiding policy changes announced earlier this month. Unity is already backtracking. Game developers are refusing to be taken for a ride, and we’re here for it. Earlier this month, Unity...
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Could CRISPR save us from a future of food scarcity?
Scientists are hopeful that the gene-editing technology could help ease food insecurity as climate change continues to threaten crop yields and worsen global food insecurity on a planet with a growing human population. Feeding a population of more than 8 billion people in a world stricken by an unpredictable...
Microsoft’s Paint update adds layers and transparency features
Microsoft has announced a new update to its flagship image editing software Paint, which will include layers, transparency support, and background removal tools. It could make advanced image editing far more accessible to young people. A new update to Microsoft’s Paint could make image editing much easier and accessible...
Is AI about to change deep-sea exploration?
Humans have explored more of outer space than our own planet’s oceans. Artificial Intelligence is about to change that. Although oceans cover 70 percent of the planet’s surface, much of this vast realm has remained unexplored on account of it being too challenging of an environment for humans to survive...
Safer Plage app protects women from sexual harassment on the beach
A city in France has recently launched an app to protect women from sexual harassment at the beach. Nobody should be made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, but unfortunately sexual harassment is a hugely prevalent problem, especially for women. According to a 2018 study conducted by IFOP (French Institute of Public...
Henrietta Lacks – The unsung hero of the medical world
The cells of Henrietta Lacks have been instrumental in advancing the bioscience field, saving countless lives, but their use was tainted with injustice. Her story is a reminder of the importance of informed consent in medical research. In 1951, a young mother walked into Johns Hopkins Hospital – one of...
How are noise cameras tackling sound pollution?
The technology, which is paired with a sound meter to detect noise of at least 85 decibels from a source of 50ft or more away, has recently been installed across several cities in the US to help police identify vehicles that have been illegally modified to be louder. While having to tolerate noise is the reality of residing in any major city, there’s one sound in particular that’s a highly...
How artificial intelligence can make our world better
The rapid improvement of AI systems has sent a rush of panic through society for a variety of different reasons. Given all this bad PR, perhaps it’s time to instead look at the wonderful things this technology has to offer us. Ask the internet about the evils and dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and you’ll find no shortage of conspiracies coated with themes of impending doom and world-ending global catastrophe. The...
New study reveals the extent of teenage smartphone use
A recent report from Common Sense Media has found that, on average, half of 11 to 17-year-olds get at least 237 notifications a day, raising concerns that this is affecting the cognitive ability, attention span, and memory of their still-developing brains. It’s no secret that young people are addicted to their phones. So much so, in fact, that Gen Z spends half its waking hours on screen time. Until now, however,...
Broken achievements & trophies should not still be a thing
For the ‘completionists’ among us gamers, there’s nothing more frustrating than fulfilling the requirements for a trophy or achievement and seeing it remain locked. Though rarely talked about, this is a significant point of tension between consumers and studios. Picture this, you’ve just completed an entire playthrough of a game on the hardest difficulty setting without dying or restarting a checkpoint, it’s been a 16-hour slog. Having failed several times prior,...
