Tech and Science Daily | The Standard

Across most of America, GameStop is just a place to buy a video game. But on Wall Street the troubled retailer has become a battleground where swarms of smaller investors see themselves making an epic stand against the 1%. Plus, Apple is to roll out a new privacy feature to stop iPhone apps secretly shadowing users. Marking Data Privacy Day McAfee’s 2021 Consumer Security Mindset report shows how...

A leading scientist says another   pandemic-causing ‘Disease X’ could be around the corner. Mark Woolhouse from the University of Edinburgh says it's a matter of when, not if and this pandemic might be a virus they don’t even know about yet. Plus, there were signals on Twitter that Covid-19 was circulating before it was officially announced, earning more than $75K a year could buy you happine...

Twitter is turning to its users to help combat fake news. The platform has launched Birdwatch, where people can flag tweets they believe to be misleading, provide evidence to the contrary and discuss them with others, on a separate site. Plus, Facebook News, featuring the Evening Standard, launches in the UK, regular naps are linked to better mental agility, and take a walk with Dolly Parton as Ap...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched a record 143 small satellites into a polar orbit from Florida, beating the previous record of 104. It's also the firm's first dedicated ‘rideshare’ mission, where it offers to transport packages to orbit for $1m. Plus, creators of humanoid robot Sophia plan to mass produce the AI robots by the end of the year, scientists believe there’s a new homegrown strain...

Children’s charity the NSPCC is warning a move to encrypt Facebook Messenger and Instagram chats will mask online predators. Security expert Brian Higgins on malware discovered inside government-issued laptops used by children to home-school during Covid-19 pandemic, which reportedly connected to Russian servers. SpaceX now has a ‘constellation’ of 1,000 internet-beaming satellites orbiting Earth...

Twitter’s admitting it didn’t move fast enough to quell conspiracy theories that sparked the Capitol riots. QAnon’s hoards are being urged to “go back to your lives” after Trumpian reckoning did not materialise. A Call of Duty champion gamer is retiring at 25 years old with thumb problems caused by too much time playing on consoles. Are ‘sniper bots’ snapping up new PS5 consoles before you ca...

Washington DC is in tech lockdown for inauguration day as cybersecurity experts reveal behind-the-scenes artificial intelligence strategies to stop repeat of Capitol violence. Nasa Moon shot faces delay after hydraulics problems found to cause ‘megarocket’ misfire. Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon and now the 91-year-old astronaut gets his Covid-19 jab. Beware the passive-aggressive Zoom eye roll be...

‘Strong signal’ of space radio waves found far, far away at edge of universe, offering clues to how cosmos is made. Bumble unblocks politics filter after vigilantes used it to catfish Capitol riots suspects. We speak to UCL’s Dr Angeliki Zarkali about a new eye tests helping predict Parkinson’s-linked brain decline 18 months before it starts. Trump orders probe into security risks of Chinese drone...

Warning over fake coronavirus vaccines as UK police reveal spike in elderly being targeted. Get ready for 24hr coronavirus vaccination centres..but mind your stress levels. Branson’s Virgin Orbit reaches space with satellite rocket launch…as Nasa’s ‘megarocket’ tests fails on launchpad. WhatsApp delaying privacy changes amid user back lash…as Signal goes down under download pressure from new sign-...

Samsung unveils its flagship Galaxy S smartphone, and it's the first model that works with the S-Pen stylus. The release has raised questions over whether this is the first step to phasing out the separate Note handset range. Plus, Apple is reportedly planning a major redesign of its MacBook pro this year, Google has completed a $2 billion takeover of fitness wearable maker Fitbit, the Riders Repu...

Twitter chief Jack Dorsey says banning Donald Trump from the platform is the right decision… but it sets a dangerous precedent. Mr Dorsey tweeted that "having to take these actions fragment the public conversation," adding that while he took no pride in the ban, "offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real.” Plus, Airbnb cancels reservations in Washington area ahead of inaugurat...

YouTube is the latest tech giant to suspend Donald Trump’s account. The video platform says the President’s account will be taken down for “a minimum of seven days” due to concerns about “the ongoing potential for violence”. Plus, Indian Jones video game teased, Cyberpunk 2077’s multiplayer mode details revealed, CES 2021 highlights such as success of Sextech, and Nasa confirms the existence of a...

The Covid-19 pandemic has emerged as an early theme at CES 2021. From Samsung’s trio of robots aimed to improve life at home - including pouring you a glass of wine at the end of a long day - to   LG’s autonomous CLOi Robot that uses ultraviolet light to kill germs in high-traffic areas. Plus, tech giants continue their crackdown on those involved in last week’s insurrection of Capitol Hill,...

The world’s biggest consumer technology show is turning to tech to help it adapt during a global pandemic. CES 2021 kicks off today, and it will be entirely virtual for the first time ever. Plus, far-right social media platform Parler is squeezed offline as Amazon becomes the latest tech giant to remove its support, scientists in Japan investigate a new mutant coronavirus strain, tonight’s the las...

Internet spreadsheet detectives pool resources to hunt Capitol invasion Trump mob - as the hunt intensifies to track down suspects over the invasion of the Capitol building, internet detectives are teaming up to aid the police investigation. Donald Trump’s back on Twitter…but Facebook have banned the president until he leaves the White House. Research suggests Pfizer/BioNTech is effective against...

Social media giants block Trump after deadly Capitol Hill invasion we speak to Richard Bingley, chief executive of UK-based Global Cyber Academy and Meaghan Spencer, the Evening’s Standard’s Social and SEO Editor. The facial recognition cameras able to identify people wearing facemasks. Elon Musk’s SpaceX monster Starship rocket fires up engines. Trump presses ahead with oil drilling permits in Al...

Georgia is fifth state to report case of mutant strain of Covid-19 first found in UK. A court has denied Wikileaks founder Julian Assange bail, despite his extradition being blocked to the US. YouTube u-turn as streaming platform reinstates talkRadio page after ‘review’ over Covid ‘misinformation’. Trump bans transactions with eight Chinese apps including Alipay. Minecraft Earth will shut down thi...

Online shops are refusing to deliver to Britain after Brexit over tax changes. Samsung will go virtual for its launch of the Galaxy S21 with its 8K video capability and 108MP camera. Report reveals thousands of hours of government internet shutdowns and social media censorship in 2020 cost economies $4 billion. Clock on for a shift at the International Space Station from the comfort of your armcha...

Here's what's on today: A British pensioner is first man in the world to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine shot. Microsoft fears Russian hackers in Solarwinds breach viewed its source code. Bitcoin surges to record high as speculators fight feared Covid inflation. Nasa releases spooky sounds of the noise a supernova makes. SpaceX will try to ‘catch’ its Super Heavy rocket using the launch tow...

Tesla boss Elon Musk says he tried to set up a meeting with Apple to see if they’d consider buying the car maker. But, chief executive Tim Cook rejected the request. After a turbulent few years, Tesla’s market value is now $616 billion. Plus, Cyberpunk 2077 sells 13 million games, Joe Biden won’t inherit any of Donald Trump’s @POTUS followers and, KFC brings its KFConsole to life.  Listen to...

Scientists say the new mutant coronavirus strain discovered in the UK could more easily infect children. Experts say that data indicates it may be able to better spread among youngsters than other strains, but that analysis is still ongoing. Christopher Walken has revealed he’s never sent an email or text. Plus, Antarctica can no longer lay claim to being Covid-free, Apple ‘renews focus on self dr...

Stargazers are being treated to a once-in-generation spectacle on Monday as Saturn and Jupiter appear in the night sky as if they’re nearly touching. Nasa’s Dr Henry Throop explains how to see the 'Christmas star’. Plus, Tesla debuts into the S&P 500, over 2 million PUBG Mobile accounts banned in a week, and how the pandemic changed our conversations on Twitter. Listen to our other podcasts: W...

Sony pulls Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store after glitches backlash. US government and private companies at ‘grave risk’ from massive cyber-attack, officials warn after Treasury spying scandal. Twitter tests Spaces ‘chat room’ feature for conversations with strangers. Scientists’ warn goliath factory ships are stripping oceans of marine life in quest for fish. Zoom lift 40-minute call limit o...

World Health Organisation scientists will take samples from bats and other animals in Wuhan to discover how COVID-19 spread across the world, hoping to prevent future outbreaks. Data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft reveals Saturn’s moon Enceladus could support life in its subsurface ocean. Facebook takes out full page newspaper attack ads in a row with Apple over the way users are tracked. Vodka an...

Billions of dollars were spent on US government’s hobbled anti-hacking software, which spies still managed to find a way around with trojan horse. EU rules mean yearly checks for Big Tech firms on how they are tackling harmful content. Virgin Media reveals record 2020 data usage as Britain stayed home amid pandemic. Call of Duty: Warzone Season One “battle pass” update features new scenarios, maps...