Digital cryptocurrencies like bitcoin may have failed to unseat their more traditional rivals, but the technology that underpins bitcoin may yet bring about a revolution in finance and other industries. This technology is called the “blockhain”. The blockchain acts as a public
Author: The Conversation
It would be something of a miracle if you’d got this far without realising the JJ Abrams-directed Star Wars film The Force Awakens (2015) is just around the corner, with opening night on 16 December
In 2008, someone calling themselves Satoshi Nakamoto posted a paper describing the workings of what would become the world’s most important digital cryptocurrency, bitcoin. Two months later, he posted the code for the first version of the software that would allow people to create and
How can a person see around a blind corner? One answer is to develop X-ray vision. A more mundane approach is to use a mirror. But if neither are an option, a group of scientists led by Genevieve Gariepy has developed a state-of-the-art detector which, with some
Most people who have heard the term think that the “blockchain” is only something to do with cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, doguecoin and others. It’s the technology that underpins digital currencies and ensures that all transactions are properly conducted and
In the 21st century, the familiar form of warfare in which physical damage is meted out against the opponent’s military forces and infrastructure has become only one form of attack. Instead, states are increasingly launching non-lethal attacks against an enemy’s information systems
Jeff Bezos may not have gone where no man has gone before, but in successfully landing its New Shephard rocket back on Earth, his rocket company Blue Origins has pipped ahead of rivals in the race to make space commercially viable. It’s a significant coup in the latest incarnation of the space race. And it may have
This week, 14-year-old Lucas Etter, in Clarksville, Maryland, in the US, set a new world record for solving the classic Rubik’s cube, solving the scrambled cube in an astonishing 4,9 seconds. The maximum number of face turns needed to solve the classic Rubik’s cube, one that is segmented into squares
The market for activity tracking devices has proved a difficult one. One of the major fitness device manufacturers, Jawbone, recently announced it was laying off 15% of its staff. Fitbit, the market leader in these devices, has seen its share price drop to nearly 50% of its peak
How do you go about hunting for life on another planet elsewhere in our galaxy? A useful starting point is to imagine looking from afar for signs of life on Earth. In a telescope like those we have on Earth, those aliens would likely just see the Earth and sun merged together