Technology

Remdesivir, an antiviral drug originally developed to treat Ebola, has been approved for use on COVID-19 patients in the US. The treatment, which is given through an IV in hospital, was signed off by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is thought to prevent SARS CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) from multiplying in

The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca has been shown to work as planned by new analysis. A method to check the inoculation contains all the correct parts was developed by a team at Bristol University, providing greater evidence that the vaccine works. Even though the research has not yet been peer

Facebook has launched its own dating feature to rival existing apps such as Tinder. Facebook Dating will appear on the social network’s mobile app and website for users in the UK and Europe from Wednesday. It will allow people to explore potential romantic relationships with users who are interested in the same groups and events

The key to making stronger buildings and planes could lie in the anatomy of a crush-resistant insect that can survive being run over by a car, scientists have found. To understand the secret behind the impressive strength of the inch-long diabolical ironclad beetle, researchers tested how much squishing it could take – and discovered it

A new boss – the third in six months – has been appointed to lead the contact tracing app for England and Wales, Sky News has learned. Gaby Appleton, a former director at Elsevier, one of the world’s biggest academic publishing companies, has already started work on the app and held an all staff meeting

A NASA spacecraft has successfully descended on an asteroid to collect a sample to return to Earth, the space centre has confirmed. On Tuesday, the Osiris-Rex made a four-and-a-half hour journey from its orbit of the Bennu asteroid 200 million miles from Earth to hover just above its surface. It had to dodge boulders the

Scientists have discovered a new organ in the throat while carrying out research on prostate cancer. Previously experts thought there were only microscopic salivary glands inside the nasopharynx region behind the nose. But researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute discovered a new set of salivary glands around 1.5in in length while scanning for prostate cancer

It’s a brave soul who allows themselves to be deliberately infected with the COVID virus. Even if you are young and healthy, there is no guarantee that you won’t become seriously ill. Nor can you be sure that you won’t develop long COVID, the debilitating chronic consequence of infection that can affect people of all

The Orionid meteor shower – named because they appear to come from the constellation Orion – will peak this Wednesday. The annual meteor shower is caused by the Earth passing through dust and debris left by Halley’s Comet, which is visible to the naked eye from every 75 or 76 years. The meteor shower is

The question of why UK arrivals aren’t tested for coronavirus has been asked repeatedly in recent months, by airlines, unions, MPs and passengers themselves.  Despite being standard practice in many parts of the world, the government maintains that airport testing isn’t a suitable alternative to a 14-day isolation period for travellers from risky countries because it

Microsoft has released a new version of its Xbox app for the iPhone and iPad which will allow Xbox gamers to play their consoles remotely. Unlike the xCloud games streaming service – which only works on Android devices – the Xbox app allows phone users to stream games which are playing on their own console.

The Falklands War would have been lost without the contribution of GCHQ, according to an authorised “warts and all” history of the spy agency. It is one of many revelations in newly released Behind The Enigma, by Professor John Ferris. The author says its contribution to the 1982 war with Argentina has been underestimated. Prof

The US has charged six Russian hackers over a series of global cyber attacks, including trying to undermine UK efforts to hold Moscow accountable for the Salisbury spy poisoning. The charging announcement came as Britain accused Russian cyber spies of attacking the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics before they were postponed, and of posing as Chinese

The UK’s video games industry has grown to record levels over the past year, and at the fastest rate in more than a decade, according to its trade association. The Independent Games Developers’ Association (TIGA) said that more than 1,740 jobs were added to the sector, which is now generating tax revenues of £907m annually.

Thousands of private renters in Hackney face eviction and potentially homelessness as the council says it is unable to make housing benefit payments due to a cyber attack earlier this week. The council was hit on Tuesday morning by what Mayor Philip Glanville described as a “serious cyber attack” which continues to leave many of

Users of the contact tracing app for England and Wales have reported receiving updates incorrectly telling them the risk level in their area had changed, after what Sky News understands was a mistake by the app’s developers. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed the error, but did not say how many people it