Technology

ROME: Standing just as tall but weighing 10 times less, an exact replica of Michelangelo’s statue of David created using 3D printers is covered with marble dust in a workshop in Florence. Italy has commissioned the copy of the Renaissance masterpiece, which lives in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, to represent the country at the Dubai Expo 2021 starting in …

The Ministry of Interior on Friday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to temporarily block access to social media platforms — Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Telegram — from 11am to 3pm. “It is requested that immediate action may be taken on the subject matter,” the ministry directed the PTA chairman. Shortly after, the PTA released an official statement saying: …

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s P1 coronavirus variant, behind a deadly COVID-19 surge in the Latin American country that has raised international alarm, is mutating in ways that could make it better able to evade antibodies, according to scientists studying the virus. Research conducted by the public health institute Fiocruz into the variants circulating in Brazil found mutations in the spike …

MEXICO CITY: Scientists at a leading global grains research institute expect to sharply ramp up new wheat varieties enriched with zinc that can boost the essential mineral for millions of poor people with deficient diets, the institute’s head told Reuters news agency. Martin Kropff, director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), said he expects the newly-developed …

KARACHI: When the majority of matriculation and intermediate students are finding it hard to continue their online studies due to periodic suspension of classes amid coronavirus outbreak, a mobile application named Edkasa has been launched to help them prepare for the upcoming annual examinations.  Matric and Intermediate students from classes 9-12 can view over 4,500 video lectures on-demand and take …

WARSAW: Video games maker CD Projekt has no plans to shelve Cyberpunk 2077 and is committed to fixing glitches to make its flagship game a long-term success after a troubled rollout, joint chief executive Adam Kicinski told Reuters. Kicinski said CD Projekt was in touch with Sony, which pulled Cyberpunk 2077 from its PlayStation Store only a week after its …

ZURICH: Regeneron is pursuing US approval for its COVID-19 monoclonal antibody cocktail as a preventative treatment after it helped cut the risk of symptomatic infections in households where someone else is ill, the U.S. drugmaker said on Monday. REGEN-COV, a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab, protected household contacts from exposure to SARS-CoV-2, with 72% protection against symptomatic infections in the …

With the tech ecosystem getting more mature around the world, one of its underlying features has been the way big businesses have embraced and promoted this growth. Be it the eye-watering acquisitions of WhatsApp or Instagram by Facebook or Bain Consulting launching venture funds worth billions of dollars, large corporates have actively driven its rise. According to Pitchbook data, corporate …

The instant messaging app WhatsApp has rolled out shortcut keys for Mac and Window users. These shortcut keys being called “cheat codes” can be used on Windows and Mac. WhatsApp shared these codes on Twitter with the caption, “Final Boss Mode: Unblocked”. The shortcut keys allow users to explore a wide range of options such as unrolling the message, opening …

Surgeons worldwide have been performing lung transplants in COVID-19 survivors with irreversible lung damage, and an international group of transplant experts has proposed guidelines for selection of eligible patients. To possibly qualify for a transplant, COVID-19 survivors with complete lung failure should be younger than 65, nonsmokers, and have no pre-existing medical conditions, or only manageable ones, they advise. They said …