Liquid crystals are strange substances, both fish and fowl. They can flow like a liquid, but have the orderly molecular structure of a crystalline solid. And that internal structure can be changed by small cues from outside.

read more

The gusting westerly winds that dominate the climate in central Asia, setting the pattern of dryness and location of central Asian deserts, have blown mostly unchanged for 42 million years. A University of Washington geologist led a team that has discovered a surprising resilience to one of the world's dominant weather systems. The finding could help long-term climate forecasts, since it suggests these winds are likely to persist through radical climate shifts.

read more

When it comes to water, some materials have a split personality - and some of these materials could hold the key to new ways of harnessing solar energy.

read more

Technology advancements are expected to continue to drive down the cost of wind energy, according to a survey of the world's foremost wind power experts led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Experts anticipate cost reductions of 24%-30% by 2030 and 35%-41% by 2050, under a median or 'best guess' scenario, driven by bigger and more efficient turbines, lower capital and operating costs, and other advancements (see Figure 1).

read more

A study, by San Diego Zoo Global conservationists, released this week (Sept. 12, 2016) is shedding new light on how scientists evaluate polar bear diet and weight loss during their fasting season. On average, a polar bear loses up to 30 percent of its total body mass while fasting during the open-water season. Although some scientists previously believed land-based foods could supplement the bears' nutritional needs until the sea ice returns, a new study published in the scientific journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology has revealed that access to terrestrial food is not sufficient to reduce the rate of body mass loss for fasting polar bears.

read more

Last year my organization fell victim to a trans- national export invoice fraud. Since 99 percent of our sales come from exports, the cyber fraud dealt a big blow to our organization. We have a customer in South East Asia and my organization had business dealings with this customer for over five years.

I did not bad mouth my predecessor. However, I never attempted to defend him or any of his actions. I fixed them!

It is better to put forward our views and deal with the multitude of possible outcomes than to ponder what if we had spoken.

A CIO talks about the need to make judicious technology spends in the good times.

Given the low base and huge demand, the digital lending industry remains in an expansive phase. According to a recent report by IIFL FinTech, the digital lending market is expected to grow to a whopping USD 515 billion by 2030.

Germany is in intensive discussions with Intel, the economy ministry said on Friday, without commenting on how much state funding the company is set to receive for the project.

HDFC bank, ICICI Bank and others are deploying their own QR code stickers at merchant outlets, competing with the likes of Paytm and others.

"With the development of Asia's largest airport at Jewar, the freight corridor, data centres, food park, toy park, medical device park, an Integrated Industrial Township in Greater Noida, multi-modal transportation hub, the region managed by the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities has got a new identity," Nand Gopal Gupta said.

The draft was due to be released earlier this month, but was held back for fresh consultation with legal and industry leaders. This follows feedback from experts during the government’s outreach on the proposed Act, which began in March across multiple cities, including Bengaluru and Mumbai. The proposed regulations may also include provisions requiring companies to inform consumers how their data is being processed, sources said.

The past 18 months have seen turmoil in the crytpo market, including the failure of TerraUSD, an unbacked stablecoin, in May 2022, the collapse of crytpo exchange FTX in November and the bankruptcy of banks such as Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which serviced crypto providers.

Meta announced the LLaMA in February this year in several sizes (7B, 13B, 33B, and 65B parameters) so it can be used by a range of users and companies. At I/O 2023, Google also talked about multiple LLMs that are suited to companies of different sizes.

Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (AMEA) have always been at the heart of world trade. Vibrant and dynamic, AMEA is a region with huge potential; its markets are driving growth around the world and are seen as important prospects for investment.

The real-time economy requires instant processes in an increasing number of business functions.

Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (AMEA) have always been at the heart of world trade. Vibrant and dynamic, AMEA is a region with huge potential.

At BT Global Services connections are our business. We are trusted by thousands of enterprises around the world, combining our global strength in networks, IT and innovation with local presence, expertise and delivery. Watch this video to find out how we can help you connect for a better future.

How do you turn a problem into an opportunity? When looking for innovative ways to increase the reach and impact of an annual global event, while reducing travel costs, Andres Bulto talked to BT.

A BT One Enterprise Cisco solution makes voice calls between the UK and India simple and immediate. In most cases they’re free of charge too. Best of all, the employees feel as one with the BT global team.

SASOL has adopted telepresence for collaboration between far-flung executives in Europe, North America and Africa. Running over the BT IP Connect global network it also enables federation with customers and suppliers. The solution’s earned Alec’s team a special recognition award from the CEO for bringing the company’s One SASOL philosophy and vision vibrantly to life

A BT cloud-based virtual contact centre helps Etihad deliver own-language service excellence to guests from 37 countries

Care isn’t just part of the name at GSK Nutritional Healthcare. It’s at the heart of its customer help lines. But Ashley Thomas knew that the company’s legacy telephone technology was becoming a bit of a hindrance. Keen to boost customer service with new technology, a review of the market led Ashley to BT Cloud Contact

An infrastructure offering high levels of quality and flexibility was required as a platform for a new system. Buying or renting new servers – and connecting and configuring them in short timescales – would be an expensive and challenging task. The IMV technical team turned to BT and asked whether it would be possible to set up the system in a virtual environment .

Tesco, one of the world’s largest retailers, is using the BT Cloud Contact solution to give its UK customers an enhanced, more flexible and more responsive contact centre service.

The survey, gathered insights from 200 senior executives and CXOs, reveals that sectors such as cybersecurity, healthcare, and artificial intelligence could witness unprecedented advancements through quantum computing.

A new survey of over 500 HR professionals, titled "HR Report on AI: Insights on HR’s Readiness and Risk Management" reveals that while 63% are concerned about data privacy and security related to AI, 40% of organisations lack clear policies governing its use. This highlights a critical need for HR to establish guidelines and training for responsible AI adoption to mitigate risks and leverage its potential benefits.

CtrlS will offer connectivity through two dedicated 100G Partner ports.

On Tuesday. Etsy was founded in 2005 as a platform exclusively for handmade goods - though that claim has long been scrutinised.

With AI-driven transformation, India is projected to increase its workforce from 423.73 million in 2023 to 457.62 million by 2028, a net gain of 33.89 million workers, according to a report on Wednesday.

Google's head of research, Yossi Matias, emphasizes the enduring importance of coding skills in an AI-driven world. While acknowledging AI's growing role in software development, Matias argues that basic coding knowledge is crucial for understanding and leveraging AI's potential. He compares coding to math, suggesting that both are fundamental for navigating an increasingly tech-reliant society.

Prashant Kumar on Tuesday said the security arrangements at the Mahakumbh Mela will be equipped with advanced technology, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). After a review meeting on preparations for the Mahakumbh Mela with Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, the DGP told reporters, "Our control room will have data of around 1 million suspicious individuals, and we will closely monitor all types of anti-social elements."

In this exclusive interview with ETCIO, Derek Gittoes, Vice President of Supply Chain Management Product Strategy at Oracle, shares valuable insights into the current trends shaping the future of supply chain management.

India's digital economy is booming, with fintech driving digital payments and e-markets expanding rapidly. Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Michael Debabrata Patra, stated that the digital economy currently makes up a tenth of India's GDP and is projected to reach a fifth by 2026.

The government of Assam is planning to pass a law that will require residents in the city of Guwahati to have closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in their homes and in apartments. The purpose of this law is to help the police detect crime, similar to the system in Hyderabad. The police also decided at a review meeting that family members of police personnel killed in terror attacks will be given government jobs.

The No.1 cryptocurrency has clocked a 26% gain in January, leaping 22% in the past week alone, breaking back above the $20,000 level and putting in on course for its best month since October 2021 - just before the Big Crypto Crash.

Previously, users were able to access Apple TV without needing any other Apple hardware. Users were allowed to set up the Apple TV, install apps, and make purchases completely independently. Sometimes users needed a web browser on a PC to perform the typical Apple ID management duties (if its necessary).

Beginning with iOS 16.3, the security feature will allow users to enable end-to-end encryption for a variety of additional iCloud data categories, including Photos, Notes, Voice Memos, Messages backups, device backups, and more, reports MacRumors.

The companies called EU to take “urgent” action to end “Apple's abusive behaviours.” A new Digital Markets Act has been passed by the EU and the companies said that the “EU has the opportunity to take the lead, but it must act fast, as every day that passes is a loss for innovation and for the welfare of European consumers.”

OpenAI took the internet by storm as its AI chatbot ChatGPT wowed people with its ability to formulate detailed and human-like answers on a wide range of subjects in a few seconds.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has requested SK Hynix to expedite the delivery of HBM4 chips by six months. This request, revealed by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, highlights the surging demand for Nvidia's AI accelerators, which heavily rely on HBM chips.

Semiconductor design global capability centres (GCC) account for approximately 4 per cent of India's total GCCs, with a growth rate of about 7 per cent in the last two decades.

The association suggested that All India Radio separately assess DRM and HD Radio for MW and SW bands, which fall under its exclusive remit. It also recommended that analogue transmission should not be interrupted until digital receivers are adopted by more than 80% of the population to ensure accessibility.

India's smartphone market is estimated to grow 7-8 per cent this year, driven by strong demand for premium, 5G and AI smartphones, according to a new report.

In the business world, AI advocates tell companies and workers that they will fall behind if they fail to integrate generative AI into their operations. In the sciences, AI advocates promise that AI will aid in curing hitherto intractable diseases.

Unique protein markers in hair could be used alongside DNA profiling for human identification, according to a study published September 7, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Glendon Parker from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA, and colleagues.

read more

A University of Liverpool study of ants across three continents has revealed that their colour and size is strongly influenced by their environment, and that the dominant colour and average body size can change from year to year as temperatures vary. This finding has implications for how ant communities will cope with rising global temperatures.

read more

Today's industrial yeast strains are used to make beer, wine, bread, biofuels, and more, but their evolutionary history is not well studied. In a Cell paper publishing September 8, researchers describe a family tree of these microbes with an emphasis on beer yeast. The resulting genetic relationships reveal clues as to when yeast was first domesticated, who the earliest beer brewers were, and how humans have shaped this organism's development.

read more