Subscribe

Microsoft Excel blamed for gene study errors

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 26 Aug 2016

In this edition of the Worldwide Wrap: Microsoft Excel is blamed for gene study errors and Bournemouth University has been hit by ransomware 21 times in one year.

Microsoft Excel blamed for gene study errors

Microsoft's Excel has been blamed for errors in academic papers on genomics. Researchers trying to raise awareness of the issue claim that the spreadsheet software automatically converts the names of certain genes into dates.

Gene symbols like SEPT2 were found to be altered to "September 2". However, Microsoft said the gene renaming errors can be overcome if users make alterations in the application settings.
Via: BBC

University hit 21 times in one year by ransomware

Bournemouth University in England, which boasts a cybersecurity centre, has been hit by ransomware 21 times in the past 12 months.

Universities and NHS trusts in England have been hit hard by ransomware in the past year, according to Freedom of Information requests carried out by two cyber security firms.
Via: BBC

Robot octopus to the rescue

Researchers at Harvard have come up with an innovation that may eventually give us the terrifying organic-style automatons we've always feared: a robotic octopus.

There are no plans to release the robot commercially yet, but researchers hope the innovation might one day be used for rescue efforts that require more malleable robotic devices.
Via: Mashable

CIA reveals 'AI in the sky' project to monitor earth activity

CosmiQ Works, a division of the CIA's venture arm, has revealed SpaceNet, a project with Amazon, satellite mapping firm DigitalGlobe and chip firm Nvidia to train algorithms to work out what's happening on our planet.

SpaceNet is key to unlocking a huge explosion of new AI-driven applications that ultimately will help us better respond to natural disasters, counter global security threats, improve population health outcomes, and much more, says the CIA.
Via: Daily Mail

HP laptop blocks over-shoulder snooping

Computer firm HP has developed two new laptops that feature an optional privacy mode, which obscures the screen unless viewed face-on. The technology, called Sure View, darkens the picture by "up to 95%" when observed from wide angles.

Numerous peripherals companies already manufacture attachable glue-on screen filters that achieve the same effect, but HP claims its Sure View technology is the world's first "integrated" privacy screen.
Via: BBC

Young woman receives most advanced bionic hand

The newest model of UK-based Steeper Group's bionic hand has enabled Nicky Ashwell, a 26-year-old woman from London, to ride a bicycle for the first time in her life.

The company calls its advanced "BeBionic" artificial hand the world's most "anatomically accurate," with "unrivalled level of precision and natural movements". The bionic hand receives its instructions from sensors that detect muscle movements in a person's arm.
Via: Inhabitat

Share