Science and technology

*'At 2am, It Feels Like Someone Is There For Me' By Valentine Benjamin On a quiet evening in her Abuja hotel, Joy Adeboye, 23, sits on her bed clutching her phone, her mind racing and chest tightening. On her screen is yet another abusive message from her stalker – a man she had met nine months earlier at her church. He had asked Adeboye out; when she declined, he began sending her intimidating, insulting and blackmailing messages on social media, as well as spreading false information about her online. There were even death threats. The experience is taking its toll…

By Aisha Down and Dan Milmo Most people have probably heard of “unicorns” – technology startups valued at more than $1bn – but 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the “hectocorn”, with several US and European companies potentially floating on stock markets at valuations over $100bn. OpenAI, Anthropic, Elon Musk's SpaceX and Stripe are among the big names said to be considering an Initial Public Offering (IPO) this year. The success of their flotations – whether the shares maintain their value, rise or fall – could shape concerns about the AI race and whether the resulting market…

Mankind's first parents, Adam and Eve, are recorded as having lived hundreds of years on earth before they died. Adam lived for 930 years while,though no specific age was recorded for Eve, she is believed to have lived nearly as old as Adam. It is recorded that Adam was 130 years old when Eve gave birth to their third child, Seth. Given that Adam was first created just before Eve, it is inferred that she may have been almost his age as of time of Seth's birth. With contemporary lifespan globally ranging from 72-73 --according to both the United Nations…

Many modern living rooms are now dominated by a huge television, but researchers say there might be little point in plumping for an ultra-high-definition (UHD) model. Scientists at the University of Cambridge and Meta, the company that owns Facebook, have found that for an average-sized living room a 4K or 8K screen offers no noticeable benefit over a similarly sized 2K screen of the sort often used in computer monitors and laptops. In other words, there is no tangible difference when it comes to how sharp an image appears to our eyes. “At a certain viewing distance, it doesn’t matter…

*After Teen's Death OpenAI will restrict how ChatGPT responds to a user it suspects is under 18, unless that user passes the company’s age estimation technology or provides ID, after legal action from the family of a 16-year-old who killed himself in April following months of conversations with the chatbot. OpenAI was prioritising “safety ahead of privacy and freedom for teens”, Chief Executive Sam Altman said in a blog post on Tuesday, September 17, stating “minors need significant protection." The company said that the way ChatGPT responds to a 15-year-old should look different to the way it responds to an…

ChatGPT will not tell people to break up with their partner and will encourage users to take breaks from long chatbot sessions, under new changes to the artificial intelligence (AI) tool. OpenAI, ChatGPT’s developer, said the chatbot would stop giving definitive answers to personal challenges and would instead help people to mull over problems such as potential breakups. “When you ask something like: ‘Should I break up with my boyfriend?’ ChatGPT shouldn’t give you an answer. It should help you think it through – asking questions, weighing pros and cons,” said OpenAI. The U.S company said new ChatGPT behaviour for…

Apple has rolled out a critical update that all users should install immediately to protect their data from potential cyberattacks. Apple has released the iOS 18.5 update, compatible with models from the iPhone XS onward, designed to significantly enhance user security and protect against hacker attacks that could compromise personal data, photos, and videos stored on mobile devices. Experts Stress Importance Of Updating Your iPhone "Many people believe iPhones are immune to serious threats, but no device is completely risk-free," a spokesperson from Safe Data Storage told The Mirror. Apple recently identified a severe security vulnerability affecting its devices. The…

By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna Education is the foundation of any thriving society, yet millions of children around the world remain out of school, deprived of the knowledge and skills needed to secure a better future, expert and founder, Caleb Danladi Foundation (CDF), Captain Caleb Danladi Bako, has said. Bako, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Kaduna, also expressed fears that the crisis is particularly severe in developing nations where poverty, conflict, and inadequate infrastructure created insurmountable barriers to attainment of formal education. He said without urgent intervention, affected children risk being left behind in an increasingly technology-driven world,…

By Johnson Nwankwo The Abia State government says it plans to secure Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses to improve the transport system in the state. The state commissioner for information and culture, Mr Okey Kanu, made this known on Monday during a press conference on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Umuahia. Kanu said that the initiative became necessary to fill up the gap that would be created by the government’s new policy restricting the operational hours of tricycles and motorcycles in Umuahia and Aba. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the…