Science

Updated: 06:22 EST

UK defence 'at risk' due to billions wasted on trophy kit

NEW The Ministry of Defence was criticised last night for leaving Britain vulnerable to attack due to a series of equipment blunders. Rear Admiral Chris Parry described the navy's Type 45 destroyers (top right), which cost £1billion each, as sounding like 'a box of spanners' underwater, meaning they can be heard 100 miles away by Russian submarines. It also emerged that the Ajax tank (bottom left) is too big to be transported by an A400m aircraft (bottom right) without being dismantled and potential new P-8 drones (top left) are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Inset: The MoD spent £1.2bn on drones 12 years ago which have not been used due to faults.

NEW The warnings are part of the government's 'Get It Right' campaign which aims to warn internet users of the dangers of online piracy. The consequences for ignoring the warning are not yet clear.

NEW Oxford University director, Carl Frey, has revealed the high paying jobs most likely to become obsolete because of the march of technology. Middle class roles such as loan officers could soon disappear.

NEW Fitness monitors use an accelerometer to arm movements, which can be deceptive. Researchers from the University of Ireland, Galway, found all devices counted 'false positive' steps.

People sit at a table on stage and look towards the hologram of hard-left French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, as he speaks to supporters who are gathered in Saint-Denis, near Paris, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. As Melenchon holds a rally in Lyon Sunday, a hologram of him is being projected by satellite to crowds in Paris. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

NEW To create Mr Melenchon's hologram, designers filmed him in Lyon, before using a projector in Paris aimed at a screen on the ground to broadcast the footage.

Doctors have welcomed the introduction of a £40 kit which allows expectant mothers to test themselves for Group B Strep, which is harmless in adults but can trigger deadly illnesses in children.

A survey for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine found just one in eight had regularly spotted a hedgehog in their garden. The drop is blamed on a reduction of their natural habitat.

The Mail on Sunday today reveals evidence that the organisation that is the world’s leading source of climate data rushed to publish a landmark paper that exaggerated global warming.

Watch the incredible moment a cliff collapses above a massive 'firehose of lava' flowing from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano into the sea

A section of sea cliff above a massive 'firehose' lava flow on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano has collapsed and splashed into the ocean as tourists and geologists watched. A large crack in the section of cliff above the gushing molten lava stream gave way Thursday afternoon as scientists stood just yards away.  Geologists with Hawaii Volcano Observatory were at the site to monitor the crack when it collapsed,  and managed to capture the scene on video.

Researchers at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia have found that a 'weed-like' algae is killing corals in the Great Barrier Reef because of increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Curators from the National Archives in Trencin, Slovakia believe they have found the origins of the emoji - a smiley face drawn in a scripture by a lawyer to indicate he was happy with documents.

A new study called 'The dark side of going abroad' by researchers from Colombia University showed people are more likely cheat if they visit lots of countries.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki and Aalto university have found that empathetic people interpret the facial expressions of dogs more intensely - and is they were humans.

A study of school pupils by scientists at the University of Michigan has found that our social interactions appear to play a key role in helping to shape our personalities as children.

A new study in Finland revealed men’s preferred age range widens over time, and they too consider sex with a partner their age or older – and are more likely to act on it than with a younger interest.

What pot plant is the 1.8m carpet python wrapped around?

Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 posted the image of six pot plants on its Facebook page on Friday - the question is can you spot which one has a snake hiding in it? It seems hard to fathom but one of the plants in the picture has a 1.8m carpet python wrapped around it. All you have to do is work out exactly where the resting reptile could be.

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Researchers simulate superluminous stellar explosion in 2D

In a move that sounds like something out of a sci-fi comic, astrophysicists are conducting the first 2D simulations of superluminous supernovae using supercomputers. These massive stellar explosions shine up to 100 times brighter than normal supernovae, and were only first spotted in the last decade. Researchers say the effort will help improve our understanding of the physical conditions that give rise to these ultra-bright objects.

Researchers at the University of Akron have retrieved the voices from the antiquated wire spool, revealing songs that the Nazis’ prisoners were forced to sing – and their songs of rebellion.

Radiation levels inside a stricken reactor at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have hit a record high. Levels are so high that they could kill off robots sent in to probe the reactors (pictured).

The Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia has created the world's first 3D-printed bridge. The creation, which is 12 metres long, is printed on micro-refined concrete.

Northwestern researchers are comparing the effect of living at zero gravity for a year on a human's gut microbiota - the 'bugs' found naturally in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) to aid digestion.

Boeing has hired a small company to make about 600 3D-printed parts for its Starliner space taxis. Oxford's parts will help Boeing lower costs and save weight on each seven-seat capsule.

MailOnline Travel has scoured the internet and spoken to insiders at the Royal Aeronautical Society and carriers such as British Airways and EasyJet, to bring you amazing plane facts.

Two sex toys which belonged to the rich and powerful in ancient China will go on display in the United States. One device was found in the tomb of an aristocrat and the other belonged to a king.

Russia reveals massive 'groundskimmer' cargo plane

Russian researchers have revealed a radical new cargo plane that could radically change the way goods are shipped around the globe.  The new 'groundskimmer' is a huge craft capable of carrying 500 tonnes of cargo in a single trip. To do this, is uses an effect known as ground effect to trap a cushion of air underneath its giant wing. It would be loaded with containers in compartments inside a wing and loaded via flap doors (inset).

Researchers at Shandong University in China and the University of California, Riverside have developed paper that can be printed with UV light, eliminating the need for ink.

Designed the work like a plant, Silicon Valley startup Omius has developed an AI jacket with slits that automatically open or close to adjust your body temperature.

The warning comes shortly after Florida-based Moon Express announced its plans to set up a mine on the moon to bring back precious resources, including metals and moon rocks.

California-based Uber has filed a patent for a feature that uses the social media profiles of UberPool riders to find mutual connections and interests between them for an easy ice-breaker.

The University of Manchester will brave the frigid environment of Antarctica to search for 'lost' meteorites in 2020. The iron meteorites are believed to hold clues to planetary creation.

Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc, has taken the first step of going public by filing paperwork with the SEC. The firm aims to raise $3 billion in the IPO and will trade on the NYSE as 'SNAP'.

Keen-eyed conspiracy theorists had spotted a strange circular object on Google Earth satellite images of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles earlier this week.

Researchers at Newcastle University found that people who find the sound of chewing, breathing, or numerous other conditions unbearable have a genuine brain abnormality.

Apple has only a two-percent share of the Indian market, well behind rival Samsung on 23 percent, according to research firm Canalys ©SAM PANTHAKY (AFP/File)

Apple is to start making iPhones in India this year, a local government official said Friday, as the company seeks to tap into a booming middle class while sales in China slow.

The strange 'ice cream swirls' at the Martian North Pole

Mars Express has revealed the Red Planet’s north polar ice cap and its distinctive dark spiralling troughs in unprecedented detail.The giant troughs are caused by freezing and melting carbon dioxide, and get their distinctive shape from spiralling winds similar to hurricanes on earth. The mosaic was generated from 32 individual orbit ‘strips’ captured between 2004 and 2010, and covers an area of around a million square kilometres.

Researchers at the University of Bristol suggest picky ants are more helpful to the colony for finding a new nest because they would be more likely to visit more locations before settling.

The University of Oxford found two mechanism involved in decision making. One increases the amount of necessary information need to make a choice and the other lowers the threshold.

The UK Car Park Management (CPM) app allows people to anonymously take a picture of the car and its number plate, send it to the company then collect the fee when it is paid.

Some UK supermarkets, including Tesco and Morrisons, are rationing vegetables and are carrying a notice capping the number of lettuces customers can buy to just three per person.

Researchers recently discovered a solitary ice volcano on the dwarf planet Ceres, but new research suggests there may have been others that slowly disappeared over millions of years.

Cameraman Kim Wolhuter was able to get extremely close to a family of cheetahs and follow their progress for nearly two years. He witnessed their fight for survival as the cubs grew older.

VR Bangers' POV Head Rig is equipped with stereoscopic cameras in the eyes, binaural sound microphones, and multiple cameras across its surface to achieve 4K resolution for 'intimate' moments.

An Australian diver and film-maker recorded the video of the moment an octopus suddenly puffed up, inflating itself with water, off the coast of Melbourne, Australia.

Hubble captures incredible images of 'Rotten Egg' nebula

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the death of a sun-like star, a striking nebula known as the ‘Rotten Egg.’ In the image, the star is seen shooting its outer layers of gas and dust into space as it transforms from a red giant to a planetary nebula. As the process happens rapidly, ‘within just the blink of an eye,’ the astronomers say catching a star in this phase of evolution is extremely rare.

A meteorite found in Africa reveals Mars was home to erupting volcanoes for 2 billion years - nearly half its life. The planet is now said to have the longest-lived volcanoes in the solar system.

A wormhole is a type of bridge that could form when space time is folded. While wormholes have never been observed, A researcher at Ohio State University said that they could exist.

Researchers based at the University of Chicago and Monash University in Australia used the internet to reveal global sleep patterns. They found that Argentina and Spain get the most sleep.

A team of international researchers found that more than 100 of the 229 World Heritage sites are 'rapidly deteriorating' from human activity and forest loss and could soon be damaged beyond repair.

The latest beta release for Android suggests that this feature will soon be available to the app's 600 million global users. Instagram has not yet confirmed its roll out.

In a study on rats by researchers at the Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, the technique was found to encourage them to lower their usage of the deadly drug.

Scientists at Russia's Higher School of Economics have found evidence to show men with shorter index fingers and longer ring fingers are far more likely to achieve financial success.

The Google app just got a little more sophisticated and has introduced a new recipe search feature. The algorithm automatically brings up related search terms like flavours and ingredients.

Inside the BBC's 'Spy in the Wild': Incredible behind-the-scenes footage reveals how the ultra-realistic robots were made

The BBC's innovative 'Spy in the Wild' series ends tonight with a special episode on how they made the show's realistic fake animal cameras. Spy in the Wild deployed over 30 ultra-realistic animatronic Spy Creatures to go undercover in the animal world. The episode airs in the UK tonight at 7.30pm. Pictured is the Spy Pup robot.

Researchers discovered an ‘evolutionary marvel’ that suggests barbeled dragonfish are designed to engulf huge prey, with a joint in the head that allows them to open their mouths terrifyingly wide.

Dubbed asteroid 2017 BS32 - the space rock is believed to be between 11 and 25 metres (36 to 82 feet), or around the size of a double decker bus. It will pass Earth at 20:23 GMT (15:34 ET) today.

The' feature has finally come to the UK after being launched in the US in October 2016. Friends can comment with suggestions on your post and their advice will appear in a map.

Eating a diet rich in vegetable oil could be triggering diseases such as dementia. Nutritionist Dr Catherine Shanahan explains why, and how we can change our diets to avoid further damage.

Dan Giordano, of Bespoke Treatments Physical Therapy, explains how certain sitting positions and lack of blood flow do far more damage to your body shape than you think.

Researchers at Yale University have made a new material from liquid metal and magnetic particles. Researchers can use the material to recreate the powerful magnetic forces at the planet's core.

A new worldwide dating app has been announced that matches you with potential partners based on what you mutually hate. Whether it's slow walkers or butt selfies, there are many topics to pick from.

Researchers from the University of Exeter compared volunteers' movements with those of schizophrenia sufferers to help stop any similarities and potentially provide an early diagnosis.

Keio University discover stray black hole in the Milky Way

It’s thought that there may be as many as 100 million to 1 billion black holes in the Milky Way – but, as light can’t escape from their confines, these objects are extremely difficult to spot. Now, researchers have revealed a new method that could transform the search for black holes. By analyzing the motion in an enigmatic gas cloud, the team discovered signs of a hidden black hole in our galaxy, and they say the method could be used to find others.

Builders laying cables beneath the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, accidentally discovered and opened a Blue Peter time capsule that was buried under the Millennium Dome in 1998.

The 57-year-old Vulcan nuclear bomber - XH558 - flew for the last time in October 2015 after a summer delighting millions of people at air shows and fly-pasts around the UK.

Litter pickers clearing the River Thames said they found 2,500 plastic bottles and also issued a warning over wet wipes and cottonbud sticks which are 'polluting the water in huge numbers'.

Facebook's latest mobile feature, which is set to be rolled out globally, encourages users to swipe through the profiles of people attending the same events as them as well as people they work with.

The new study, published in the Neurology medical journal, reveals simply heading the ball is more likely to lead to injury which increase one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Munich have designed a probe that measures only a few inches and weighs just 100 grams (0.2lbs) that could explore the mysterious Proxima b in a little under 100 years.

An international team has created a blue-phase liquid crystal that will allow screens to pack in more pixels, with potential to achieve three-times the pixel count of Apple’s Retina Display.

Ancient Egyptian scribes may have worshipped baboons

Archaeologists have discovered a new tomb in Thebes, Egypt, belonging to a man described as a 'true renowned scribe', which was intricately decorated with carvings of baboons (main picture). They believe the baboons were the Royal scribe's muse, which is why they have taken pride of place in his tomb. Elsewhere in the tomb were colourful decorations depicting the scribe himself and his wife (inset top left). The hidden tomb was discovered when archaeologists from Waseda University were clearing rubble in the necropolis of Thebes, close to modern day Luxor.

Two luxury electric vehicles — the Tesla Model S and the BMW i3 — have fallen short of getting the highest safety ratings in new crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

DNA from the teeth (pictured) found in an Eastern Russian cave known as Devil's Gate indicates that there was no 'population turnover' in East Asian populations for well over seven millennia.

Researchers from the University of Lincoln say this is the first time the tortoises have been found to exercise judgement on the quality and quantity of food sources, rather than the sole location.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have found that the reason groundhog's emerge from hibernation in early February is to reestablish the bonds necessary for mating.

FILE - This May 13, 2014, file photo shows a row of Google self-driving Lexus cars at a Google event outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. California regulators release safety reports filed by 11 companies that have been testing self-driving car prototypes on public roads on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The papers report the number of times in 2016 that human backup drivers took control from the cars' self-driving software, though companies argue such "disengagements" don't always reflect something going wrong. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Self-driving cars are getting better at negotiating California streets and highways without a human backup driver intervening, according to data made public Wednesday by California regulators.

Tesla Motors announced it has changed its corporate name to 'Tesla Inc' in a SEC filing. The move is to reflect its transformation from an automobile maker to a diversified energy products company.

Snap Inc. is reportedly developing ‘smart lenses’ that let users overlay virtual images and objects on landscapes and interact with them. It's said they are an advanced version of 'world lenses'.

An international team of researchers led by Queen Mary, University of London, analysed the genes of more than 500,000 people to identify the genes that make us little or large.

Vincent van BOT: Pocket-sized doodling robot draws almost 1,000 pre-sales in just 30 hours

The Line-us robot (main picture) was launched on Kickstarter by London-based designers and was fully-funded in just 30 hours. This mini robot is a USB-powered arm that connects to an app on smart phones, computers and tablets. Users can create their own sketches on screen or trace around photos on their device (top left) and the robot, called Line-up will recreate the image using pen and paper. The app also allows sketches to be sent to friends who also have the robot.

The number of people using Facebook monthly increased 17 percent to 1.86 billion ©LOIC VENANCE (AFP/File)

Facebook reported on Wednesday that its profit more than doubled in the final three months of last year as revenues climbed and its user base grew.

A U.S. jury in Texas on Wednesday ordered Facebook, its VR unit Oculus, and others to pay a combined $500 million to ZeniMax, a video game publisher that says Oculus stole its technology.

Researchers from the University of Toronto and the National Central University of Taiwan found a 195-million-year-old dinosaur rib bone with preserved proteins on it.

Backed by investors including controversial Trump backer Peter Thiel, Moon Express hopes to launch its first craft from Cape Canaveral  in Nov. or Dec. 2017 and win the Lunar X-Prize.

The Atlanta Falcons have got a bit of good news thanks to a researcher who went back and analyzed seven seasons of in-game data from every NFL matchup to create a probability model.

The researchers from Florida Atlantic University discovered the population at the 2.2 million acre Lomami National Park in Congo. Dryas monkeys are thought to be nearing extinction.

Amazon is set to open a $1.49 billion cargo air hub in Kentucky to take on FedEx and UPS. The hub will let Amazon handle more in-house shipping, allowing them two weed out third parties.

The whale was in poor condition, and had become stranded in shallow waters off the coast of Western Norway, leading to wardens putting the animal down.

VR hack creates true 'mixed reality': Developers design app that combines HTC Vive and HoloLens to draw objects mid-air

A developer has designed a method that uses a HTC Vive headset and a Microsoft HoloLens headset to create a true 'mixed reality'. Drew Gottlieb designed a new app called HoloViveObserver that lets multiple people see the same virtual world while wearing the headsets. Players have the ability to collaborate using the same app, allowing them to build objects that hover in the air together.

Self-taught photographer Oscar Keserci has taken mesmerising nocturnal images of millions of stars over the island of Rhodes, Greece, and at home near Kirkkonummi, Finland.

Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton have excavated 123 individuals from four cemeteries near the remains of a medieval Christian monastery in Sudan.

The 'dark web' are pages that are hosted by web servers using the anonymous web protocol called Tor. Its original purpose was for good, but has also been used by criminals.

Google is using historical parking data to warn users about the parking situation at their destination. Users just plug their destination into the parking difficulty icon to see a score of 'limited', 'medium' or 'easy'.

British supermarket Ocado is testing a soft robotic hand that picks and packs fruits and vegetables in its warehouses. RBO Hand 2 uses flexible fingers to grasp items and could replace human workers.

The global scam sends users an email, appearing to be from Netflix, which ask them to update their membership details. The email includes a link that shows a fake log-in page.

Researchers from around the world, including a team from Google, have unveiled what they say is the first practical blueprint for the 'holy grail' of computing - a quantum computer.

Archaeologists have discovered more than 25 skeletons in the centre of the Cambridge University campus, and expect to discover dozens or more in the coming weeks.

The incredible image was captured by the JunoCam imager on Nasa's Juno spacecraft on December 11, 2016, as the spacecraft performed a close flyby of the gas giant planet.

A new mathematical tool developed by a researcher at Rockefeller University has revealed the rhythm of electrical activity in the brain as it responds to external stimuli, illustrated in colorful diagrams.

These incredible pictures reveal the strange assortment of plans developers have had to house people or alleviate traffic in the centre of London.

The tricky puzzle was posted on Facebook by Butuan, Philippines-based Keril. So far over 1,500 people have attempted to solve the puzzle, with varying results.

The puzzle, which comes from a new book by London-based Alex Bellos, requires you to transform two triangles made from six matches into four triangles, by moving just two matches.

The Earth’s magnetic field surrounds our planet, protecting life from harmful solar radiation by deflecting charged particles away. Far from being constant, this field is continuously changing.

Researchers from GUARD Archaeology have excavated the Trusty's Hill Fort in Dumfries and Galloway, and believe this could be the elusive kingdom of Rheged.

At the Sun Temple in Colorado, constructed around AD 1200, researchers from Arizona State University have discovered a slew of sophisticated shapes that are still familiar today.

Massive chunks leftover from the formation of the planets may have been to blame, creating craters on Mars and the moon, and ancient scars that have since been erased from Earth’s surface.

A mathematician from Cardiff University claims naturally occurring acoustic-gravity waves (AGWs) could react with a tsunami in a way that forces its energy to spread out, reducing its height.

A researcher from Nottingham Trent University reveals six cosmic catastrophes that could have the potential to destroy Earth including high energy solar flares and an asteroid impact.

The makers of Vespa scooter has built a new two-wheeled vehicle that is not made to carry humans. Called Gita, the cargo robot can haul 40lbs of goods while following behind a human user.

The new picture from the Very Large Telescope uses roughly two billion pictures to display the Cat’s Paw and Lobster nebulae, which sit 5500 and 8000 light-years away from Earth.

The Southern Methodist University has found that a runner's pattern of force application on the ground is due to the motion of two parts of the body, which could help create customized running shoes.

The new images from the Cassini spacecraft provide an unprecedented look at the details of the outer parts of the main rings, revealing a number of interesting features, from ‘straw’ to ‘propellers.’

Researchers at the University of Nottingham, led by Dr Chris King, examined the historic building using 3D scanning lasers.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow played a variety of songs to a group of pets at a rehoming centre in Dumbarton, Scotland.

A UFO hunter claims to have spotted ‘an Iron Man robot’ hitchhiking on Comet 67P. Scott C Waring found the bizarre sighting while examining images from the European Space Agency.

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a transparent swimming robot made from a jelly-like material that can capture goldfish in its embrace (pictured).

Humans have a much longer and wider penis than other great apes. Even the largest of gorillas, more than twice as heavy as a human, has a penis just two and half inches long when erect.

The 'SELFLY' drone phone case was invented by ex-Israeli orthodontist, Hagay Klein. Utilising smart camera technology SELFLY uses high end stabilisation allowing it to autonomously fly.

Researchers from Wits University, in Johannesburg, found evidence for a continental crust beneath Mauritius (pictured), which would have been part of the continent 'Mauritia'.

The skeleton was found in St Mary Magdalen leprosarium near Winchester, Hampshire. University of Winchester scientists say it shows how leprosy spread due to pilgrimages.

Footage captured by the USGS’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reveals the remarkable volcanic ‘firehose’ in action as it produces dangerous blasts that pose a threat both on land and at sea.

The 700 metre long space tether was due to be extended out from a Japanese cargo ship that was launched in December 2016

An experimental 'space junk' collector designed to pull rubbish from the Earth's orbit has run into trouble, Japanese scientists said on Tuesday.

Maps from NASA’s Earth Observatory reveal just how extreme the ice loss could be, with some areas surrounding Camp Century expected to shed 10 or more feet from the surface per year.

The strange object, named 2016 WF9, was discovered last year. Self-proclaimed Russian astronomer Dr Dyomin Damir Zakharovich said it is heading straight towards our planet.

Global brands including FedEx, Carrefour and F1, have hidden symbols within their logos, in a bid to make their brands as memorable as possible.

Teams of students have tested their half scale pod designs in a specially built 1km long SpaceX test track - with Delft University taking first prize.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology inspired by a video of a frog playing a video game have discovered the secret behind a frogs high speed, sticky tongue.

Oxfordshire-based Tokamak Energy's technology revolves around high temperature superconducting magnets, which allow for low-power and small-size devices, but high performance.

NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has captured rare ‘behind-the-limb’ solar flares coming from the far side of the sun. The events occurred on October 11, 2013, January 6 and September 1, 2014.

Leaked footage from the company’s first presentation of Handle reveals a robot that looks like the child of the Atlas bot and a Segway, with self-balancing capabilities to prevent falls.

Researchers at Duke University have identified a part of the brain that lets you 'superfocus' on your environment and ignore distractions.

The European Space Agency says the 50m high dome, close to a planned moonbase near to the moon's south pole, would give the first settlers 'a place of contemplation'.

A stunning new map from Imgur user Fejetlenfej shows the complex network of rivers and streams in the contiguous United States, highlighting the massive expanse of basins across the country.