Tech and Science Daily | The Standard

We're kicking the week off by reverse-engineering spider silk like it’s no big deal. We’ve got King’s College scientists explaining the tiny “molecular stickers” that help make nature’s toughest fibres… After the break, OpenAI launches Frontier — the latest attempt to turn “AI agents” into something your workplace can actually deploy — plus a gaming exclusivity wrinkle with Nioh 3 and a consumer gadget that looks.... interesting. More at standard.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al’s back with your London-first tech and science sprint. Sutton just waved through a £1bn expansion of the London Cancer Hub — yes, it’s labs, but also somehow a pub and padel court. Then we hit the UK’s Data (Use and Access) Act updates landing today, before a quick detour into a promising new CAR-T-style cancer treatment result (mouse-mode, but still exciting). After the break: NASA’s Artemis II timing, Nintendo’s Partner Showcase, and Google teasing the Pixel 10a with UK pre-orders locked for 18 Feb. More at standard.co.uk — and follow for your weekday briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An AI-enabled stethoscope trial in London aims to catch serious heart problems earlier. England unveils an ambitious cancer plan with long-term survival targets. A major AI safety report warns about deepfakes and growing risks to society. Hints surface about next-gen Xbox timing and silicon. A repairable smartphone promotes longevity over replacement.

For this episode of Brave New World, Evgeny is joined by psychologist, author, and researcher Dr Jim Fadiman, a central figure in the modern understanding of psychedelics, who also goes by the “father of microdosing”.Drawing on decades of research and thousands of user reports, the conversation traces the history of psychedelics - from early scientific study in the 1950s and 60s, through prohibition, to today’s renewed interest in clinical and psychiatric settings. Jim discusses why most formal research has focused on high doses, how observational reports have shaped microdosing research, where evidence is strongest and still emerging.Evgeny and Jim look ahead to the future of psychedelics in medicine, the balance between scientific caution and public interest, and what a first step might look like for someone curious but sceptical. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Leers is on with your weekday tech-and-science fix from London. Today: a new Imperial-led study asks if Boots and Tesco loyalty card data — from consenting volunteers — could help spot early cancer warning signs sooner. Plus, why handwriting is making a comeback (yes, really), Valheim celebrates five years of Viking chaos, and Notepad++ issues a sobering reminder that software updates need proper security behind them. For more, hit standard.co.uk — and follow Tech and Science Daily so you’re never the last to know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Leer is on mic in London, and today’s briefing is basically: cleaner transport, messier politics, and the internet doing internet things. West Ealing to Greenford becomes the unlikely star of the show as a battery-only train starts carrying passengers. Then it’s a UK science funding wobble, before we head online: Google says it’s smashed a massive proxy network, and an antivirus update story proves reality still writes the worst plot twists. In gaming, Apex Legends gives the original Switch an expiry date, and Apple quietly keeps older iPhones on life support — because not everyone’s upgrading every year, are they? More at standard.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TfL’s flirting with the idea of dragging the Overground out to Stevenage — because apparently we’re collecting Hertfordshire now. The Online Safety Act hits a new phase as Pornhub says it’ll block new UK users unless they verify their age, and we look at the bigger question everyone’s dodging: what happens when “free” telly (Freeview) starts to look like an expensive legacy network with a 2034 off-switch looming? After the break, there’s slick global science with a quantum “refrigerator” that turns noise into something useful, a supply-chain cyber story that proves your vendor’s problems become your problems, plus a quick hit of gaming fixes and phone-world chaos — including Nothing taking a rare year off the flagship treadmill. More over at standard.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ starts trialling AI plus robot-guided tools to speed up lung cancer diagnosis — less waiting, more answers. Up the country, the MoD pushes forward “wingman drones” designed to fly alongside Apache helicopters, because 2026 is really leaning into the sci-fi timeline. Then we swerve hard into gaming: Terraria drops its massive Bigger and Boulder update, Steam owner Valve gets pulled into a huge UK lawsuit over pricing and commissions, and Sony adds PS5 read receipts — so now your mates can see you’re ignoring them. More at standard.co.uk — and don’t forget to follow for your next weekday hit! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the NHS is eyeing drones to move urgent pathology samples across south-west London — because the South Circular simply cannot be trusted. We’ve also got a new Oxford estimate putting a chunky price tag on how cold snaps and heat spikes quietly strain the NHS, plus a battery-recycling method that tries to do three jobs at once. Then it’s a quick hop into gaming with Arc Raiders’ latest roadmap, before Apple drops a new AirTag that’s trying to be better at finding your stuff — and worse at finding other people. More on all of it at standard.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got a brand-new hub landing in the capital, while the UK government tries to make public-sector data actually useful, and throws serious horsepower at Cambridge to power it all. Plus: NASA’s Artemis II crew goes into quarantine, because the Moon doesn’t wait for your sniffles. After the break, it’s a reminder to respect your password manager (Under Armour breach), a big AI law move out of South Korea, a chunky Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero patch… and a WhatsApp feature that might finally stop you joining group chats looking lost. More at standard.co.uk, and hit follow for your next weekday briefing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.