Showcase: Tech & Science Daily

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1:06Alan Leer: Hi, and welcome back to The Standard Podcast. I'm Tamara Komornik. For today's episode, we have the inimitable Alan Lear with an episode of Tech and Science Daily. Even if tech isn't your thing, I promise it's worth sticking around for the music. Prepare your ears for a soundscape like no other. And of course, for all the latest news, head to standard.co.uk. Enjoy.

1:36So this morning I've been looking into the tech that the internet is built on, and I've realised terabits kind of sounds like a cereal. I mean, maybe I'm just hungry.

1:48This is Tech and Science Daily from The Standard. I'm Alan Lear. Coming up today, we've got London Research hitting a new internet speed milestone, fresh UK online safety reporting rules, and a gaming headline that's basically, welcome to the party, for like a whole new console crowd. As always, for all your latest news, head over to standard.co.uk. Alright, let's get into it.

2:17Let's start in London. A team involving UCL researchers has set a new fiber optic data speed record, that's 450 terabits per second, still sounds like a, never mind, using an existing commercially installed fiber link. The key bit is existing fiber. You might remember a story a little while ago I was talking about where it looks like there could be some new products coming. Well, this is kind of a test of what happens if you put super, super, super fuzz internet through existing infrastructure, which is actually really quite exciting. everything nowadays stacks on top of this cloud connections ar workload the nhs moving scans around universities shifting huge data sets and yeah your very normal evening of streaming while someone else is on the playstation so you know this can only be a positive thing

3:12all right why the uk and this one is quite a serious one from yesterday april 7th lots of online services in the scope of the Online Safety Act have a new duty to report detected child sexual exploitation and abuse content to the National Crime Agency using its reporting portal. This is part of the shift away from nice promises and to actual legit legal obligations. And it's a reminder that online safety isn't just about arguments over screen time, it's also about whether platforms are forced to actually act when the worst kind of stuff shows up. If reporting becomes consistent and enforced, it can speed up investigations and reduce how long harmful content stays in circulation.

3:56The big question, as always, is whether platforms do the hard work properly or try to gain the minimum.

4:07Okay, one global science headline before we break. Researchers have identified what The Guardian calls a kind of neural fingerprint for psychedelic drugs using analysis across hundreds of brain scans with patterns that show increased crosstalk between brain networks. This doesn't magically turn psychedelics into a universal cure-all, but it does give scientists a clearer, this is what the brain is actually doing readout, which does matter when you're trying to design safer, more targeted treatments. And yes, being more connected sounds absolutely lovely until you remember group chats exist.

4:45All right, I'm going to stretch my legs, but after the break, gaming's big console shake-up, plus what to do if phone prices keep creeping up.

5:03Hello, welcome back. This is Tech and Science Daily from The Standard. Let's get into gaming.

5:12it's a headline a lot of people have been waiting for i have mentioned it previously on this pod starfield is now out on playstation 5 which means a whole new wave of players finally get access and it's not just a straight port from one to the other the free lanes update also drops across platforms at the same time with some new story dlc called terran amada this is kind of the modern console error in a nutshell, isn't it? Exclusives, not always saying exclusive. Launch day being kind of hyped, but then loads of story DLC and loads of updates being released later. It's all kind of getting a bit blurry and I think maybe in the best way possible.

5:48Also, Starfield's great. You should give it a go.

6:02Now, back to global tech with the kind of story that keeps security people awake most of the night. Nature has been tracking how recent quantum computing breakthroughs are starting to look like real world risks for cyber security because the stronger the quantum hardware gets the closer we get to breaking older forms of encryption which I'm sure I don't need to over explain how drastic that would actually be. No panic shopping for tinfoil hats required just yet but it does raise the pressures on governments and companies to move faster on post-quantum cryptography. Which is now one of my favourite phrases in the world, by the way.

6:38Post-quantum cryptography. I mean, like, that just sounds cool.

6:47And finally, consumer tech, because we all live in the UK where your phone bill feels a little bit like a subscription to having a phone bill. which has warned that smartphone prices are likely to keep rising and their advice is basically don't get hypnotized by all of the shiny launches buying a slightly older model can be the smartest value move it's especially true if all you really want is a solid camera a decent battery and a screen that doesn't look like it's been dropped in a mosh pit if it helps next time you're tempted by the new thing just ask yourself one question am i paying for features or am i paying for the feeling of being an early adopter absolutely no problem with either as long as it's within your means but you know ask yourself the question i as someone who has a house full of tech and vr products i've probably used a handful of times i think i sit on the early adopter side uh with some shame definitely with some shame

7:47nice fiber just leveled up platform just got a legal shove your brain just got studied in 4d and Starfields all popping up like, hey, you're busy now. Sounds like that's our lot for today. As always, get all your latest news over at standard.co.uk and chuck us a follow. There's a button somewhere and if you click it, I'll just be there like all the time. I mean, in a good way. This has been Tech Insights Daily from The Standard. I've been Alan Lear. I'm off to go and pay for some features I don't use, like the irresponsible adult I truly am. If you're on the tube, good luck and godspeed. Catch you tomorrow.

8:50We'll be right back. Friday and Saturday only at Darvin. Restrictions apply. See you store for details.