Tech & Science Daily podcast: Could we see a UK digital pound?

FILE PHOTO: Illustration shows representations of cryptocurrencies
REUTERS

The UK government is laying down the groundwork for a possible national cryptocurrency, or ‘digital pound’.

China has already begun piloting its own digital currency and the European Central Bank is also looking at a digital euro.

The UK finance ministry is due to launch a public consultation on the subject in the coming weeks.

All flights across the US were grounded on Wednesday, due to a glitch in the Federal Aviation Administration’s computer system.

It was thought that there was a problem with the Notice to Air Missions System or ‘NOTAM’ which is used to warn pilots about potential hazards on a flight.

The FAA has ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time - 2pm in the UK - to allow them time to ‘validate the integrity of flight and safety information.’

Two experts from the City University of London told Tech & Science Daily, Virgin Orbit’s failed mission which launched from Newquay Airport in Cornwall on Monday, should not be seen entirely as a negative.

Professor Richard Curran and Professor David Stupples said much of the mission was successful, and they don’t believe it will impact the UK’s ambition to hold more space launches in future.

A UN-backed panel of experts says the ozone layer is ‘healing’, and could be completely healed within 40 years.

The scientific panel has revealed the success of the Montreal Protocol, a treaty which has resulted in nearly 99% of ozone-depleting substances being phased out since 1989.

And the rest

Study finds male and female gibbons sing duets in time with each other, research has found blood markers ‘may reveal rare form of Alzheimer’s 10 years before symptoms’, Parler’s future is in doubt after its parent company laid off a majority of its staff, and a hungry seal has forced the closure of a lake in Essex after eating £3,000 worth of fish.

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