Share

cover art for Strongest signs of alien life on distant ocean-covered planet

Tech and Science Daily | The Standard

Strongest signs of alien life on distant ocean-covered planet

Season 1

Have scientists discovered aliens? Astronomers believe they have discovered the strongest signs of life on a distant ocean-covered planet far beyond our solar system.


We hear from the co-author of the report, Dr Subhajit Sarkar, lecturer in Astrophysics at Cardiff University.


Also in this episode:

  • US stocks of Nvidia slump following new restrictions on China exports
  • The UK government places a temporary ban on tourists returning with cheese and meat products to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease
  • London scientists grow human teeth in a lab - could this see the end of fillings and implants?
  • Rare otter sighting recorded in Canary Wharf in sign of species 'remarkable' recovery
  • London Zoo announces a special trio of hatched ‘Easter’ eggs…


More episodes

View all episodes

  • TfL’s new bus shelters, Apple & Google app store shake-up, and gene-edited moths, plus Helldivers 2 update

    06:01||Season 1
    TfL starts trialling new bus shelter designs across the city — brighter, safer, and hopefully less bleak in the rain. Then the UK competition regulator gets Apple and Google to commit to fairer app store rules, before we head to Exeter where scientists are gene-editing wax moths to speed up infection research and tackle antimicrobial resistance. After the break: an ancient fossil find that rewrites early plant-eaters on land, a fresh Helldivers 2 update, and a quick word for iPhone owners if iOS is acting up. More at standard.co.uk.
  • PlayStation’s hour-long State of Play, UK universities warned on foreign interference, and the botnet lurking in your living room

    05:52||Season 1
    Today on Tech and Science Daily from The Standard: the UK sets out new measures aimed at protecting universities from foreign interference, as concerns grow about pressure on researchers and sensitive collaboration. Plus, a record-setting DDoS attack is linked to the AISURU/Kimwolf botnet — a reminder that insecure everyday devices can end up powering serious cyber disruption. And in gaming, Sony confirms a 60+ minute State of Play landing this week, with major updates expected for the PS5 slate. We also look to science, with new research pointing to an empty lava tube beneath Venus, and a fresh method for measuring energy loss in nanoscale systems that could help shape future electronics.
  • London spider silk breakthrough, OpenAI Frontier AI agents, Nioh 3 exclusivity twist, and JLab’s speaker-headphones

    05:39||Season 1
    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.
  • London’s £1bn Cancer Hub green light, UK data-law changes, Artemis II window, Nintendo Partner Showcase and Pixel 10a tease

    07:14||Season 1
    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.
  • London AI Stethoscope Trial, England’s New Cancer Plan, AI Safety Report, Next-Gen Xbox Hints, and Fairphone 6

    06:14||Season 1
    Today: a Lancet study puts an AI stethoscope through its paces in 205 London GP surgeries — aiming to catch serious heart conditions earlier. The government’s dropped a brand-new National Cancer Plan for England, with big survival targets and big promises. Plus, the International AI Safety Report 2026 lands with fresh warnings about deepfakes and rising risk… before we lighten it up with a next-gen Xbox timeline tease and a look at the Fairphone 6, built for people who’d rather repair than replace. More at standard.co.uk.
  • Brave New World Preview

    12:02||Season 1
    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.
  • Boots loyalty card data study aims to spot cancer sooner, Valheim turns 5

    07:06||Season 1
    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.
  • West London’s rapid-charge battery train, UK science funding row, Google proxy takedown, Apex on Switch, and Apple’s old-iPhone updates

    07:36||Season 1
    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.
  • TfL’s Overground Push to Stevenage, Pornhub Blocks New UK Users, Is Freeview Ending in 2034?

    08:09||Season 1
    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.