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Buildings will be the most difficult innovation challenge of the climate crisis, Bill Gates has said.The Microsoft founder made the prediction during a “fireside chat” at the GeekWire Summit last week. While he supports renewable energy projects like solar and wind and the shift to electric vehicles, it is in the construction of new buildings where Mr Gates believes there is a big hurdle to overcome:  Emissions from the manufacture of cement and steel.He said: “We don’t have a way of making cement that doesn’t involve substantial emissions.”Read moreIndustrial processes, like those used to make building materials, produce more than a fifth of global emissions. “Without innovation, there’s no way. Fortunately, innovation, although it’s hard to predict,  across about 10 different areas, if we have those innovations, we can do very well,” Mr Gates said.The billionaire was an early backer of Heliogen, a clean energy company looking at how solar power might achieve the high-temperatures needed to produce steel and cement.In his GatesNotes blog on Monday, Mr Gates announced the release of his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, slated for February 2021.“It’s inspiring to see so much passion these days for dealing with climate change, and to know that the world has set some ambitious goals for solving it. What we need now are practical plans to reach those goals,” he wrote. The book will be a culmination of his 10 years of studying climate change with experts and investing in innovations, he wrote.“I hope to explain the science in a clear and compelling way,” he added.”I’ll also propose a plan for what we need to do over the next decade and beyond to build the tools that will help us eliminate greenhouse gas emissions while scaling up the powerful solutions we already have.“And I’ll suggest some concrete steps that individuals, governments, and companies can take to make it happen.”

A new lawsuit – the biggest antitrust case since a crackdown on Microsoft more than 20 years ago – says that the company has used its dominance over online search and advertising to stifle competition and harm consumers.The case was hailed by lawmakers, who desired the company as a “behemoth”. “It has maintained its monopoly power through exclusionary practices that are harmful to competition,” said US deputy attorney general Jeff Rosen.But Google hit back against the case, calling the US government’s accusations wrong.“Today’s lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed,” the company wrote in a tweet.”People use Google because they choose to – not because they’re forced to or because they can’t find alternatives.”Read moreLawmakers and consumer advocates have long accused Google, whose corporate parent Alphabet has a market value just over $1 trillion, of abusing its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and boost its profits. Critics contend that multibillion-dollar fines and mandated changes in Google’s practices imposed by European regulators in recent years weren’t severe enough and that structural changes are needed for Google to change its conduct.The Justice Department isn’t seeking specific changes in Google’s structure or other remedies at this point, but isn’t ruling out seeking additional relief, officials said.Google responded immediately via tweet: “Today’s lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed. People use Google because they choose to – not because they’re forced to or because they can’t find alternatives.”The case was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. It alleges that Google uses billions of dollars collected from advertisers to pay phone manufacturers to ensure Google is the default search engine on browsers. Eleven states, all with Republican attorneys general, joined the federal government in the lawsuit.But several other states demurred. The attorneys general of New York, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah released a statement Monday saying they have not concluded their investigation into Google and would want to consolidate their case with the DOJ’s if they decided to file.”It’s a bipartisan statement,” said spokesman Fabien Levy of the New York State attorney general’s office. “There’s things that still need to be fleshed out, basically.”President Donald Trump’s administration has long had Google in its sights. One of Trump’s top economic advisers said two years ago that the White House was considering whether Google searches should be subject to government regulation. Trump has often criticized Google, recycling unfounded claims by conservatives that the search giant is biased against conservatives and suppresses their viewpoints, interferes with U.S. elections and prefers working with the Chinese military over the Pentagon.Rosen told reporters that allegations of anti-conservative bias are “a totally separate set of concerns” from the issue of competition.Google controls about 90% of global web searches. The company has been bracing for the government’s action and is expected to fiercely oppose any attempt to force it to spin off its services into separate businesses.The company, based in Mountain View, California, has long denied the claims of unfair competition. Google argues that although its businesses are large, they are useful and beneficial to consumers. It maintains that its services face ample competition and have unleashed innovations that help people manage their lives.Most of Google’s services are offered for free in exchange for personal information that helps it sell its ads. Google insists that it holds no special power forcing people to use its free services or preventing them from going elsewhere.Additional reporting by agencies

The test of the Starship prototype, known as SN8 or Serial Number 8, takes it one step closer towards a 15 kilometer test flight that is set to happen later this month or in early November.The test took place at 3:13am local time in South Texas, and although the company did not immediately confirm the results it appeared successful.While SpaceX has conducted a number of Static Fire tests with these prototypes, it is the first time three Raptors have been fired together.They produced a large fireball, indicative of a ‘preburner’ ignition test, Teslarati reports.Read moreThe Raptor relies on a ‘full-flow staged combustion’ cycle (FFSC). The benefits of these cycles are that the turbines run cooler and at a lower pressure, which means the engines have a longer lifespan and a higher reliability.However, it is more complex to engineer two preburners compared to a single-shaft combustion cycle.The Raptor’s combustion needs to ignite oxygen and methane in the combustion chamber, with challenges coming from turning the liquid methane and oxygen into hot gas immediately.This means that SpaceX has usually tested each engine’s preburner separately before the engine ignition test; this new test is SpaceX’s first multi-engine ignition event for the Raptors.Moreover, its use of liquid oxygen and methane propellant means, should it reach a future Mars mission, it would be able to use resources from the Red Planet to return to Earth or continue further into space, Inverse reports.The vehicle will have six Raptor engines when it is completed; three optomised for thrust at sea-level, and three more with bigger nozzles which are designed to move the craft through the vacuum of space, according to Ars Technica.Work is now continuing to develop the SN8 so that it would be capable for a higher flight. SpaceX needs to add a nose cone and flaps to the tank system, making the vehicle look closer to its final form.Eventually it should be able to reach altitudes of 20 kilometers.In September, SpaceX also tested SN6 and SN5 prototypes. The SN6 lifted off from a launchpad and flew 150 metres before landing on a separate pad at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility.“Starship SN6 flew a similar hop to SN5, but it was a much smoother and faster operation,” Musk tweeted at the time. “Turns out you can make anything fly haha.”The spacecraft will eventually be able to carry up to 100 people and will be used to ferry astronauts and cargo around the Solar System, according to Musk.Musk has also claimed that the ship could land on the Moon as early as 2024, which is when Nasa’s Artemis mission is set to put the first woman on the moon. 

The latest Instagram update will allow companies to chat with users through direct messages, the photo sharing app has announced.The Facebook-owned app will add support to allow brands and businesses to connect with users through live customer service representatives, with Adidas, H&M and Michael Kors among those who have already signed up.The feature had already been introduced to the Facebook Messenger app and Instagram’s system operates on the same platform.“The new API features enable businesses to integrate Instagram messaging with their preferred business applications and workflows, helping drive more meaningful conversations, increase customer satisfaction and grow sales,” Marion Boiteux, product manager at Messenger, wrote in a post introducing the tool.“Instagram is a place for emerging culture and trend creation, and discovering new brands is a valuable part of this experience.”Read moreConversations between businesses and users of Instagram and Messenger have grown by over 40 per cent over the last year, according to Facebook’s own figures.It marks a steady shift away from the user-led experience that saw it explode in popularity in its early years.When Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, the app had no way of making money but has since morphed into a revenue juggernaut raking in billions through advertising and partnerships.Brands have capitalised on the monetisation opportunities afforded to them in recent years and the latest update will further solidify their presence and dependence on Facebook-owned apps.“Instagram is a platform for community building, and we’ve long approached it as a way for us to connect with our customers in a place where they are already spending a lot of their time,” a spokesperson for Michael Kors’ marketing department said.“With the newly launched Messenger API support for Instagram, we are now able to increase efficiency, drive even stronger user engagement, and easily maintain a two-way dialogue with our followers.”