DoorDash Inc. reported a record number of delivery orders in the second quarter, showing consumers’ commitment to takeout

Discover the most commonly mispronounced tech terms and brand names, and settle once and for all whether it’s ”jif or ”gif.”

Ever wondered why people say they can smell rain before it rains? They are not pulling your leg - there is real science behind it. It is all because of petrichor, made up from the Greek words "petra", meaning stone, and '"ichor", which refers to the golden fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in their mythology. It basically means the the "smell of rain" with the phrase coined by Australian scientists Joy Bear and Richard Thomas in 1964. Jeff Weber, a meteorologist with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Unidata Program Center told the Mirror: "Petrichor is caused by oils derived from plants, primarily leaves, that accumulate over dry periods. These oils settle into soils or onto pavement over time and are released into the atmosphere by being disturbed by rainfall." According to the Met Office, the reason people claim to smell rain because it comes is because "when a higher humidity is experienced as a precursor to rain, the pores of rocks and soil become trapped with moisture forcing some of the oils to be released into the air". Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Despite some being released before it actually rains, the strongest smell is released during. This is when raindrops landing on soil "trap tiny air bubbles on the surface which then shoot upward" and "burst out of the drop throwing aerosols of scent into the air where they are then distributed by the wind". The smell is produced by a soil bacteria which releases a chemical called geosmin, which provides an "earthy", musky or fresh aroma. Before it rains, a person might be able to smell the scent of ozone, or O3, which is a naturally present gas in the atmosphere which gets its name from the Greek word 'ozein', or smell. It sometimes indicate that a storm is on the way because pockets of gas are pushed down to ground level by winds. This means that those who are sensitive to the smells will likely be able to pick them up. So now you know. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

DUBLIN Digital rights group NOYB on Thursday filed a complaint against Ryanair, alleging that the airline is violating

Spotify has increased the subscription prices of its premium plan in many parts of the world, with an individual plan going up by £1 in the UK. The price rise comes following Spotify chief Daniel Ek suggesting during an April earnings call that there could be an increase in subscription fee soon. The changes also come as other streaming platforms, including Netflix and Apple Music raised their subscription prices recently. “The market landscape has continued to evolve since we launched. So that we can keep innovating, we are changing our Premium prices across a number of markets around the world,” the audio steaming giant noted in a blog post on Monday. “These updates will help us continue to deliver value to fans and artists on our platform,” it said. In the US, the company said the premium plan for individuals would now cost $10.99 (£8.55) a month up from the charge of $9.99 (£7.77) it has levied since the platform’s launch in 2011. Along with the price rise for a single individual premium subscription plan, the cost of Duo is increasing from $12.99 (£10.11) to $14.99 (£11.6), and for the Family plan from $15.99 (£12.44) to $16.99 (£13.22), and the one for students from $4.99 (£3.88) to $5.99 (£4.66). “We will raise it and that price increase will go down well because we’re delivering a lot of value for our customers,” Mr Ek said, noting that the changes would happen “when the timing is right.” Spotify said users would be given a “one-month grace period” before the new prices take effect. Other countries where the new price regime will take effect include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland and France, among several others. “Starting from today, existing subscribers in these markets will receive an email explaining what this means for their account,” the company said. “We occasionally update our prices as we continue to innovate and invest in giving you better listening experiences and more value than ever before.” Read More Sony has officially unveiled the new WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds – here’s everything you need to know WWF capitalizes on death of Twitter bird logo to highlight real species facing extinction Watch the moment Twitter blue bird sign is taken down from San Francisco HQ

Embraer says it will build electric aircraft with hopes they will take flight from 2026.

When TVs became popular in the 20th century, some people started calling it ‘the tube.’ That nickname soon spawned an even catchier one: ‘the boob tube.’

Chipotle’s ‘Autocado’ takes the drudgery out of making guacamole.

Spain's antitrust regulator has imposed fines worth a total of €194.1 million ($218 million) on Amazon and Apple for colluding to restrict competition on the Amazon website in Spain.

Eurostar passengers departing from London can avoid one of two manual passport checks through a facial verification system. The launch of the technology at St Pancras station – which also removes the need to scan tickets – is aimed at easing congestion. To participate, passengers must use an app before travel to scan their identity document and verify their face and ticket. At the station they walk in front of a screen and have their face detected. If they are approved they can proceed through doors which open automatically. The SmartCheck system, developed by iProov, is available to Business Premier and Carte Blanche passengers. Users no longer need to have their passports scanned by Eurostar’s UK contractors carrying out exit checks. Bags are still being scanned by security staff and French border officials are continuing to check passports. It emerged earlier this year that Eurostar was being forced to leave hundreds of seats empty on trains to and from London to avoid long queues at stations. The situation has since improved but dozens of seats are not being offered for sale on some services. Enhanced post-Brexit checks carried out by French border officials have significantly increased the time it takes to process passengers at the station. Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave said: “Providing a seamless station experience to our customers is a priority for Eurostar. “We continue looking for solutions to increase capacity in stations and simplify the passengers’ flows. “SmartCheck in St Pancras International station is a solution for a faster and seamless check-in experience. “By introducing SmartCheck, we become the first rail travel operator to adopt biometric face verification. “This innovation will enhance our customer departure journey, which is crucial to provide Eurostar’s unique travel experience.” Andrew Bud, chief executive of iProov, said: “The rollout of SmartCheck in Eurostar’s Business Premier check-in at London St Pancras is significant because it clearly demonstrates how facial biometric technology can be used to manage border control in a smarter and more efficient way, to benefit both organisations and passengers at scale. “By creating a biometric corridor, we are moving security checks away from the station, saving precious time and space at the border, streamlining the boarding process to one that’s far faster, more convenient, less crowded and stressful, yet even more secure.” Heathrow Airport began trialling facial biometric scanners in 2019 but the project was dropped when passenger numbers collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘Hostile states using organised crime gangs as proxies in the UK’ Kim Kardashian, Rylan Clark and Dalai Lama among those joining new app Threads Mastercard helping banks predict scams before money leaves customers’ accounts

If you’re anything like us, the first coffee of the day is the only thing that can get us up on a morning – and it turns out, there’s real science behind it. Everyone knows that coffee can give us a welcome caffeine hit, but it’s now been revealed that the drink also gives us an extra ‘special boost’ too. Scientists have claimed that the act of drinking a cup of joe gives the body a lift, making us more alert, which can’t be replicated merely with caffeine. In fact, new research shows that drinking hot coffee activates additional areas of the brain. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Scientists from the University of Minho in Portugal and elsewhere looked into the effects of coffee outside of just caffeine content as part of a study – and they found that plain caffeine didn’t have the same impact. In fact, a cup of coffee also influenced working memory and goal-directed behaviour. “There is a common expectation that coffee increases alertness and psychomotor functioning. When you get to understand better the mechanisms underlying a biological phenomenon, you open pathways for exploring the factors that may modulate it and even the potential benefits of that mechanism,” study co-author Nuno Sousa explained. Experts said that drinking coffee actually increased the connectivity in the brain’s more advanced nerve network controlling vision, and other parts involved in working memory, cognitive control and goal-directed behaviour – something not found when participants only took caffeine. Researchers also said that if subjects wanted to not just feel alert but ready to go, caffeine alone might not do the job. “Acute coffee consumption decreased the functional connectivity between brain regions of the default mode network, a network that is associated with self-referential processes when participants are at rest,” study co-author Maria Picó-Pérez said. “The subjects were more ready for action and alert to external stimuli after having coffee,” she added. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

LONDON British online supermarket and technology group Ocado said on Monday its first robotic warehouse in Asia, built