LATEST TECH NEWS: Google launches search feature to aggregate short videos. 1 other thing and a trivia you need to know today, December 30, 2020

These latest stories from the tech space will keep you updated with trends today.

1. Google launches search feature to aggregate short videos

Tech giant Google has reportedly launched a new feature that will surface Instagram and TikTok videos on its dedicated carousel.

According to reports, the development comes as a move to help the company retain users on its mobile app during search of social video entertainment.

The new launch has been described as an expansion on an earlier test launch when Google had first introduced a carousel of “Short Videos” within Google Discover.

The Google Discover feature is said to be the personalized feed found in the Google mobile app which is to the left of the home screen on some Android devices.

However, Google has clarified that the new “Short Videos” carousel is different from Google’s Stories, which rolled out in October 2020.

Google explained: “Those “Stories” — previously known as “AMP Stories” — consist of short-form video content created by Google’s online publishing partners like Forbes, USA Today, Vice, Now This, Bustle, Thrillist and others.”

Adding that: “The “Short Videos” carousel had been focused on aggregating social video from other platforms, including Google’s own short-form video project Tangi, Indian TikTok competitor Trell, as well as Google’s own video platform, YouTube.

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Tech Trivia:

Which of the following ecommerce solutions was built by Nigerians?

A. Ebay
B. Amazon
C. Listbuy
D. Alibaba

Answer: See end of post.

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2. DNA testing company 23andMe raises $82.5 million in new funding

23andMe, leading DNA testing technology company, has raised a $82.5 million in new funding.

The raiser is from an offering of $85 million in total equity shares.

Read also: LATEST TECH NEWS: Kenya’s MarketForce launches “Troops” project. 2 other things and a trivia you need to know today, December 28, 2020

Confirmed by the Wall Street Journal, the raiser comes from investors including Sequoia Capital and NewView Capital, bringing the total raised by 23andMe to date to over $850 million.

According to the company, the funding will be used to fund and grow the business.

Operating as a DNA technology company, the startup pitches to individuals to improve their health, and garner more knowledge about their ancestry and family tree.

Today, the company has also turned its attention to conducting research based on the data it has collected in aggregate, both for its own studies including a recent one that examined how genetic markers could affect a person’s susceptibility to COVID-19.

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Tech Trivia Answer: Listbuy

Listbuy is a social commerce platform, built by Nigerian techprenuers, that enables small businesses and individuals create and share their online stores, accept payment and allow users ship products to their customers seamlessly, and on the go.

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