Tesla's Autopilot is about to get a major update.

Tesla officially starts rollout of Full Self-Driving beta

Easy Does It

Tesla CEO Elon Musk just announced on Twitter that the electric car company's Full Self-Driving Beta update is officially being rolled out.

Tesla Officially Starts Rollout of Full Self-Driving Beta

"Will be extremely slow and cautious, as it should."

Tumbling Magnetic Microrobots In Vivo

"Moving a robot around the colon is like using the people-walker at an airport to get to a terminal faster."

Scientists drive tiny robot around inside living butthole

Butthole Surfers

In a world's first, a team of scientists at Purdue University has built a tiny flipping microrobot that can be operated inside a colon of a living animal.

Scientists Drive Tiny Robot Around Inside Living Butthole

Its inventors say that a living colon is "rough terrain."

The cyberattack that disrupted the opening ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Games "combined the emotional maturity of a petulant child with the hacking skills of a nation state."

US indicts Russia for some of the biggest cyberattacks in recent history

Finger Pointing

US prosecutors have charged six Russian intelligence officers for being involved in several major cyberattacks, including disrupting the 2018 Olympic Games.

US Indicts Russia for Some of the Biggest Cyberattacks in Recent History

It's the first time criminal charges have been made.

"Maybe under the ice of Europa or extremophile bacteria below the surface of Mars."

Elon Musk: "Doesn’t seem to be any life in this solar system"

Sir!

"Doesn't seem to be any life in this solar system," billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote in a recent tweet, responding to fan mail from a 13-year-old.

Elon Musk: “Doesn’t Seem to Be Any Life in This Solar System”

So you're telling me there's still a chance?

"We could be looking at around 100,000 years before an explosion happens."

Astronomers: This star isn't as giant as we thought, just closer

Betelgeuse Betelgeuse Betelgeuse

For years, astronomers have been speculating that Betelgeuse was about to explode in a supernova. But such an event could still be a long way off.

Astronomers: This Star Isn’t As Giant As We Thought, Just Closer

Oops! Objects in telescope may be closer than they appear.

Mars won't be this close to us again for another 15 years.

Mars is so close this week that you can see its surface from your backyard

Pale Red Dot

Mars was in opposition while passing near Earth this week, so space photographers had a field day with the rare occurrence.

Mars Was so Close This Week That You Can See Its Surface From Your Backyard

Here are our favorite shots.

"I will tell you this: We have now created a military the likes of which we have never had before."

Trump implies that the US military could defeat aliens if they show up

Oh God

In a Fox News interview over the phone on Sunday, Trump was asked why the Department of Defense has set up a UFO task force. His answer was perplexing.

Trump Implies That the US Military Could Defeat Aliens If They Show Up

Trump is going to have "a good, strong look" to see if there are UFOs.

"You just assign a prior probability to each of these models."

Columbia professor: There's a 50% chance we're living in a simulation

I Know Kung Fu

Columbia University astronomer David Kipping argues that there's about a 50-50 chance we are living inside a simulation, but we don't know for sure.

Columbia Professor: There’s a 50% Chance We’re Living in a Simulation

He did the math.

The more pieces of debris in orbit, the higher the chance of a collision.

Space debris trackers warn of "explosions in orbit"

1-800 Space Junk

The European Space Agency's Space Debris Office is warning that the risk of space debris explosions in orbit is on the rise.

Space Debris Trackers Warn of “Explosions in Orbit”

"The biggest contributor to the current space debris problem is explosions in orbit."

Waymo One is opening to the public — and won't have anyone behind the wheel.

Waymo ditches human safety drivers in its self-driving taxis

Empty Seat

The autonomous vehicle company Waymo just announced that its self-driving taxi service Waymo One is opening up to the public.

Waymo Ditches Human Safety Drivers in Its Self-Driving Taxis

"As of yesterday, we've returned with 100% fully driverless for the near term."

How to use the Bathroom in Space

Watch an astronaut show you how to poop in space

Space Toilet Demo

In a recent video, International Space Station crew member Chris Cassidy demonstrated how to do your business in microgravity.

Watch an Astronaut Show You How to Poop in Space

It's still "one of the most frequent questions we get about life on Space Station."

"One of the driving points of this mission is that these asteroids could have delivered some of the precursor organic matter that gave rise to [life on] Earth."

NASA spacecraft finds evidence of ancient rivers on asteroid

Soggy Past

Scientists have found that asteroid Bennu's parent body, likely a proto-planet, was covered in a massive "hydrothermal system of water."

NASA Spacecraft Finds Evidence of Ancient Rivers on Asteroid

The team is calling it a "major scientific triumph" for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission.

"We wouldn't feel anything because we wouldn't exist, we wouldn't survive it, we would be broken down into our fundamental pieces."

Nobel Prize winner on falling into a black hole: "I would not want to"

Congrats!

American astronomer Andrea Ghez just won this year's Nobel prize in physics for her groundbreaking work on black holes, only the fourth woman to do so.

Nobel Prize Winner on Falling Into a Black Hole: “I Would Not Want To”

I mean, same.

Famous doctor: COVID-19 reinfection rates are actually "very reassuring"

What Are The Odds

Dr. Eric Topol says that, based on existing numbers, the odds of catching COVID-19 a second time after recovering are about one in a million.

Famous Doctor: COVID-19 Reinfection Rates Are Actually “Very Reassuring”

More on coronavirus reinfection: <a href="https://futurism.com/neoscope/woman-dies-catching-covid19-twice">Woman Dies After Catching COVID-19 a Second Time</a>

Developments

"There may be more but [reinfection] appears to be exceedingly rare to date, like ~1 in a million."

It suggests a potential roadmap toward more specific, controlled, LSD microdoses.

Study: Microdosing LSD improves mood and cognition

Brain Booster

A placebo-controlled study identified which impacts of microdosing LSD, from improved focus to anxiety, emerge at which dosages.

Study: Microdosing LSD Improves Mood and Cognition

More on microdosing: <a href="https://futurism.com/neoscope/research-lsd-microdoses-effective-opioids-pain">Research: LSD Microdoses as Effective as Opioids at Treating Pain</a>

Rx/Medicines

Here are the doses they tried.

"But the fact is: They're not dying from that preexisting condition."

Scientists: Yes, the COVID-19 death toll is really that high

Debunking Conspiracies

Scientists are certain that the U.S. COVID-19 death toll is well over 200,000 lives. Conspiracy theories attempting to minimize deaths are easily debunked.

Scientists: Yes, the COVID-19 Death Toll Is Really That High

READ MORE: <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/debunking-the-false-claim-that-covid-death-counts-are-inflated/">Debunking the False Claim That COVID Death Counts Are Inflated</a> [Scientific American]

More on the pandemic: <a href="https://futurism.com/neoscope/trump-fauci-disaster-fauci-pandemic-not-over">Trump: Fauci&#8217;s a &#8216;Disaster.&#8217; Fauci: Pandemic&#8217;s Not Over</a>

The attempts to minimize the pandemic's impact don't hold water at all.

Cancer researchers discover new salivary gland

"It seems like they may be onto something."

Scientists claim to discover new organ in human skull

I Spy

New high-resolution brain scans enabled doctors to discover a new organ hiding in the human skull: a fourth pair of salivary glands.

Scientists Claim to Discover New Organ in Human Skull

READ MORE: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/health/saliva-glands-new-organs.html">Doctors May Have Found Secretive New Organs in the Center of Your Head</a> [The New York Times]

More on neuroscience: <a href="https://futurism.com/neoscope/new-method-measure-consciousness">Scientists Claim New Method Can Measure Consciousness</a>

Neuroscience/Brain Science

"If it's real, it could change the way we look at disease in this region."

Watch a Cruise Autonomous Vehicle Drive an Hour Continuously

The car repeatedly accelerates into an intersection while other vehicles are crossing.

Videos of GM's driverless cars show several near-crashes

Ride The Brakes

Video footage of GM's driverless cars shows some troubling behavior as well as multiple near-accidents on public streets.

Videos of GM’s Driverless Cars Show Several Near-Crashes

They're months old, but it's troubling to see this on public streets.

Machine learning could be used to solve decades-old mysteries.

MIT invents AI that could be used to decipher ancient languages

Decipher AI

A team of researchers at MIT have created an AI that is capable of automatically deciphering long lost languages.

MIT Invents AI to Decipher Ancient Languages

Countless languages haven't been spoken in millennia, but AI could uncover their mysteries.

"We’re now approaching the technological threshold where the little guys can do it to the big guys."

Activists build facial recognition to ID cops who hide their badges

Role Reversal

A growing number of activists are training new facial recognition algorithms to ID cops who hide their names while cracking down on protests.

Activists Build Facial Recognition to ID Cops Who Hide Their Badges

"Knowing who the officers are seems like a baseline."

What does putting worms on a speaker have to do with connecting our brains to computers?

Scientist: Please stop laughing at my research about placing earthworms on loudspeakers

Worm Town

A scientist who won an Ig Nobel for his work on vibrating earthworms with a speaker say their research may be the key to brain-computer interface.

Tesla Officially Starts Rollout of Full Self-Driving Beta

"Will be extremely slow and cautious, as it should."

The Latest

Scientists Drive Tiny Robot Around Inside Living Butthole

US Indicts Russia for Some of the Biggest Cyberattacks in Recent History

Elon Musk: “Doesn’t Seem to Be Any Life in This Solar System”

Astronomers: This Star Isn’t As Giant As We Thought, Just Closer

Mars Was so Close This Week That You Can See Its Surface From Your Backyard

Trump Implies That the US Military Could Defeat Aliens If They Show Up

Columbia Professor: There’s a 50% Chance We’re Living in a Simulation

Space Debris Trackers Warn of “Explosions in Orbit”

Waymo Ditches Human Safety Drivers in Its Self-Driving Taxis

Watch an Astronaut Show You How to Poop in Space

NASA Spacecraft Finds Evidence of Ancient Rivers on Asteroid

Nobel Prize Winner on Falling Into a Black Hole: “I Would Not Want To”

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Our Top Stories

Famous Doctor: COVID-19 Reinfection Rates Are Actually “Very Reassuring”

Famous Doctor: COVID-19 Reinfection Rates Are Actually “Very Reassuring”

Famous Doctor: COVID-19 Reinfection Rates Are Actually “Very Reassuring”