the digest (Page 138)

Latest in the digest

The US Army recently showed off its new set of night vision goggles — and they're straight out of a video game.

The Army’s New Night Vision Goggles Let Soldiers Look Around Corners

By Victor Tangermann

In a move that makes the game a bit more appropriate to our current reality, "Plague Inc" made a mode where players stop rather than spread a pandemic.

Science & Energy

Reading the Room, “Plague Inc” Makes Game About Stopping Pandemics

By Dan Robitzski

A researcher told Agence France Presse that small laser pointers could be used to guide lightning strikes and thereby prevent them from igniting wildfires.

Science & Energy

Scientists Say Laser Device Can Make Lightning Strike Specific Targets

By Victor Tangermann

Cosmetics company L'Oreal has announced a lineup of augmented reality filters they're branding as "virtual makeup."

Virtual Reality

Cosmetics Company Announces “Virtual Makeup” for Video Calls

By Victor Tangermann

Scientists quickly set their sights on an unusual neutron star merger that had an explosion ten times more powerful than expected and created a magnetar.

Science & Energy

Scientists Are Pretty Sure They Just Saw Two Stars Crash Into Each Other

By Dan Robitzski

Microsoft Begs Gamers Not to Blow Vape Smoke Into the New Xbox

By Victor Tangermann

The U.S. Space Force just awarded its third contract for a prototype communications satellite that can block jamming attempts better than existing networks.

The Space Force Is Building Satellites That Resist Jamming

By Dan Robitzski

Ahead of SpaceX's historic Crew-1 launch, onlookers at the John F. Kennedy Space Center are getting an amazing view of the rocket.

Crew Dragon Looks Amazing on the Launch Pad

By Victor Tangermann

Astrophysicist Janna Levin makes getting gobbled up by a black hole sound almost beautiful, up until the point that it isn't.

Science & Energy

This Physicist’s Description of Falling Into a Black Hole is Surprisingly Poetic

By Dan Robitzski

Distant supernova explosions seem to line up with spikes in radioactivity recorded in old tree rings, showing how cosmic events can alter our planet.

New Research: Supernovas Leave Traces in Tree Rings Here on Earth

By Dan Robitzski

President-elect Joe Biden recently named his agency review teams, one of which will bring him up to speed on all things NASA.

Biden Names NASA Transition Team

By Dan Robitzski

The First Selfie Ever Taken in Space Is For Sale

The First Selfie Ever Taken in Space Is For Sale

By Victor Tangermann

Japanese officials granted final approval to bring one of the nuclear reactors damaged by a 2011 tsunami and earthquake back online.

Japan Is Bringing One of Its Tsunami-Damaged Nuclear Reactors Back Online

By Dan Robitzski

Honda just became the first automaker to be awarded clearance to sell Level 3 autonomous vehicles, which it plans to do in Japan this year.

Self-Driving Vehicles

Honda Cleared to Begin Selling First Level 3 Autonomous Cars

By Dan Robitzski

A company called Nanoracks has a plan to gather up orbital space junk and convert it into new space stations through in-orbit manufacturing.

Space Company Wants to Turn Orbital Junk Into Space Stations

By Dan Robitzski

NASA has officially certified the first commercial spacecraft system capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

NASA Officially Certifies SpaceX For Human Space Travel

By Victor Tangermann

In a video missive, Pope Franics urged Catholics to pray that AI developers build tools that help humanity rather than exploit it.

Artificial Intelligence

The Pope Is Praying for AI That Serves Humanity

By Dan Robitzski

SpaceX has fired up the three rocket engines of its Starship SN8 prototype for the second time last night at its testing facilities in Boca Chica, Texas.

Watch SpaceX Fire Up the Mighty Engines of Starship SN8

By Victor Tangermann

NASA astronaut and mission commander Mike Hopkins will have to sleep in SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule while on board the ISS.

The Space Station Is About to Be so Crowded That One Astronaut Will Have to Sleep in the SpaceX Capsule

By Victor Tangermann

The U.S. Army is developing a series of Robotic Combat Vehicles armed with powerful weapons that can semi-autonomously navigate a battlefield.

US Army Readies Robot Tanks Fitted With Chainguns, Missile Launchers

By Dan Robitzski

NASA scientists think that Jupiter's moon Europa might glow in the dark and that by measuring that glow they can detect what's hidden in its oceans.

Science & Energy

NASA Project Could Peer Inside Europa to Find Alien Life

By Dan Robitzski

Metalysis, a UK-based engineering firm, has signed a contract with the European Space Agency to investigate ways to extract breathable air from Moon dust.

New Technique Claims to Extract Breathable Oxygen From Moon Dust

By Victor Tangermann

The universe has been steadily heating over billions of years due to the violent process of dragging matter together into new galaxies.

The Universe Is Getting Steadily Hotter, According to New Research

By Dan Robitzski

A top British general speculated that in the 2030s, robot soldiers could make up as much as a quarter of the British army.

Top General Says “Robot Soldiers” Could Make Up 25 Percent of British Army

By Dan Robitzski

More bad news for the alien-hunting Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico: a second cable has fallen, crushing the intricate reflector dish below.

Science & Energy

More Damage Reported at Alien-Hunting SETI Facility

By Victor Tangermann

When Joe Biden takes office, he may shift NASA's priorities away from space exploration and toward a renewed focus on climate change.

Biden May Slow Down Moon Program to Focus NASA on Climate Change

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists discovered a new brown dwarf with a radio telescope, revealing a new way to find celestial bodies too cold to pick up in infrared.

Science & Energy

Scientists Discover a “Failed Star” Too Cold to Show up in Normal Scans

By Dan Robitzski

Engineers at BMW have created a chest-mounted set of electric motors that allow a wingsuit to accelerate to a blistering 186 mph.

Advanced Transport

Electric Wingsuit Lets You Fly at 186 MPH

By Victor Tangermann

Joe Biden will become the 46th U.S. President, and scientists are thrilled to have someone who wants to fight climate change and the pandemic in office.

Scientists Are Thrilled About President-Elect Biden

By Dan Robitzski

McDonalds is launching a plant-based platform called McPlant. Menu items based on the platform, including a sandwich, will be made available next year.

Science & Energy

McDonald’s Is Making a Huge, High Tech Push Into Fake Meats

By Victor Tangermann

A new robotic arm wraps around and grabs onto objects like a snake or a robot's trunk, allowing it to safely handle delicate objects.

Unsettling Robot Grips Like an Elephant’s Trunk

By Dan Robitzski

In the middle of the Nevada desert north of Las Vegas, the first-ever passengers just completed a major milestone over the weekend: riding the "Hyperloop."

The First-Ever Passengers Just Rode a Functional Hyperloop

By Victor Tangermann

Bennu, the asteroid on which NASA landed a spacecraft to gather samples, seems to be hollow and gradually crumbling apart.

Science & Energy

NASA Data Appears to Show That Giant Asteroid Is Hollow

By Dan Robitzski

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is planning to step aside once president-elect Joe Biden is taking over, according to Aviation Week.

The Head of NASA Is Quitting After Trump Defeat

By Victor Tangermann

A team in the United Kingdom has started work on what the BBC reports is the world's first facility to store energy as highly compressed air.

New Facility Will Store Wind Power as Highly Compressed Air

By Jon Christian

Monkeys in Zoo Prefer Traffic Noise to Nature Sounds

Science & Energy

Monkeys in Zoo Prefer Traffic Noise to Nature Sounds

By Dan Robitzski

New Theory: Dark Matter Was Created by “Boiling” Bubbles of Plasma

New Theory: Dark Matter Was Created by “Boiling” Bubbles of Plasma

By Dan Robitzski

Military.com reports that the newest U.S. military branch, established in 2019, has now created a unit dedicated to "orbital warfare."

Space Force Created an “Orbital Warfare” Unit, and It Has Its Own Spaceship

By Jon Christian

Check Out This Giant Machine That Stamps Out Tesla Frames

Check Out This Giant Machine That Stamps Out Tesla Frames

By Dan Robitzski

Tesla's hottest new product is a bottle of tequila, shaped like a lightning bolt in a nod to the company's lineup of electric vehicles.

Tesla Is Now Selling Tequila in a Lightning-Shaped Bottle

By Jon Christian

By revisiting 20-year-old data, scientists say they've located 40 percent of the visible matter in the universe that had gone undetected.

Science & Energy

Scientists Say They’ve Found the Missing 40 Percent of the Universe’s Matter

By Dan Robitzski

The Justice Department seized $1 billion worth of bitcoin after analysts found about 70,000 bitcoins were taken out of a Silk Road-related account.

US Government Seizes $1 Billion in Silk Road Bitcoin

By Victor Tangermann

Scientists built a low-cost system that can be mounted on a standard camera and make infrared light visible to the human eye.

Scientists Found a Way to Make Infrared Light Visible to Humans

By Dan Robitzski

The Trump administration has now formally pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, but Biden says he'll rejoin on day one if elected.

Biden Says He’ll Rejoin Paris Climate Accord on First Day of Presidency

By Dan Robitzski

A pilot program in Jackson, Mississippi would give police real-time access to participants' Amazon Ring security cameras.

Amazon Will Let Police Livestream Your Ring Doorbell Camera

By Dan Robitzski

A new Federal Communications Commission under Joe Biden is likely to revive net neutrality, according to experts. Others are not so sure.

A Biden Administration Would Be Likely to Reinstate Net Neutrality

By Victor Tangermann

An anonymous bitcoin wallet holder transferred $1 billion worth of bitcoin from accounts linked to darknet marketplace Silk Road.

Someone Just Moved $1 Billion in Bitcoin From a Busted Darknet Market

By Victor Tangermann

After NASA criticized the satellite startup AST & Science for its plans to launch a fleet of telecom satellites, AST's founder fights back.

Science & Energy

The Satellite Startup That NASA Criticized Is Firing Back

By Dan Robitzski

According to local road closure filings, SpaceX is getting ready for its next big test flight: Starship's first flight to 12 miles.

Starship Test Flight to 50,000 Feet Could Happen as Soon as Next Week

By Victor Tangermann

NASA commissioned Nokia to build a 4G network on the Moon, but doing so could spell doom for radio astronomers trying to filter out all the noise.

Science & Energy

That 4G Network on the Moon Could Ruin Astronomy

By Dan Robitzski

There's a mysterious asteroid stuck in Mars' gravitational pull, and astronomers suspect it might be the Moon's long-lost twin.

Science & Energy

A Stolen Chunk of Earth’s Moon Seems to Be Orbiting Mars

By Dan Robitzski

The Air Force opened a new research lab that it says will enable it to build new resilient, high-strain spacecraft and satellites.

Air Force Opens New Lab for Spacecraft Materials

By Dan Robitzski

An extremophile bacteria survived a year in space. Scientists uncovered how it pulled off the feat, suggesting microbes could travel among planets.

Science & Energy

New Research Shows How a Microbe Could Survive Journey Between Planets

By Dan Robitzski

The "Osampo Kanojo" is meant to recreate the look, feel, sound, and smell of talking a stroll while holding hands with your partner.

Scientists in Japan Build Robot to Hold Hands With Lonely People

By Dan Robitzski

After a years-long waiting period, President Donald Trump's ill-advised decision to leave the Paris climate agreement took effect Tuesday.

US Formally Ditches Paris Climate Agreement

By Dan Robitzski

NASA warns that AST & Science's plan to launch 240 massive telecom satellites into orbit would create a serious risk of collisions in space.

NASA Says This Company’s Giant 5G Satellites Could Cause “Catastrophic Collision”

By Dan Robitzski

A team of scientists at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in the UK claim to have achieved first plasma on an upgraded, experimental fusion reactor.

Scientists Just Fired Up an Experimental Fusion Reactor

By Victor Tangermann

Former NASA astronaut and US Navy veteran Mark Kelly, a Democrat, beat incumbent Martha McSally (R-AR) for a seat on the US senate.

Veteran NASA Astronaut Elected to US Senate

By Victor Tangermann

Walmart thought building robots to track stores' inventories would make things easier, but the project ultirmately fell short.

Walmart Is Giving Up on Its Inventory Robots

By Dan Robitzski

A new Amazon patent describes how trolls and toxic gamers could be sequestered into their own matches full of other trolls.

Science & Energy

Amazon Patent Makes the Most Horrible Gamers Play With Each Other

By Dan Robitzski

New NASA-led research calculated that on average, about one in two Sun-like stars in the Milky Way have exoplanets in their habitable zones.

Science & Energy

NASA: Half the Sun-like Stars in our Galaxy Have Potentially-Habitable Planets

By Dan Robitzski

According to a recent tweet by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the company will be unveiling a Cybertruck design with minor improvements "maybe in a month or so."

Elon Musk Promises Redesigned Cybertruck in a “Month or So”

By Victor Tangermann

Failing to reach the Paris agreement's goals and heating Earth by two degrees Celsius could trigger the release of 230 billion tons of carbon from the soil.

Our Soil is Poised To Release Billions of Tons of Carbon

By Dan Robitzski

A team of SpaceX enthusiasts have created a stunning video of what a launch of the space company's Starship rocket could one day look like.

Elon Musk: This Fan-Made Video Is “Very Close” to Showing Actual Starship Flight

By Victor Tangermann