the digest (Page 181)

Latest in the digest

A company called GLITCH is selling dresses that were designed by an AI algorithm. It hopes to support more women in science and tech.

Artificial Intelligence

This Startup Is Selling “Little Black Dresses” Designed By AI

By Dan Robitzski

An artist created a neural network and programmed it to generate a human-looking face. She then had the AI forget it, neuron by neuron.

Artificial Intelligence

Watch an AI Die, Neuron by Neuron

By Kristin Houser

Tesla has been selling its zero-emissions credits to GM and Fiat Chrysler, essentially giving them a pass to continue polluting the environment.

GM, Fiat Chrysler Caught Buying “Right to Pollute” From Tesla

By Kristin Houser

Swedish furniture maker IKEA is partnering with American startup Ori to create a line of robotic furniture to help people save space in small apartments.

IKEA Wants to Sell You Robotic Furniture for Your Tiny Apartment

By Victor Tangermann

NASA is Launching a GPS System for Space

NASA is Launching a GPS System for Space

By Victor Tangermann

U.S. lawmakers proposed an amendment to federal patent law that would let biotech and pharma companies patent human genes.

New Law Would Let Corporations Patent Human Genes

By Dan Robitzski

Jai Paul is back with an artificial intelligence he calls an "infinite playback," which produces new takes on his classic track "Jasmine" in perpetuity.

Artificial Intelligence

This AI Generates New Remixes of Jai Paul… Forever

By Jon Christian

Deepfakes have become more powerful and accessible, but presidential candidates haven't taken steps to counter computer-generated misinformation.

Artificial Intelligence

Report: 2020 Candidates Are Going to Get Owned by Deepfakes

By Dan Robitzski

Professor Diana Pasulka sees the growing human belief in aliens as mirroring what happens when a religion begins to take shape.

Professor: Belief in Aliens Could Replace Traditional Religion

By Kristin Houser

According to Chinese state-owned news media, a team of Chinese scientists developed "injectable cartilage" that can be used to repair human tissue.

Health & Medicine

New “Injectable Cartilage” Could Revolutionize Plastic Surgery

By Victor Tangermann

Democrats in the House of Representatives formally launched an antitrust probe into Silicon Valley to determine whether Facebook and Google are monopolies.

Congress Is Deciding Whether to Break Up Facebook, Google

By Dan Robitzski

An airline and university are teaming up to develop the Flying-V, a strange new airplane design that puts passenger seats in the plane's wings.

Advanced Transport

New “Flying-V” Plane Puts Passenger Seats in the Wings

By Kristin Houser

A new study figured out how young blood seems to revitalize older neurons. Two proteins from newborn mouse blood revitalized lab-grown human neurons.

Health & Medicine

Yeah, Young Blood Transfusions Do Seem to Fight Aging

By Dan Robitzski

A distressing Australian climate change analysis has some pretty bad news: human civilization is set out to collapse by 2050 if we ignore climate change.

New Research: Human Civilization Will Likely Collapse By 2050

By Victor Tangermann

Russian Tinder users could now having their sexts or explicit pictures turned over to the nation's government upon request.

Russia Demands Tinder Turn Over Users’ Sexts, Pics

By Kristin Houser

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), an association made up of more than 12,000 members from across the globe, released a statement regarding concerns over SpaceX's new Starlink satellite initiative.

Astronomers Call for Regulation of SpaceX Starlink Satellites

By Victor Tangermann

Astronomers just got their first complete observation of a star outside of our solar system erupting plasma out into the cosmos.

A Star Just Coughed Something Up and Scientists Want to Know Why

By Dan Robitzski

"Brain Talker," a computer chip designed specifically for use in brain-computer interfaces, could help the devices finally reach the mainstream.

Prosthetics and Devices

China Unveils First Chip Designed Specifically for Mind-Reading

By Kristin Houser

US Gov Now Collecting Social Media Handles of Visa Applicants

US Gov Now Collecting Social Media Handles of Visa Applicants

By Kristin Houser

Those Gene-Hacked Babies May Be Doomed to Die Young

Those Gene-Hacked Babies May Be Doomed to Die Young

By Dan Robitzski

Two scientists have invented a device that can create its own source of electricity from an extremely abundant and renewable source: falling snow.

New Device Generates Electricity From Falling Snow

By Victor Tangermann

In order to pay for Artemis, NASA's upcoming 2024 Moon mission, it may have to cannibalize other parts of the space agency's budget.

NASA Is Considering Cutting Other Programs to Pay for Moon Mission

By Dan Robitzski

Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua has confirmed that a third gene-edited baby has been born as part of researcher He Jiankui's controversial experiment.

Prosthetics and Devices

New Gene-Editing Method Could Lead To “Creation of a Super-Baby”

By Kristin Houser

The Army is accepting bids from contractors to build a rifle that could automatically targets and scan them with facial recognition.

Facial recognition

The US Army’s Next Rifle May Use Facial Recognition

By Dan Robitzski

In a podcast interview this weekend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed new details about the electric car company's long-awaited hypercar, the Roadster.

Elon Musk: Tesla Will Sell Roadster With SpaceX Thrusters in 2020

By Victor Tangermann

$Chinese researchers say that replacing water with atmosphere-polluting carbon dioxide could make fracking more eco-friendly.$

Fracking With CO2 Instead of Water Is Greener, Say Researchers

By Kristin Houser

A new congressional report found that many ongoing NASA missions are drastically over budget and delayed past their deadlines.

Congress: NASA Is Hideously Over Budget, Plagued by Delays

By Dan Robitzski

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took a break from studying the surface of Mars to look at the clouds floating in the Red Planet's atmosphere.

See Pics of Martian Clouds Snapped From the Planet’s Surface

By Kristin Houser

Facebook's plan to block revenge porn by storing digital fingerprints of lewd photos to cross-reference new uploads doesn't involve informing victims.

Facebook Knows When Someone Posts Your Nudes — but Won’t Tell You

By Dan Robitzski

The universe is speckled with voids that are totally empty, except for the dark energy that's pushing galaxies apart. That's where scientists should look.

Dark Energy Could Be Hiding In The “Cosmic Void” Between Galaxies

By Dan Robitzski

A Brooklyn wholesaler has been charged with selling the U.S. military gear made in China that could have endangered troops' lives.

Scammed: US Military Spent $20M on Fake Gear Made in China

By Kristin Houser

A tank-like killer robot can navigate and track targets without needing a human operator in the immediate area, but humans still need to pull the trigger.

This Tank-Like Machine Gun Robot Is Straight out Of “Terminator”

By Dan Robitzski

North Face has officially apologized for uploading images of remote locations with models wearing North Face swag in them to Wikipedia.

The North Face Vandalized Wikipedia, Then Apologized After Outcry

By Victor Tangermann

Several times a week, short bursts of light appear on the surface of the Moon. Scientists have only been able to guess as to why the phenomenon occurs.

Weird Flashes Keep Appearing on the Moon and Scientists Don’t Know Why

By Victor Tangermann

Researchers have created a tool for analyzing marijuana strains on a genetic level, and it could ensure buyers know exactly what they're purchasing.

Gene Sequencing Could Ensure You Get the Kind of Weed You Pay For

By Kristin Houser

Australian pilots recently had to land after Chinese boats reportedly aimed lasers at them. Now China is denying responsibility for the incident.

Australia: Chinese Lasers Forced Military Pilots to Land

By Dan Robitzski

While playing rounds of capture the flag in Quake III Arena, DeepMind's artificial intelligence was able to outperform human teammates.

Artificial Intelligence

DeepMind’s Gamer AI is Better At Co-op Mode Than Human Players

By Victor Tangermann

As the planet heats up, climate change has melted the snow off of Mt. Everest, revealing the remains of long-dead climbers.

Climate Change Is Thawing out the Corpses on Mt. Everest

By Dan Robitzski

Kathy Lueders, manager of the commercial crew program at NASA, sees SpaceX's Crew Dragon explosion as a blessing in disguise.

NASA Commercial Crew Manager Calls SpaceX Explosion a “Gift”

By Victor Tangermann

Ferrari's first plug-in hybrid, the 986-horsepower SF90 Stradale, is the most powerful production car the company has ever released.

Advanced Transport

Ferrari’s Most Powerful Production Car Ever Is a Plug-in Hybrid

By Kristin Houser

A new weapon called the Wattozz fires out wireless "bullets" that can be used to shock and incapacitate a would-be assailant.

Robots and Machines

This Futuristic Non-Lethal Weapon Will Electrocute Your Enemies

By Dan Robitzski

A lobbyist for Chevron was caught asking the company's retirees to oppose legislation supporting electric cars in Arizona.

Advanced Transport

Big Oil Operative Gets Busted Secretly Undermining Electric Cars

By Kristin Houser

startup Alaka'i has designed a flying car that the company touts as the "first air mobility vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells."

Advanced Transport

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Flying Car Has a Range of 400 Miles

By Victor Tangermann

The buyer of a $85 million penthouse in Manhattan will get a slew of perks to go with it, including a Hamptons mansion, a yacht, and two tickets to space.

This Luxury Apartment Comes With Two Free Tickets to Space

By Kristin Houser

The director of China's space agency told the press that scientists are currently attaching scientific instruments to its Mars rover.

China Is Now Assembling Its 2020 Mars Rover

By Dan Robitzski

Hungary is planning on building a fully carbon-neutral town from the ground up in the northwest of the country to boost fruit and vegetable production.

Renewable Energy

Hungary is Building a $1 Billion Carbon-Neutral Town From Scratch

By Victor Tangermann

Google will ban any marijuana or THC products from being sold over apps available on its platform, likely in a bid to be more child-friendly.

Google Bans Weed Delivery Apps From Play Store

By Dan Robitzski

Physicists created a sonic black hole in the lab and then took its temperature — and the measurement seems to confirm a prediction made by Stephen Hawking.

Science & Energy

Scientists Just Took the Temperature of a Lab-Made Black Hole

By Kristin Houser

Volkswagen's futuristic Golf GTI Aurora concept has a high-end sound system in its trunk that can be operated through a hologram.

Advanced Transport

This Volkswagen Prototype Has a Holographic Interface

By Victor Tangermann

NASA scientists report that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is shrinking and that it could totally dissipate within the next 20 years.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Is Dying

By Dan Robitzski

A Bay Area group is attempting to hack insulin to address the skyrocketing cost of the hormone for people with diabetes in the U.S.

Health & Medicine

Biohackers Are Attempting to Make Their Own Insulin

By Kristin Houser

Chinese state scientists claim to have developed a network of meter-long radar systems capable of spotting and tracking stealth aircraft.

China Says New Tech Can Detect Stealth Jets Including F-22, F-35

By Dan Robitzski

Fertility clinics around the world are asking He Jiankui if he'd be willing t teach them how to use CRISPR to create designer babies.

Prosthetics and Devices

Sketchy Clinics Are Trying to Hire Doctor Who Gene-Edited Babies

By Jon Christian

A sex robot created by DS Doll Robotics is incredibly life-like, adding credence to predictions that we may be headed to a future rife with "digisexuals."

Unsettling Sex Robot Looks Almost Exactly Like a Real Person

By Kristin Houser

The Navy will outfit a destroyer with the HELIOS laser weapon system for the first time in 2021, and hopes to upgrade the technology from there.

The US Military Is Officially Rolling out Its HELIOS Laser Weapon

By Dan Robitzski

Amazon's new privacy updates for its Alexa voice assistant are a step in the right direction, but the company still has a lot of ground to make up.

Artificial Intelligence

You Can Now Tell Alexa to Delete Everything You Said Today

By Kristin Houser

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is now a fully-recognized work-related psychological condition and can be diagnosed as such.

Health & Medicine

So Tired: Doctors Can Now Diagnose You With Burnout

By Dan Robitzski

For the first time ever, astronomers have discovered a "forbidden planet" in an orbit previously thought to be impossible.

Astronomers Find Distant “Forbidden Planet” In “Neptunian Desert”

By Victor Tangermann

Congress allocated $125 million to NASA, directing it to develop nuclear propulsion technology that would improve flight speed on missions to deep space.

NASA Just Got $125 Million to Develop Nuclear Rockets

By Dan Robitzski

The Japanese video game company announced "Pokémon Sleep" today, the natural conclusion to its massive smartphone hit.

New Nintendo Game Lets You Catch Pokémon by Sleeping

By Victor Tangermann

NASA has selected a number of companies to complete studies about the future of commercial spaceflight in low-Earth orbit.

NASA’s New Goal: A “Robust Economy” of Orbital Space Habitats

By Victor Tangermann

An anaconda gave birth via parthenogenesis, where it produced offspring without mating. Now, scientists confirm that the offspring are genetic replicas.

The Science Behind an Anaconda’s “Virgin Birth”

By Dan Robitzski

Pet cloning results in animals with shorter life spans and many more health problems than non-cloned animals, according to one animal ecology professor.

Science & Energy

Pet Cloning Is Getting Cheaper — but It’s Still Horrifying

By Kristin Houser

Next-Gen Spacesuit Helmet Has an “Iron Man” Heads Up Display

Next-Gen Spacesuit Helmet Has an “Iron Man” Heads Up Display

By Dan Robitzski