the digest (Page 195)

Latest in the digest

According to research by Standard Chartered Bank, China will have the world's strongest economy by next year, with India taking second place by 2030.

China Poised to Overtake US Economy in 2020

By Dan Robitzski

A sleeping woman on a sofa who may have taken sleeping pills to aid her slumber

A New Class of Drugs Could Make Safer Sleeping Pills

Scientist repurposed CRISPR to develop better antibiotics

Science & Energy

Researchers Repurposed CRISPR to Help Develop Better Antibiotics

Washington State University researchers studied plants to determine the blueprints for their immune system

Researchers Found the Blueprint for Plant Immune Systems

Russia's Spektr-R space telescope sitting in a bay before its launch

Russia’s Only Space Telescope Has Stopped Responding to Commands

What happened next was weird, even by the standards of super-dense celestial objects from which not even light can escape: the black hole started to shrink.

A Black Hole Inhaled a Star. Then It Started to Shrink

By Jon Christian

A new study in the journal Science has found that climate change is warming oceans far faster than experts had previously predicted.

Scientists: Warming Oceans Will Lead to “Catastrophic” Future

By Jon Christian

A collaboration between MIT and two energy companies is encouraging interdisciplinary research to fast-track the development of practical fusion power.

Science & Energy

MIT Is Pouring Resources Into Commercializing Fusion Power

By Jon Christian

Barnard's Star b, a nearby exoplanet, could have 'life zones' under its frigid surface, according to a team of astrophysicists.

One of the Closest Exoplanets to Earth Could Support Alien Life

By Kristin Houser

Google Brain Built a Translator so AI Can Explain Itself

Google Brain Built a Translator so AI Can Explain Itself

By Dan Robitzski

Experts predict we won't reach universal internet access until 2050, leaving many people in low-income regions without this basic human right.

Universal Basic Income

Universal Internet Access Is at Least 30 Years Away, Say Experts

By Kristin Houser

A survey on AI development reveals that less than half of Americans are in support of the technology's advancement, worrying experts.

Artificial Intelligence

Just 41 Percent of Americans Support Advancing AI

By Kristin Houser

Orion Span's proposed space hotel, the Aurora Space Station, might be ready within two years. But its cost jumped $3 million since April.

Upcoming Space Hotel to Be “Like a Small Cruise Ship”

By Dan Robitzski

A steam-powered spacecraft prototype funded by NASA has the potential to explore planets, asteroids, and other space objects indefinitely.

See the Steam-Powered Probe That Could Explore Space Forever

By Kristin Houser

The suborbital version of Space's Starship rocket is almost ready for lift-off, based on a new photo tweeted by CEO Elon Musk.

Elon Musk Shares Photo of SpaceX’s First Starship

By Kristin Houser

By watching a black hole devour a star, researchers from MIT were able to determine that it's spinning faster than 50 percent the speed of light.

Here’s Why MIT Scientists Are Watching a Black Hole Devour a Star

By Kristin Houser

The Earth's magnetic field is behaving erratically, and researchers can't update an important model of it until the government shutdown ends.

Science & Energy

Earth’s Magnetic Field Is Behaving Erratically, Baffling Scientists

By Kristin Houser

For the first time, a woman who received a uterus transplant through robot-assisted surgery is pregnant and due to give birth in a few months.

Health & Medicine

A Woman Is Pregnant Following a Robot-Assisted Uterus Transplant

By Kristin Houser

Researchers from Princeton University and the Department of Energy say they've discovered a new way to stabilize super-heated plasma in fusion reactions.

Science & Energy

Scientists Discovered a New Way to Stabilize Fusion Reactions

By Jon Christian

Based on a CES demo video, BMW's self-driving motorcycle can now move far more deftly, making tight turns and effortlessly switching directions.

Self-Driving Vehicles

Watch BMW’s Self-Driving Motorcycle Go for a Spin at CES

By Kristin Houser

Kai-Fu Lee, a venture capitalist who used to develop AI for Google and Microsoft, predicts that AI will automate 40 percent of the world's jobs in 15 years.

Former Google Exec: AI Will Replace 40 Percent of Jobs in 15 Years

By Dan Robitzski

A drug sponge that fits into a patient's vein to help minimize the side effects of chemotherapy could have a short path to FDA approval.

Health & Medicine

“Drug Sponge” Sits in Veins During Chemo to Minimize Side Effects

By Kristin Houser

Health & Medicine

Mosquito “Birth Control” Could Prevent Millions of Deaths

By Kristin Houser

In about 10 billion years, our sun will likely harden into a giant crystal orb — a fate that will be shared with many other white dwarf stars.

Science & Energy

In About 10 Billion Years, Our Sun Will Harden Into a Giant Crystal

By Jon Christian

At CES 2019, Google debuted its Assistant's new Interpreter Mode, which translates conversations in 27 language in real-time.

Google Assistant Can Now Translate 27 Languages in Real-Time

By Kristin Houser

New App Detects Early Signs of an Opioid Overdose

Health & Medicine

New App Detects Early Signs of an Opioid Overdose

By Kristin Houser

Tesla's sales advisers are warning buyers that the company's full self driving capabilities likely won't be legal any time soon.

Self-Driving Vehicles

Tesla: Full Self Driving Is “Very Far Away” From Being Legal

By Kristin Houser

Researchers discover 13 new fast radio bursts (FRBs), including only the second known repeating example of the cosmic phenomenon.

Fast Radio Bursts Could Be Signs of Alien Life — and We Just Found 13 More of Them

By Kristin Houser

At CES 2019, automaker Hyundai unveiled a concept video and 1:8 scale version of Elevate, a walking car designed to navigate rough terrain.

Advanced Transport

Watch Video of Hyundai’s Walking Car Concept in Action

By Kristin Houser

Researchers have created molecules called TrAPs that can promote wound healing by "talking" to the cells found near the site of the injury.

New Nanotech Drives Healing by “Talking” to Wounds

By Kristin Houser

The Chinese moon rover could be scoping out whether the Moon could be a source for helium-3, a fuel that could make it a gateway to interplanetary missions.

The Chinese Moon Rover Could Be Scouting for Interplanetary Fuel

By Jon Christian

Tesla has officially kicked off construction on the Shanghai Gigafactory designed to help the company increase sales in the world's largest EV market.

Elon Musk Celebrates Start of Shanghai Gigafactory Construction

By Kristin Houser

A former brigadier-general of the Canadian Armed Forces says that the country should start its own Space Force, similar to the one proposed in the U.S.

Former General: Canada Should Start Its Own Space Force

By Jon Christian

According to CNET, Tesla is testing cold weather electric vehicles at a "secure facility" about two hours from Fairbanks, Alaska.

Tesla Tests EVs in Freezing Cold at “Secure Facility” in Alaska

By Jon Christian

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter yesterday that the first test of the Starship could take place in as little as four weeks.

Elon Musk: First Starship Test Could Be in Four Weeks

By Jon Christian

A new type of implant could improve bladder control in people.

Health & Medicine

A New Implant Uses Light to Improve Bladder Control

An artist's depiction of what Excitons look like in advanced electronics

A Physics Breakthrough Could Lead to a New Generation of Advanced Electronics

Sound waves depicting the use of Microsoft's silent voice command technology

Microsoft Patents “Silent” Voice Command Technology

A SpaceX Crew Dragon space craft sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Goes Vertical for First Test Launch

Tiny satelietes could help stabilize massive space telescopes.

Tiny Satellites Could Be “Guide Stars” for Massive Space Telescopes

Researchers have found that cells that naturally help fight the inflammation caused by multiple sclerosis originate in the gut.

Health & Medicine

New Research Could Stop Multiple Sclerosis in Its Tracks

By Kristin Houser

A plastic part broke off the Ocean Cleanup Project's device, which was intended to capture ocean plastic. But the project's CEO remains undeterred.

Plastic Part Breaks Off Device Intended to Capture Ocean Plastic

By Jon Christian

Amazon gas stations would give the company a way to generate revenue and improve its delivery network — all while collecting more consumer data.

Finance Expert: Amazon Should Open Gas Stations

By Kristin Houser

According to a new World Bank automation report, fears that robots will cause widespread job losses are largely unfounded — but not everyone agrees.

World Bank: Fears of a Robot Takeover Are “Unfounded”

By Kristin Houser

Rolls Royce plans to break the world speed record for an electric airplane in 2020 with a craft designed to reach a top speed of at least 300 MPH.

Advanced Transport

Rolls Royce Is Building the World’s Fastest Electric Airplane

By Kristin Houser

Clearing Old Cells from Mouse Brains Lowered Signs of Anxiety

Clearing Old Cells from Mouse Brains Lowered Signs of Anxiety

By Dan Robitzski

The discovery of a relationship between the dark matter in dwarf galaxies and their star formation could help us understand the mysterious material.

Science & Energy

New Finding Could Be “Smoking Gun” in Understanding Dark Matter

By Jon Christian

The Pakistan city of Karachi is launching a network of zero-emissions buses powered by bio-methane created out of cow manure.

Advanced Transport

Pakistani City to Use Cow Manure to Power Fleet of 200 Buses

By Kristin Houser

A cancer-detecting breathalyzer is ready for clinical trials, and if it works as hoped, it could usher in a new era in cancer screening.

Cancer-Detecting Breathalyzer Moves Into Clinical Trials

By Kristin Houser

A neural implant nicknamed the "bionic face" can help treat facial paralysis by stimulating paralyzed muscles with electricity.

A “Bionic Face” Brain Implant Could Treat Facial Paralysis

By Dan Robitzski

Researchers are gene-hacking plants to make them gigantic. The idea is that it could vastly increase food yields for farmers.

Science & Energy

Scientists Are Gene-Hacking Plants to Make Them Enormous

By Jon Christian

Tesla CEO Elon Musk doubled down on criticism of Singapore Thursday, saying that the island city-state has been "unwelcome" to his car manufacturer.

Elon Musk: Singapore Has Been “Unwelcome” to Tesla

By Jon Christian

South Korean automaker Hyundai has unveiled Elevate, a walking car concept that it claims represents an entirely new category of vehicle.

Artificial Intelligence

Hyundai Debuts a Walking Car With Four Legs

By Kristin Houser

The first off-world baby could be born as soon as 2024.

This Startup Wants to Send a Pregnant Woman to Space to Give Birth

By Kristin Houser

Three out of every ten new cars sold in Norway last year were electric, which is the highest percentage in the world by a long shot.

Advanced Transport

Nearly a Third of Norway’s 2018 New Car Sales Were Electric

By Dan Robitzski

A Wireless Neural Implant Might Jolt the Brain out of Seizures

A Wireless Neural Implant Might Jolt the Brain out of Seizures

By Dan Robitzski

Astronomers have found a protostar with a warped disk, and at just tens of thousands years old, it's the youngest ever observed.

Astronomers Find First-of-Its-Kind Protostar With a “Warped” Disk

By Kristin Houser

New calculations suggest that Jupiter's moons could have active tidal waves, much like those here on Earth, under their thick icy shells.

The Moons of Jupiter and Saturn Could Have Earth-Like Tidal Waves

By Jon Christian

In a recent radio interview, Dutch astronaut André Kuipers recalls how he accidentally ended up calling American emergency services while on board the ISS.

An Astronaut Accidentally Dialed 911 in Space

By Victor Tangermann

A new FDA-approved food coating can double a vegetable's shelf life. It may help reduce the $2 trillion cost and carbon emissions of food waste.

Edible Coating Can Keep Food Fresh Longer and Cut Down on Waste

By Dan Robitzski

Gates nuclear energy

Bill Gates: U.S. Leaders Must Embrace Nuclear Energy

By Kristin Houser

A cyberattack targeting the printing presses of several newspapers, delaying their delivery this weekend, appears to have originate from outside the U.S.

Foreign Cyberattack Cripples Major U.S. Newspapers

By Kristin Houser

combustion engine

Advanced Transport

Demand for Combustion Engine Cars May Have Peaked in 2018

By Kristin Houser

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser cargo spacecraft has been cleared by NASA for full-scale production

NASA Clears “Dream Chaser” Space Cargo Plane For Full-Scale Production