the digest (Page 197)

Latest in the digest

If governments don't take swift action against climate change, the global economy could be headed for a crisis, according to investors.

Climate Change May Trigger an Economic Crisis. We Could Prevent It.

By Kristin Houser

The island nation of Mauritius is now generating 14 percent of its electricity by burning sugarcane byproducts. Here's why it matters.

This Island Nation is Getting Power From Sugarcane Instead of Oil

By Jon Christian

Mission control was forced to abort a spy satellite launch aboard a Delta IV Heavy just seconds before the rocket achieved liftoff.

Watch a US Spy Satellite Launch Fail Seconds Before Liftoff

By Jon Christian

Scientists turned skin cells into immune cells

Scientists Reprogrammed Human Skin Cells Into Immune Cells To Fight Cancer

3d printed glucose monitors could make health monitoring simpler

3D-Printed Glucose Sensors Could Cut Costs for People With Diabetes

Researchers found a treasure trove of forming planets

Researchers Found a Treasure Trove of Planets Hiding in Dust

Waymo self-driving taxis services have begun rolling out to the public in Arizona

Self-Driving Vehicles

Waymo’s Self-Driving Taxi Service Signals Rough Roads Ahead for AVs

South American wasp venom could be used in new antibiotic

Health & Medicine

Repurposed Wasp Venom Could Lead to New Antibiotic Drugs

China just successfully launched a rocket with a lunar rover on board that will hopefully get the first-ever close-up look at the dark side of the Moon.

China Launches First-Ever Lander Headed to Far Side of Moon

By Victor Tangermann

NASA's Mars Insight Lander just flexed its arm to find the right spots to place its scientific instruments.

NASA’s InSight Lander Just Flexed Its Arm and Took a Selfie

By Victor Tangermann

When An Earthquake Strikes, Crawl Inside This Egg-Shaped Safety Pod

Science & Energy

When An Earthquake Strikes, Crawl Inside This Egg-Shaped Safety Pod

By Victor Tangermann

Using a virus to manufacture computer components could introduce a new type of memory that doesn't cause as many delays as current systems.

MIT Scientists Used a Biological Virus to Make Faster Computers

By Dan Robitzski

Facebook’s Oculus Just Patented a Retina-Resolution VR Display

Science & Energy

Facebook’s Oculus Just Patented a Retina-Resolution VR Display

By Dan Robitzski

Researchers have successfully transplanted pig hearts into baboons, keeping four of the animals alive for more than 90 days.

Health & Medicine

Baboons With Pig Hearts Bring Us Closer to Human-Pig Transplants

By Kristin Houser

The UAE just proposed an underwater bullet train to connect the country to India, but the government isn't sure it will work.

Advanced Transport

The UAE Wants an Underwater Bullet Train to India

By Dan Robitzski

According to a new report, it could take 20 years for quantum-safe encryption to become mainstream. And that's bad news.

Researchers: Quantum Computers Could Become Ultimate Hacking Tool

By Victor Tangermann

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument will provide the best measurements to date on dark energy's impact on the universe.

Telescope Upgrade Will Create the Most Detailed Map of the Universe Ever

By Dan Robitzski

A startup called Converus uses machine learning to analyze tiny changes in your pupil dilation to detect when you're lying. There's just one issue.

Artificial Intelligence

This Startup Says It Can Tell From Your Eyes If You’re Lying

By Jon Christian

A New App Can Detect a Blood Disorder From a Photo of Your Nails

Health & Medicine

A New App Can Detect a Blood Disorder From a Photo of Your Nails

By Kristin Houser

Research on the gut of a tiny invertebrate called the gribble reveals how a certain protein could help lower the energy cost of creating biofuel from wood.

Science & Energy

A Tiny Crustacean Could Help Us Create Biofuel From Wood

By Kristin Houser

Elgan Aircraft's "Plimp" is capable of vertical take off and landing, make it ideal for a whole range of different uses.

Advanced Transport

This “Ultra-Safe” Aircraft Is a Cross Between a Plane and a Blimp

By Victor Tangermann

A team from the European Space Agency (ESA) released an image of what they believe the Sun's north pole looks like based existing data.

Science & Energy

We’ve Never Seen the Sun’s North Pole, so Scientists Simulated It

By Kristin Houser

People are more accepting of robot brothels if the person visiting the facility is unmarried, according to a study out of Finland.

Study: People Are Chill With Robot Brothels — for Singles

By Kristin Houser

Artificial Intelligence

This AI Avatar Compliments While You Shop So You’ll Buy More Stuff

By Dan Robitzski

Amazon Is Testing Its Cashierless Tech in Big Box Stores

Amazon Is Testing Its Cashierless Tech in Big Box Stores

By Victor Tangermann

Researchers from MIT built a cyborg houseplant that can sense light and move toward its source via a pair of attached wheels.

Robots and Machines

MIT Researchers Built a Cyborg Houseplant

By Kristin Houser

When two Australian chains banned plastic bags three months ago, it led to an 80 percent reduction in the country's overall consumption of plastic bags.

Science & Energy

An Australian Ban Kept Billions of Plastic Bags From Polluting

By Jon Christian

The Conversation reports that Uber is planning a "multibillion-dollar" acquisition of popular scooter-sharing company Bird.

Advanced Transport

Uber Is Reportedly Planning a Takeover of Scooter-sharing Company Bird

By Victor Tangermann

The company that produces Amazon Kindle screens just showed off new tech that allows you to sketch on a large black E Ink display.

You Can Sketch on This E Ink Blackboard With Almost No Lag

By Victor Tangermann

Five sites are now enrolling volunteers for MDMA clinical trials, with nine others in the U.S., Canada, and Israel expect to begin soon.

Health & Medicine

Five US Sites Are Now Enrolling Patients for MDMA Clinical Trials

By Kristin Houser

Elon Musk admitted he tried to get a license to Mario Kart for every Tesla car. But Nintendo didn't play ball.

Elon Musk Tried to Bring “Mario Kart” to Your Tesla Model 3

By Victor Tangermann

Pest control may soon take the form of a system of satellites, working with computer models, to forewarn farmers of potential pest problems.

How Satellites Are Warning African Farmers About Pest Invasions

Scientists figured out the ideal brain region to target with deep brain stimulation in order to alleviate depression symptoms.

Stimulating This Part of the Brain Alleviates Depression Symptoms

By Dan Robitzski

Report: Global Temps Could Rise 9 Degrees Fahrenheit by 2100

Report: Global Temps Could Rise 9 Degrees Fahrenheit by 2100

By Kristin Houser

Researchers looking at Gaia satellite data have discovered a new galaxy orbiting the Milky Way, and not only is it massive, it's also "ghostly."

Science & Energy

Scientists Discover a “Ghost of a Galaxy” Orbiting the Milky Way

By Kristin Houser

Earth is about 200 million years away from forming a new supercontinent — and researchers have a few ideas of what it might look like.

Science & Energy

Experts Predict What Earth’s Next Supercontinent Will Look Like

By Kristin Houser

Today, the Facebook-owned Instagram announced that it will use AI to automatically identify the content of images for visually impaired users.

Artificial Intelligence

Instagram Will Use AI To Describe Images for Visually Impaired Users

By Victor Tangermann

A new attempt to restore the Great Barrier Reef involves capturing sperm and egg cells, fertilizing them, and implanting the new coral back into the reef.

To Save The Great Barrier Reef, Scientists Are Hoarding Coral Sperm

By Dan Robitzski

Seattle-based startup DroneSeed uses swarms of drones powered by artificial intelligence to plant trees in areas devastated by wildfires.

Swarms of Drones Can Now Plant Trees in Areas Devastated by Fires

By Kristin Houser

This Futuristic Audi Concept Transforms Itself Into a Flying Taxi

Advanced Transport

This Futuristic Audi Concept Transforms Itself Into a Flying Taxi

By Victor Tangermann

One of the most powerful nations in the world has a five-part plan to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by its residents.

Science & Energy

Germany Just Unveiled Its Plan to Fight Plastic Waste

By Kristin Houser

To halt climate change, some scientists suggest geoengineering our own planet by releasing particles into the stratosphere that will deflect sunlight.

Scientists Want to Fight Climate Change by Dimming the Sun

By Jon Christian

Self-Driving Trucks Will Transport Limestone in a Norwegian Mine

Self-Driving Vehicles

Self-Driving Trucks Will Transport Limestone in a Norwegian Mine

By Victor Tangermann

During an interview with Axios, Bill Gates noted his concern that people focusing on renewables as the answer to climate change are missing the big picture.

Bill Gates: Wind and Solar Alone Can’t Fight Climate Change

By Kristin Houser

Watch Out Tesla: Rivian’s Electric Truck Will Drop in 2020

Watch Out Tesla: Rivian’s Electric Truck Will Drop in 2020

By Victor Tangermann

Researchers from UC David have released the first images produced by EXPLORER, a medical scanner that images the whole body in 3D.

See the 3D Images Produced by the First Full-Body Medical Scanner

By Kristin Houser

Walmart helped workers prepare for the Black Friday rush by providing them with VR simulations of what they could expect.

Virtual Reality

Walmart Used VR to Prepare Its Workers for Black Friday

By Kristin Houser

NASA's plans to conducts a "safety review" of SpaceX and Boeing stem from the agency's displeasure with Elon Musk's recent behavior.

NASA Isn’t Happy About SpaceX’s “Frat House” Culture

By Kristin Houser

Startup HyperSurfaces demonstrates how its AI-powered technology can make a car door, glass wall, or clothes rack "smart."

Artificial Intelligence

See How AI Can Turn Almost Any Surface Into a User Interface

By Kristin Houser

A new app puts the task of training AIs in the hands of Ugandan refugees, who can earn the money they earn to rebuild their lives.

Artificial Intelligence

Refugees in Uganda Are Earning Money by Training AIs

By Kristin Houser

Norweigen cruise line Hurtigruten plans to transform leftover fish parts into a biogas it can then use to power its ships.

Science & Energy

A Cruise Line Plans to Power Its Ships with Dead Fish

By Kristin Houser

New Brain Implant Could Translate Paralyzed People’s Thoughts Into Speech

New Brain Implant Could Translate Paralyzed People’s Thoughts Into Speech

By Dan Robitzski

Physicists Have a New Idea for Faster-Than-Light Travel

Physicists Have a New Idea for Faster-Than-Light Travel

By Jon Christian

According to a new report, cybersecurity is the area of technology healthcare executives believe will have the biggest industry impact in 2019.

Cybersecurity Is a Top Concern for Healthcare Executives

By Kristin Houser

Russian hacker groups are using old tricks with a new twist to retrieve sensitive government data. But security firms are on to them.

Russian Hackers Have New Techniques to Steal Data

By Victor Tangermann

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station can now use the Refabricator to transform plastic waste into needed tools.

A New Gadget Turns Plastic Waste Into Tools Astronauts Need

By Kristin Houser

The Arecibo Observatory has unveiled the details of its New Arecibo Message global challenge, a contest to craft a new message to aliens.

Here’s How You Can Help Scientists Craft a Message to Aliens

By Kristin Houser

Up to 20 percents of the cells in our lab-grown mini kidneys are actually brain and muscle cells, according to new research.

Lab-Grown Mini Kidneys Keep Spawning Rogue Brain Cells

By Kristin Houser

During an all-hands meeting last week in Seattle, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos predicted that the company would one day go bankrupt.

Jeff Bezos: “One Day, Amazon Will Fail”

By Jon Christian

Australian scientists created a new kind of video game where you swallow a high-tech pill and win by changing your gut chemistry.

Prosthetics and Devices

An Edible Controller Moves Gaming From the Screen to Your Gut

By Dan Robitzski

Startup Space Tango has unveiled an autonomous orbital facility powered by robots that could be the future of space manufacturing.

Startup Unveils Plan for Autonomous Bots to Build Products in Space

By Kristin Houser

Abuse survivors are using cryptocurrency for crowdfunding so they can raise needed funds without potentially exposing their identities.

Blockchain Is Helping Abuse Survivors Gain Financial Independence

By Kristin Houser

The recently reunited band The KLF wants 35,000 fans to stuff their cremated remains into a brick to be built into a giant pyramid. Seems reasonable.

Pop Band “The KLF” to Build a Pyramid out of 35,000 Cremated Fans

By Dan Robitzski

DARPA is testing a sensor that would allow stratospheric balloons to remain in one place, possibly leading to a new military surveillance platform.

DARPA’s Balloons Could Hover at the Edge of Space Indefinitely

By Kristin Houser