South African academics are considering dimming the sun

Dimmer Switch

In order to prevent a Day Zero drought in Cape Town, South Africa, scientists suggest reflecting sunlight away from Earth with stratospheric particles.

South African Academics Are Considering Dimming the Sun

To avoid a catastrophic drought, they suggest geoengineering.

The massive Long March-5 rocket ready to jump into action any minute now.

Watch China launch its lunar sample return mission live

Godspeed

China is about to launch an ambitious mission to the Moon in an attempt to retrieve the first lunar samples and bring them back to Earth since the 1970s.

Watch China Launch Its Lunar Sample Return Mission Live

The rocket is already on the pad.

"We need a sustained flattening of the curve."

UN: Despite the pandemic, greenhouse gases are at an all-time high

Momentary Respite

Greenhouse gas emissions dipped during the coronavirus pandemic, but not enough to have a serious or lasting effect on global climate change.

UN: Despite the Pandemic, Greenhouse Gases Are at an All-Time High

"The lockdown-related fall in emissions is just a tiny blip on the long-term graph."

Playing as a dragon, the AI agent had to complete quests using its words.

To teach an AI to pursue goals, scientists made it play an RPG

Unleash The Basilisk

In order to teach AI how to use words with specific intentions rather than babbling, scientists made an AI agent play a fantasy role-playing game.

To Teach an AI to Pursue Goals, Scientists Made It Play an RPG

The goal is to get AI to use words for an actual purpose.

"Scientifically, it's showing us something that is hard, and usually impossible, to see directly."

Hubble glimpses huge "dark rays" streaming out of black hole

Probably Nothing

After a citizen scientist saw what looked like beams of darkness coming out of a black hole, scientists think it's similar to light piercing through clouds.

Hubble Glimpses Huge “Dark Rays” Streaming Out of Black Hole

Scientists took a closer look at Hubble images of a supermassive black hole — and saw what appeared to be long beams of darkness streaming out.

NASA tests experimental interstellar propulsion system

Flying Too Close to the Sun

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are testing if we can harness the heat of the Sun to travel to interstellar space.

NASA Tests Experimental Interstellar Propulsion System

"What this is showing is that solar thermal propulsion is not just a fantasy."

Simulation of the formation of the Milky Way

"As our cosmic home, the Milky Way is already special to us, but this ancient galaxy buried within makes it even more special."

Scientists find remnants of "fossil galaxy" inside the Milky Way

Pac-Man Galaxy

Astronomers found evidence of a "fossil galaxy" buried deep inside the Milky Way. It seems our galaxy gobbled up one of its neighbors 10 billion years ago.

Scientists Find Remnants of “Fossil Galaxy” Inside the Milky Way

Long ago, our galaxy gobbled up and absorbed another one.

The driver was under the influence of marijuana.

Tesla crashes at 100 MPH, sending flaming batteries into multiple homes

Flaming Barrage of Batteries

A driver crashed his Model S after losing control at 100 mph in Corvallis, Oregon, sending flaming batteries hurtling into nearby homes.

Tesla Crashes at 100 MPH, Sending Flaming Batteries Into Multiple Homes

The local fire and police departments now have to track down hundreds of battery cells.

They're less about "I, Robot" and more about protecting human workers' jobs.

Professor: Asimov's Laws are outdated and it's time to write more

Asimov's Amendments

AI legal expert Frank Pasquale says that Asimov's laws of robotics are outdated, and he has some ideas for new ones to supplement them.

Professor: Asimov’s Laws Are Outdated and It’s Time to Write More

Are the Three Laws of Robotics due for an update?

“We can exclude that the ‘like’ came from the Holy See, and it has turned to Instagram for explanations.”

Vatican confused by how Pope account "liked" sexy pic

It's Friday

The Vatican is investigating why Pope Francis' official Instagram account accidentally liked a Brazilian model's revealing picture.

Vatican Confused by How Pope Account “Liked” Sexy Pic

Oops.

"Given the multiple challenges outlined above, we believe the Agency will be hard-pressed to land astronauts on the Moon by the end of 2024."

NASA admits it probably won't be able to land Moon astronauts by 2024

Expect Delays

In a recent report, NASA admitted that landing the first astronauts on the Moon since the Apollo era in 2024 might be a bit of a stretch.

NASA Admits It Probably Won’t Be Able to Land Moon Astronauts by 2024

Getting astronauts back to the Moon is going to be expensive.

"We joked about how Highsnobiety was the future of fashion, Lil Nas X was the future of music, and SpaceX was the future of space travel. So naturally we all had to come together!"

How Lil Nas X obtained an actual SpaceX helmet

Something Borrowed

Lil Nas X got his hands on a genuine SpaceX astronaut helmet for a recent "Space Odyssey"-themed photoshoot, and Elon Musk personally approved the loan.