<h2>Glitches and Bulges</h2>
Just days into testing of Samsung&#8217;s new futuristic folding smartphone, tech reviewers found their test units <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/early-release-samsung-galaxy-fold-broken">glitching</a> and even <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/18411510/samsung-galaxy-fold-broken-screen-debris-dust-hinge-flexible-bulge">growing bulges</a> under the display. But Samsung isn&#8217;t fazed by the issues: the Galaxy Fold is officially still going on sale on April 26, according to Wall Street Journal tech journalist Joanna Stern. It&#8217;s still unclear if Samsung will take further actions regarding the glitches.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Also from Samsung PR: “There are no changes to the plans – we are launching in the U.S. on April 26.”
&mdash; Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoannaStern/status/1118703256895619074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h2>Inspections</h2>
The statement received by tech journalists stated that Samsung will &#8220;thoroughly inspect these [affected] units in person to determine the cause of the matter.&#8221;
Some reviewers attempted to <a href="https://twitter.com/mkbhd/status/1118580472576118787?s=21">remove a thin film</a> they thought was a screen protector. Now, Samsung says that peeling off the layer &#8220;may cause damage,&#8221; adding that the company &#8220;will ensure this information is clearly delivered&#8221; to customers in the future.
The Korean tech giant has previously advertised the Galaxy Fold to &#8220;outlast <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/14136/samsung-galaxy-fold-can-foldunfold-for-200000-times">200,000 folds</a> and unfolds&#8221; prior to release. Time will tell if Samsung&#8217;s strategy to tell people not to remove a protective film off of their new $1980 smartphones will work out in the company&#8217;s favor.
READ MORE:  <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/18412572/samsung-galaxy-fold-screen-damage-statement-inspect-screen-protector">Samsung responds to Galaxy Fold screen damage: ‘we will thoroughly inspect these units’</a> [The Verge]
More on the Fold issues: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/early-release-samsung-galaxy-fold-broken">Review Units of Samsung&#8217;s Folding Phone Are Breaking Almost Immediately</a>

It's still unclear if Samsung will take further actions regarding the glitches.

Samsung: please don't peel protective layer off our folding phone

Fold Issues

Samsung will investigate emerging reports that the Galaxy Fold smartphone's screen is breaking. It's officially still going on sale on April 26.

Samsung: Please Don’t Peel Protective Layer Off Our Folding Phone

Early versions of Samsung's folding phones are breaking. But they're still going on sale later this month.

<h2>Normal Lives</h2>
Researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have reportedly <a href="https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2019-medicine-science-news/st-jude-gene-therapy-cures-babies-with-bubble-boy-disease.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used HIV to cure infants</a> born with &#8220;bubble boy&#8221; disease — a remarkable example of hijacking a deadly virus for a new treatment.
&#8220;The children are cured,&#8221; researcher Ewelina Mamcarz <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/bubble-boy-disease-cured-using-hiv-gene-therapy-st-jude-n995631" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told NBC News</a>. &#8220;They came to us as little infants, some of them as young as 2 months, with severe infections. Now they are home, living normal lives, attending daycare.&#8221;
<h2>Danger Everywhere</h2>
X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID-X1) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the interleukin-2 receptor subunit gamma (IL2RG) gene.
People born with SCID-X1 lack a functioning immune system, which makes exposure to any germ potentially life-threatening. In fact, many children born with SCID-X1 die <a href="https://apnews.com/38abc495ee3840289d59ac35e0d21af3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before their second birthday</a>.
<h2>Gene Therapy</h2>
In a <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1815408" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the St. Jude&#8217;s team details how it developed a <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/gene-therapy-deafness-mice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gene therapy</a> to effectively cure 10 infants born with SCID-X1.
After collecting bone marrow samples from each patient, they used a modified version of HIV to place a non-mutated IL2RG gene into the patients&#8217; stem cells. Then they dosed the patients with busulfan, a drug that helps make room for donor stem cells to grow, and returned the cells to the patients&#8217; bodies.
Most were discharged from the hospital within a month.
&#8220;While longer follow-up is needed to assess any late effects of treatment,&#8221; researcher Mort Cowan said in a <a href="https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2019-medicine-science-news/st-jude-gene-therapy-cures-babies-with-bubble-boy-disease.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>, &#8220;these results suggest most patients treated with this gene therapy will develop a complete durable immune response without side effects.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2019-medicine-science-news/st-jude-gene-therapy-cures-babies-with-bubble-boy-disease.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">St. Jude gene therapy cures babies with &#8216;bubble boy&#8217; disease</a> [St. Jude]
More on gene therapy: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/gene-therapy-deafness-mice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientists Used Gene Therapy to Cure Deafness in Mice</a>

Ten infants now have a chance to live normal lives.

Scientists gene-edited HIV to cure “bubble boy" disease

Burst Bubbles

Researchers say they've cured 10 infants born with SCID-X1, also known as "bubble boy" disease, using an HIV-assisted gene therapy.

Scientists Gene-Edited HIV to Cure “Bubble Boy” Disease

"The children are cured... they are home, living normal lives, attending daycare."

<h2>Child&#8217;s Play</h2>
The killer creepy doll Chucky — evil villain of the &#8220;Child&#8217;s Play&#8221; slasher film series from the 80s — is back in a brand new movie set to drop in June. And today a new trailer gives a glimpse at the latest entry of the series, which&#8217;ll star Aubrey Plaza and the voice of Mark Hamill.
The 2019 twist: this time, the doll is haunting its prey through a smart home system called &#8220;Buddi&#8221; — smartphone app and all.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PeHNLikDiVw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>&#8220;Hey Google, Haunt My Neighbors&#8221;</h2>
Chucky&#8217;s shenanigans won&#8217;t be limited to saying &#8220;Alexa, turn off the lights.&#8221; Channeling our collective anxiety about digital security — remember Alexa&#8217;s inexplicable <a href="https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/3/7/17092334/amazon-alexa-devices-strange-laughter">creepy laughter</a>? — it looks like Chucky will be able to hunt his victims with a lawnmower, smart thermostat, and even a drone.
It&#8217;s a timely riff on a timeless horror franchise. After all, who hasn&#8217;t nervously glanced at their smart home device randomly lighting up in the middle of the night?
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2019/04/18/childs-play-trailer-chucky-smart-homes-drones-connected-cars-thermostat/">&#8216;Child&#8217;s Play&#8217; trailer shows Chucky controlling smart homes and drones</a> [Engadget] 

More on smart home devices: <a href="https://futurism.com/home-robots-physicality-line">Robots At Home? Physicality Is Where We Draw The Line</a>

New "Child's Play" trailer shows killer doll Chucky controlling drones, smart home gadgets

Buddi System

The new trailer for the upcoming Child's Play movie shows creepy doll Chucky commandeering a smart lawnmower, a thermostat, and a drone.

In New “Chucky” Trailer, Killer Doll Terrorizes With IoT Gadgets

It's 2019, so in this horror movie your smart home gadgets are trying to kill you.

<h2>Keep it Vague</h2>
North Korea is flexing its muscles. On Thursday, the nation announced that it had test-launched a new &#8220;tactical guided weapon&#8221; — but kept the details vague.
The weapon is unlikely to be a long-range ballistic missile that could jeopardize peace talks, <a href="https://www.apnews.com/2ff1e53cfc9d42a7821c7f4e6a740642">according to the Associated Press</a>. Rather, given the fact that the announcement came with new demands for ongoing negotiations with the U.S., the tests were likely intended as a display of military strength.
<h2>Guessing Game</h2>
South Korean experts suspect that the new weapon was some sort of cruise missile, per the AP&#8216;s attempt to learn more. Had the weapon been a longer-range missile that could pose a threat to the U.S. or other nations, then North Korea may have put at risk its ongoing effort to lift sanctions that other countries have imposed on it.
Rather, Kim Jong-Un called for the U.S. to pull Secretary of State Mike Pompeo out of ongoing <a href="https://futurism.com/potential-nuclear-war-north-korea">disarmament negotiations</a>, accusing him of &#8220;talking nonsense&#8221; and misinterpreting agreements made between the two countries, the AP reports. The experts&#8217; guess: the new weapon test is meant to add a little more gravity to those demands.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.apnews.com/2ff1e53cfc9d42a7821c7f4e6a740642">NKorea says it tested new weapon, wants Pompeo out of talks</a> [The AP]
More on North Korea: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/north-korea-hackers-steal-money-nuclear-bombs">North Korea is Using Hackers to Steal Money for Nuclear Bombs</a>

All we know is that the test involved a new "tactical guided weapon."

North Korea says it tested a new weapon but won't say what it was

Big Kaboom

North Korea just announced a new missile test and made demands for ongoing disarmament negotiations with the U.S., calling for the removal of Pompeo.

North Korea Says It Tested a New Weapon But Won’t Say What It Was

Weird flex but okay!

<h2>Yet Another Glitch</h2>
Is your data safe with Facebook?
After <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-millions-password-plain-text">getting caught</a> storing “hundreds of millions” of account passwords in plain text last month — a flabbergasting breach of good data security practices — Facebook has been busted in another security snafu, admitting yesterday that it &#8220;unintentionally uploaded&#8221; email contacts of some 1.5 million new users since May 2016, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-uploaded-1-5-million-users-email-contacts-without-permission-2019-4">Business Insider reports</a>.
The extent of the damage caused by the glitch is still unclear, but Facebook says it&#8217;s fixed the problem.
&#8220;These contacts were not shared with anyone and we are deleting them,&#8221; a spokesperson <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-privacy/facebook-says-it-uploaded-email-contacts-of-up-to-15-million-users-idUSKCN1RU06R">told </a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-privacy/facebook-says-it-uploaded-email-contacts-of-up-to-15-million-users-idUSKCN1RU06R">Reuters</a>. 
<h2>A Horrible Idea</h2>
Business Insider first discovered the glitch, which caused Facebook to collect email contacts of newly signed-up users without their consent. Security researcher <a href="https://twitter.com/originalesushi">e-sushi</a> first uncovered the glitch.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/facebook?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@facebook</a>, demanding the secret password of the personal email accounts of your users for verification, or any other kind of use, is a HORRIBLE idea from an <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/infosec?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#infosec</a> point of view. By going down that road, you&#39;re practically fishing for passwords you are not supposed to know! <a href="https://t.co/XL2JFk122l">pic.twitter.com/XL2JFk122l</a>
&mdash; e-sushi (@originalesushi) <a href="https://twitter.com/originalesushi/status/1112496649891430401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h2>No Consent</h2>
It&#8217;s a damning revelation — and Facebook fell short, as usual, of a particularly convincing mea culpa.
&#8220;Last month we stopped offering email password verification as an option for people verifying their account when signing up for Facebook for the first time,&#8221; a statement from Facebook read, as quoted by Business Insider.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-uploaded-1-5-million-users-email-contacts-without-permission-2019-4">Facebook says it &#8216;unintentionally uploaded&#8217; 1.5 million people&#8217;s email contacts without their consent</a> [Business Insider] 

More on Facebook leaks: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-millions-password-plain-text">Facebook Stored “Hundreds of Millions” of Passwords as Plain Text</a>

"These contacts were not shared with anyone and we are deleting them."

Facebook "unintentionally" uploaded 1.5 million email contacts

Another Glitch

Facebook admitted yesterday that it "unintentionally uploaded" the email contacts of more than 1.5 million new users who have joined since May 2016.

Facebook “Unintentionally” Uploaded 1.5 Million Email Contacts

Reminder: your personal data is not safe with Facebook.

<h2>News Anchor Horror</h2>
A humanoid robot TV news anchor named Alex read the news yesterday on Russia-24, a state-owned television channel. The silicone-faced anchor presented some run-of-the-mill updates — and even touched on a lurid case in which local authorities were hunting down a mayoral candidate who allegedly kicked a homeless cat.
The unsettling humanoid TV anchor was built by Russian startup Promobot. So far, the company has mostly produced screen-faced service robots for local banks. Alex&#8217;s terrifying silicone face moves thanks to 29 motors, and is modeled to look like the company&#8217;s founder Alexei Yuzhakov, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/17/robot-newscaster-unsettles-russian-state-tv-viewers/">according to The Telegraph</a>.
<a href="https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/promobot-company-founder-alexei-yuzhakov-at-the-2018-news-photo/1065835392">You can be the judge</a> whether it&#8217;s a good likeness.
<h2>Bad Robot</h2>
In a similar — yet unrelated — example of Russian robotics on state TV, Russia-24 showed footage a humanoid robot called &#8220;Robot Boris&#8221; on stage at a youth forum about robotics in December 2018. The twist: it turned out to be a <a href="https://futurism.com/russian-state-tv-man-in-suit-hi-tech-robot">man in a suit</a>.
Alex is definitely a robot though. Or at least we hope he is.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/17/robot-newscaster-unsettles-russian-state-tv-viewers/">Robot newscaster unsettles Russian state TV viewers</a> [The Telegraph] 

More on Russian robots:<a href="https://futurism.com/russian-state-tv-man-in-suit-hi-tech-robot">Russian TV Tried to Pass a Man in a Suit off as A High Tech Robot</a>

The robot dubbed Alex spoke of a rather peculiar case in which local authorities were hunting down a suspect that supposedly kicked a homeless cat.

Russia built a grotesque robot newscaster to read the news

Bad Robot

A humanoid robot TV news anchor dubbed Alex just read the news of the day on Russia 24, a state-owned television channel.

Russia Built a Grotesque Robot Newscaster and Put It on TV

A robot TV anchor accused a mayoral candidate of kicking a homeless cat. 

<h2>Splinter Cell</h2>
Scientists say they&#8217;ve gene-hacked a human cell, using CRISPR tech to turn it into a tiny biological computer complete with the cellular analog of dual core processors.
The squishy little CPUs could eventually lead to powerful computers housed entirely within a cell, <a href="https://newatlas.com/crispr-cell-computer/59336/">according to New Atlas</a>, that would detect and treat diseases.
<h2>Logic Gates</h2>
The cellular computers, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/15/7214#abstract-2">described in research</a> published in the journal PNAS this month, mimic the normal process by which organisms turn genetic information into the proteins that carry out specific tasks within a cell.
The computer is programmed to take in specific genetic codes and perform computations that result in the production of a particular protein. Except instead of simply following the DNA&#8217;s genetic code as a cell does, the computer receives two inputs and combines them, calculating the correct protein to churn out.
<h2>Targeted Medicine</h2>
The researchers behind the cellular computers say that they could be programmed to scan for certain biomarkers signifying the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-crispr-tech-cure-herpes">presence of a disease</a> and, if all the right conditions are met, mass produce molecules or proteins that could help treat it, according to New Atlas.
&#8220;Imagine a microtissue with billions of cells, each equipped with its own dual-core processor,&#8221; MIT researcher Martin Fussenegger told New Atlas. &#8220;Such &#8216;computational organs&#8217; could theoretically attain computing power that far outstrips that of a digital supercomputer — and using just a fraction of the energy.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://newatlas.com/crispr-cell-computer/59336/">CRISPR used to build dual-core computers inside human cells</a> [New Atlas]
More on CRISPR: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-crispr-tech-cure-herpes">New CRISPR Tech Could Cure Herpes</a>

Welcome to the world of 'computational organs.'

Scientists used CRISPR to turn a cell into a biological computer

Cell Out

Using CRISPR gene editing tools, MIT scientists turned a human cell into a tiny computer that could be used to detect diseases and churn out treatments.

Scientists Used CRISPR to Turn a Cell Into a Biological Computer

"Imagine a microtissue with billions of cells, each equipped with its own dual-core processor."

<h2>PR Disaster?</h2>
Korean tech giant Samsung has a PR disaster on its hands.
The Verge just published a worrying report of its Samsung Galaxy Fold review unit showing a small bulge on the crease of the smartphone&#8217;s bending seven inch screen. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/17/samsung-galaxy-fold-screen-breaking-and-flickering.html">CNBC noted</a> similar problems with its review unit.
&#8220;A review unit given to CNBC by Samsung is also completely unusable after just two days of use,&#8221; wrote Todd Haselton.
And the evidence keeps rolling in. YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, better known by the handle MKBHD, <a href="https://twitter.com/mkbhd/status/1118580472576118787?s=21">tweeted</a> earlier today to warn other early testers to not peel away a thin layer covering the screen — in his own attempt to remove the layer, he rendered the display useless.
&#8220;I thought I was dumb for messing with it, but turns out Mark Gurman [Bloomberg], Dieter Bohn [The Verge] and Steve Kovach [CNBC] all also have broken Folds too because of how delicate this layer is,&#8221; Brownlee added.
<h2>Distressing Evidence</h2>
&#8220;It’s a distressing thing to discover just two days after receiving my review unit,&#8221; Bohn wrote for The Verge. &#8220;More distressing is that the bulge eventually pressed sharply enough into the screen to break it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
After one day of use&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/VjDlJI45C9">pic.twitter.com/VjDlJI45C9</a>
&mdash; Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevekovach/status/1118571414934753280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bohn also ruled out any unusually rough behavior that could&#8217;ve broken the screen.
&#8220;I’ve done normal phone stuff, like opening and closing the hinge and putting it in my pocket,&#8221; he wrote.
Samsung has shipped out replacement review units to both The Verge and Brownlee so far, but hasn&#8217;t officially commented on the issue so far. Futurism has reached out for comment.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/18411510/samsung-galaxy-fold-broken-screen-debris-dust-hinge-flexible-bulge">My Samsung Galaxy Fold screen broke after just a day</a> [The Verge]
More on the Samsung Galaxy Fold: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/samsung-galaxy-fold">Samsung Just Revealed a $1980 Folding Smartphone</a>

"I’ve done normal phone stuff, like opening and closing the hinge and putting it in my pocket."

Review units of Samsung's folding phone are breaking almost immediately

Sci-Fi Visions

Worrying reports of Samsung Galaxy Fold review units are coming in, complaining of small bulges in the screens and broken displays.

Review Units of Samsung’s Folding Phone Are Breaking Almost Immediately

Things are not looking good for the $1980 smartphone.

<h2>True Story</h2>
In March 2018, Yale neuroscientist Nenad Sestan shared a remarkable bit of news with his peers at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) meeting: he was able to keep pigs&#8217; brains &#8220;alive&#8221; outside their bodies for up to 36 hours.
The news quickly made its way from that meeting to the <a href="https://futurism.com/pig-brains-alive-outside-body" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media</a>. And now, more than a year later, the details of the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1099-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">radical study</a> have finally been published in the highly respected journal Nature, confirming that what sounded initially like science-fiction was actually sound science — and raising startling questions about what it really means to be &#8220;dead.&#8221;
<h2>Brain Chambers</h2>
As reported previously, Sestan&#8217;s team started the experiment by removing the brains from the severed heads of 32 pigs sourced from a local slaughterhouse.
Then they placed the brains into specially designed chambers and attached catheters that allowed them to pump a solution containing preservatives and other chemicals through the organs&#8217; veins and arteries.
They found that this system, which they dubbed BrainEx, restored some of the brain&#8217;s crucial functions and helped maintain its internal structures.
<h2>Life and Death</h2>
Ultimately, the team was able to keep some of the brains alive in this way for 36 hours, raising new questions about the nature of death.
&#8220;For most of human history, death was very simple,&#8221; neuroscientist Christof Koch, who wasn&#8217;t involved in the study, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01216-4#ref-CR1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Nature</a>. &#8220;Now, we have to question what is irreversible.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01216-4#ref-CR1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pig brains kept alive outside body for hours after death</a> [Nature]
More on pig brains: <a href="https://futurism.com/pig-brains-alive-outside-body" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pig Brains Can Be Kept Alive Outside the Body. Human Brains Might Be Next.</a>

We need to rethink what it means to be "dead."

Yale scientists kept decapitated pigs' brains alive for 36 hours

Zombie Pigs

A team from Yale created a system that let them breathe new life into pig brains that had been removed from the animals' skulls.

Yale Scientists Kept Decapitated Pigs’ Brains Alive for 36 Hours

What is dead may never die — until you unhook it from the BrainEx system.

<h2>Internal Review</h2>
After media revealed that Chinese scientist He Jiankui had conducted research that led to the birth of gene-hacked babies, it soon emerged that he had corresponded about the controversial work with American scientists.
Three of those scientists are from Stanford University, but an internal investigation conducted by the university just cleared all three of wrongdoing, <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/613323/stanford-has-cleared-its-professors-over-the-crispr-baby-scandal/">according to the MIT Technology Review</a>. While the school&#8217;s faculty knew about the controversial and illegal research, the university maintains that they didn&#8217;t contribute to it.
<h2>Insider Knowledge</h2>
The three Stanford professors <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/stanford-probes-faculty-gene-hacked">named in the investigation</a> are Stephen Quake, He&#8217;s former employer, William Hurlbut, who <a href="https://futurism.com/gene-edited-baby-due">dropped the news</a> that a second gene-edited baby was on the way, and geneticist Matthew Porteus.
The three scientists all allegedly knew about He&#8217;s research but didn&#8217;t directly participate, <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2019/04/16/stanford-statement-fact-finding-review-related-dr-jiankui/">according to a statement</a> released by Stanford on Tuesday. The statement goes even further, stating that the American researchers shared their concerns with He and that they were misled to believe that He had been granted institutional approval before beginning his experiments.
Missing from the statement, however, is any recommendation on what scientists ought to do when faced with research like He&#8217;s — though the bar seems to be set, implicitly, at not actively taking part.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/613323/stanford-has-cleared-its-professors-over-the-crispr-baby-scandal/">Stanford has cleared its professors over the CRISPR baby scandal</a> [MIT Technology Review]
More on CRISPR babies: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/stanford-probes-faculty-gene-hacked">Stanford Probes Faculty Who Knew About Gene-Hacked Chinese Babies</a>

The scientists knew about the research but didn't directly participate, which is apparently good enough.

Stanford declines to punish faculty for CRISPR babies

Stanford Says Stanford Is Good

After conducting an internal investigation into three professors who knew about He Jiankui's CRISPR baby research, Stanford let its faculty off the hook.

Stanford Declines to Punish Faculty For CRISPR Babies

They knew about it beforehand, but did nothing to stop it.

<h2>Starry Sight</h2>
On the outskirts of the Milky Way, about 14,000 light years from Earth, is a massive region highly conducive to star formation. But because it&#8217;s so far away and hidden behind clouds of dust and gas, astronomers have never been able to get a good look at it.
With a newly commissioned radio telescope, though, an international team of astronomers has now created a <a href="https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2019/04/15/firstlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher-resolution map</a> of the area — and in the process, they found that one subregion is inexplicably far more efficient at star formation than the others.
<h2>Generation Why?</h2>
According to a <a href="https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2019/04/15/firstlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>, the team&#8217;s research, which has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, led to the discovery that the CTB 102 region has a star formation efficiency of between 5 and 10 percent — about the same as the Milky Way&#8217;s other giant molecular clouds.
However, one subregion of CTB 102 is far more efficient at forming stars, boasting an efficiency between 17 and 37 percent depending on how the team calculated the subregion&#8217;s mass.
Researcher Charles Kerton said in the press release that the team isn&#8217;t sure why this one subregion is so adept at forming stars — but they speculate it might have something to do with the kind of interstellar material within in. To find out for sure, though, they&#8217;d need to conduct further studies.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2019/04/15/firstlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Astronomers take first, high-resolution look at huge star-forming region of Milky Way</a> [Iowa State University]
More on stars: <a href="https://futurism.com/universe-first-stars-big-bang" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientists Now Know When the First Stars Formed in the Universe</a>

A new high-res map yielded an unexpected discovery.

Scientists find mysterious star-forming factory in Milky Way

Stellar Discovery

Astronomers have discovered that one subregion of the Milky Way is far more efficient at star formation than the others — and they don't know why.

Scientists Find Mysterious Star-Forming Factory In Milky Way

Everything is star-stuff — but especially this place!

<h2>Twin Attack Helicopter</h2>
American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters just announced details of its upcoming MD 969 Twin Attack Helicopter at a military trade show in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the rear of the fuselage of the helicopter, <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27515/new-md-explorer-gunship-features-internal-tubes-for-launching-guided-munitions-and-drones">The Drive reports</a>, a munitions guiding system pops out to deploy seven payloads ranging from powered missiles to small drones that could carry out their own missions independently from the copter.
<h2>Launch Tube Offensive</h2>
A possible existing drone that could be launched from the helicopter&#8217;s Common Launch Tube (CLT) is military contractor Raytheon&#8217;s Coyote. The Coyote is a small drone that has been used in the past to <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/14692/noaas-flying-hurricane-hunters-launch-suicidal-coyote-drones-into-the-middle-of-storms">gather vital information</a> about hurricanes — especially in places where hurricane wind speeds are too high for crewed aircraft to fly.
<figure id="attachment_157299" style="width: 956px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="wp-image-157299 size-full" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/04/systima-system.png" alt="" width="956" height="608" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Systima Technologies</figcaption></figure>
In a military context, small drones launched through the tube could increase awareness of ground and air-based operations when line of sight is obscured, according to an <a href="https://www.mdhelicopters.com/md-helicopters-enhances-md-969-twin-attack-helicopter-with-7-shot-common-launch-tube-(clt)-system.html">official press release</a>.
&#8220;The CLT is part of a flexible, roll-on/roll-off launch system that is easily integrated into existing platforms,&#8221; said Tom Prenzlow, President of Systima Technologies, maker of the the launch tube system, in a press release.
<h2>Drone Swarms</h2>
It&#8217;s not the only possible future use of drones on the battlefield.
Earlier this year, <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/military-swarming-attack-drones-enemy-aircraft">Futurism reported</a> on the British military&#8217;s interest in developing drone swarm technology that could surround enemy aircraft and force them out of the sky.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27515/new-md-explorer-gunship-features-internal-tubes-for-launching-guided-munitions-and-drones">New MD Explorer Gunship Features Internal Tubes For Launching Guided Munitions And Drones</a> [The Drive] 

More on military drones: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/anti-drone-weapons">Military Contractors Are Churning out New Anti-Drone Weapons</a>

In the rear of the fuselage of the helicopter, a munitions guiding system pops out and can deploy seven payloads ranging from powered missiles to even small drones.

This attack helicopter can launch drones from midair

Shooting Drones

American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters's new attack helicopter can launch up to seven payloads, ranging from powered missiles to small drones.