Lifeboat Foundation

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding is partnering with a domestic rocket developer, with the lofty goal of delivering parcels anywhere in the world within an hour.

The experiment, to be co-conducted by Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace and Beijing-based start-up Space Epoch, will take place “in the near future” using a reusable rocket that can land on the sea, according to a Sunday post by Space Epoch on its official WeChat account.

Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, confirmed the information on Monday, saying that “many great endeavours seem like a joke at first”

Combining results of laboratory studies on the infra-red glow of carbon molecules in simulation software has led a team of researchers to a new discovery about the creation of spherical carbon ‘cages’ called fullerenes.

Given these molecules could have protectively carried complex compounds through the harshness of interstellar space, the findings could have implications for how life arose on Earth, and beyond.

Following the confirmed detection of fullerenes surrounding the dusty surrounds of dying stars called planetary nebulas in recent decades, researchers have pondered the process that led to their creation.

It remains a fascinating system for astronomers because the protostar and its protoplanetary disk are estimated to be no older than 5.5 million years — a cosmic infant compared to our 4.5-billion-year-old solar system.

“PDS 70 is special, as it is the only protoplanetary disk so far where all astronomers agree that we have found forming planets caught in the act,” Christiaens said. “Detailed study of this system has thus allowed us to learn a lot about planet formation.”

The researcher said that little is known about the properties of the potential third planet around PDS 70 thus far. The planet — which, if confirmed, would be designated PDS 70D — appears to be shrouded in a vast amount of dust, and it orbits its infant star at around 13 times the distance between Earth and the sun.

The rover will spend months exploring the Gediz Vallis channel, which could contain clues to the history of liquid water on Mars.

Galaxies start life with their stars rotating in an orderly pattern but in some the motion of stars is more random. Until now, scientists have been uncertain about what causes this—possibly the surrounding environment or the mass of the galaxy itself.

In the burgeoning field of AI and cybernetics, we stand at the cusp of a paradigm shift—a reimagining of the foundational principles that underpin our understanding of reality itself. This article delves into the tenets of the Cybernetic Theory, of Mind (CTM), a model that amalgamates the rigor of science with the vast potentialities of consciousness (observer-dependence, causality, teleology, phenomenality), offering a novel lens through which to view the mechanisms of mind and matter. As we explore these principles, we uncover a framework that transcends traditional boundaries, positioning consciousness as the bedrock of existence and viewing the universe not merely as a collection of separate entities but as an interconnected web of information processing and exchange. This new ontological model invites us to reconsider not just the nature of human thought and machine intelligence but also the very essence of what it means to be, heralding an era where the cybernetic fusion of technology and human mind shapes our future.

The first crewed test launch of Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft has been delayed yet again.

This time, however, it’s seemingly not about the aerospace giant’s massive technical difficulties in getting its astronaut shuttle off the ground — with or without a crew on board.

“Following a review of the International Space Station operations, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeting no earlier than Monday, May 6, for Starliner’s first launch with astronauts to the orbital complex,” reads an official NASA update. “The date adjustment optimizes space station schedule of activities planned toward the end of April, including a cargo spacecraft undocking and a crew spacecraft port relocation required for Starliner docking.”

The total solar eclipse isn’t the only reason to keep your eyes to the sky this year. For the first time in 80 years, a star system 3,000 light years away will be visible to the naked eye thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime nova outburst.

NASA announced that the nova, which will create a “new” star in the night sky, will light up the night sky some time between now and September and be as bright as the North Star. One of only five recurring novae in our galaxy, it will be visible for a week before it fades back down.

Jonathan Blazek, an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University, says this is an exciting moment for amateur astronomers and astrophysicists alike. It’s not technically a new star, just a star that is now bright enough for people to see more clearly, Blazek says, but it provides an opportunity to see and understand the cosmos in a new way.

The location of the solar system’s outer boundary is a point of contention among astronomers. There are three possible candidates, which “all have merit.” But which one is best?