Lifeboat Foundation

NASA has temporarily stopped sending commands to its Mars-exploring robots, but there’s nothing to worry about.

We’re currently experiencing a “Mars solar conjunction,” a two-week stretch in which Earth and the Red Planet are situated on opposite sides of the sun. Mars mission teams halt commands during such alignments, which occur roughly every two years, for safety reasons.

The apparatus can be easily replicated by other laboratories accelerating the entry of metamaterials in the real world.

Eurekalert.

Metamaterials are products made from everyday materials such as polymers, ceramics, and metals. When mixed in the right proportions and constructed precisely at microscales, these materials can assume extraordinary properties.

Continue reading “MIT researchers use ultrasonic laser pulses to probe metamaterials” »

This opens up new possibilities for creating complex robots with soft and rigid materials in one go.

Thomas Buchner / ETH Zurich.

3D printing is a revolutionary technology that can create objects of any shape and size from various materials. However, until now, it was mostly limited to using fast-curing plastics, which have some drawbacks. They are brittle, prone to cracking, and lose their shape easily when bent.

Continue reading “New 3D printing technology enables more durable and flexible robots” »

In an exclusive interview, Peter Hegemann said AI is more dangerous than optogenetics.

Contrary to popular belief, there is very little chance that optogenetics will be used in the future to control the human brain, says Peter Hegemann, a biochemist and biophysicist, in a conversation with Interesting Engineering (IE) at the Hong Kong Laureate Forum 2023.

Optogenetics is a scientific technique that uses light to control and manipulate cells within living tissues, particularly in the brain. It allows researchers to control the activity of specific neurons with high precision, both in terms of location and timing.

Continue reading “Scientists debunk notions of optogenetics controlling the human brain” »

A new study using data from the CALET instrument on the ISS has found evidence for young and nearby sources of cosmic ray electrons from supernova remnants.

NASA

In a new study using data from the CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) instrument on the ISS, the researchers have found evidence for young and nearby sources of cosmic ray electrons, which are a special kind of cosmic ray that carry a negative charge. These sources will likely be the remnants of exploded stars, or supernovae, in our galactic neighborhood.

Continue reading “Cosmic ray electrons from nearby supernovae detected by ISS” »

The service can transfer 150 HD movies in just one second and has arrived two years before industry estimates.

Nadla/iStock.

China’s achievements in wired data transmission come shortly after the country boasted about the installation of 3.19 million base stations, demonstrating 5G dominance in wireless telephony. Not only do these installations outpace the US in sheer numbers, but they are also helping the eastern country transform its industrial sector to engage in high-tech manufacturing, Interesting Engineering had previously reported.

Continue reading “China launches world’s first 1.2 Tbps speed internet connection” »

The addition of an additional step in a long-established workflow can help reduce substantial costs show cybersecurity researchers.

Sakkmesterke/iStock.

The increasing use of cloud storage has increased the risks to data security, and cybersecurity researchers have been looking at distributed cloud storage as a plausible solution to this problem.

Get a blood test, check blood pressure, and swab for aliments — all without a doctor or nurse.

Adrian Aoun, CEO and co-founder of Forward Health, aims to scale healthcare.

Adrian Aoun, CEO and co-founder of Forward Health, aims to scale healthcare. It started in 2017 with the launch of tech-forward doctor’s offices that eschewed traditional medical staffing for technology solutions like body scanners, smart sensors, and algorithms that can diagnose ailments. Now, in 2023, he’s still on the same mission and rolled up all the learnings and technology found in the doctor’s office into a self-contained, standalone medical station called the CarePod.

Continue reading “Forward Health launches CarePods, a self-contained, AI-powered doctor’s office” »

Google Maps is getting a few new updates, including a social feature that is designed to help people plan and collaborate with their friends. The navigation platform is also adding improved transit directions and emoji reactions.

The new social feature is designed to take planning out of your group chat and into Google Maps. The platform is updating its list feature to make it easier for people to share places, plan with friends and vote on group activities. With this new feature, you’ll be able to create a collaborative list to to start planning a hangout after you share a place in Maps with friends. Everyone in the group can add places they’re interested in visiting, and vote with an emoji, like a heart or a thumbs down.