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In a groundbreaking experiment, NASA has successfully sent a 15-second, high-definition cat video over 19 million miles to Earth from space.

NASA has sent an ultra-high definition, 15-second-long cat video over 19 million miles (over 30 million km), the space agency said on Monday. This was not done for fun, though the video choice is undoubtedly some in-joke, but rather an experiment for its Deep Space Optical Communications. The video was beamed to Earth from its $1.2 billion Psyche asteroid probe launched in October 2023.

Cat vids over the void

The probe is on a six-year-long mission and is set to travel around 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion km) during its mission. Pysche is scheduled to rendevous with a rare, metal-rich asteroid that may explain how the cores of rocky planets like Earth first formed. The video of a cat called “Taters” was uploaded to the probe before launch and was sent to Earth on December 11 as a side mission to its main task.

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Just four days after arriving in Earth’s orbit, China’s Shenlong space plane has been observed releasing six enigmatic “wingmen.”

China’s Shenlong (meaning “Divine Dragon”) robotic space plane has something strange four days after it arrives in Earth’s orbit.

In an unexpected move, China’s Shenlong space plane has been observed deploying 6 ‘wingmen’ objects, some of which are chatting.

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RoboCob can simulate jumps up to 1.20 meters, elevating equestrian training with instant feedback through integrated screens.

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has debuted a state-of-the-art robotic horse in a leap forward for equestrian education. This cutting-edge creation is set to advance the way equestrian students undergo training, offering a meticulously crafted and technologically advanced solution.

Named RoboCob by students and developed in association with Chesire-based Racewood Equestrian Simulators, the £100,000 machine stands as the first of its kind in the country, promising a secure yet highly effective platform for riders to refine their jumping techniques and master dressage skills. Boasting the capability to simulate jumps of up to 1.20 meters, RoboCob takes equestrian training to new heights by providing immediate feedback through its integrated screens.

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A high voltage direct current cable will connect UK homes with fresh green energy from the wind farms of Denmark.

Viking Link, the world’s largest interconnector, connecting electrical grids in Denmark and the UK using a 475-mile (765 km) undersea cable is days away from being put into operation. The interconnector will go online at reduced capacity and eventually power 1.4 million homes in the UK.

Interconnectors enable a quick way to tide over demand-supply fluctuations in an electrical grid. These are especially important in a world where energy comes from renewable sources and is known to be produced intermittently. This is why the EU expects them to play a crucial role in the region’s energy security in the future.

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A hole in your throat is nothing to sneeze at, as shown by a case report recently published in BMJ Case Reports. And the case report showed the dangers of pinching your nose and closing your mouth in an attempt to stifle a sneeze. A man in his 30s tried doing this and was left with a hole is his trachea, which can be a hole lot of trouble.

This man who had a history of allergies was wearing a seat belt while driving his car when he felt the need to sneeze and in a pinch tried to keep the sneeze from exiting from either his nostrils or his mouth. This led to quite a pressure-filled situation. Normally, sneezing can generate a pressure of one to two kilopascals in the upper airways which, in turn, can blast air and accompanying gunk out through your nose and mouth. But guess what happens when you pinch your nose shut and keep your mouth closed at the same time? Rather than rushing out of these holes, the air has no place to go. That can build up pressure your the upper airways that is up to 20 times higher than what a released sneeze would generate.

After this sneezus interruptus, the man began experiencing severe neck pain and eventually ended up in the emergency department of Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, UK. The four authors of the case report (Rasads Misirovs, Gary Hoey, Calum Carruthers and Samit Majumdar) work at this hospital. There doctors found the man’s neck to be swollen on both sides. An X-ray of his neck revealed evidence of air where it wasn’t supposed to be, and a CT of the neck and chest with contrast showed a 2 mm by 2 mm by 5 mm in his trachea, otherwise known as his windpipe.

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