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Jun 8, 2020

Asteroid the size of Empire State Building nears earth this weekend

Posted by in categories: astronomy, existential risks

The asteroid is estimated to be 1,100 ft. in diameter, while the Empire State Building stands at approximately 1,400 ft. tall.

Jun 8, 2020

Apple Watch Series 5

Posted by in category: health

Has glucose monitor: 3.


With a new Always-On Retina display, Apple Watch Series 5 is always there for you. To monitor your health, help you stay fit, and keep you connected.

Jun 8, 2020

Elon Musk says Starship is now SpaceX’s top priority

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk says that after accomplishing its first human launch, the company’s primary focus going forward will be developing Starship, its next-generation spacecraft. According to an internal email seen by CNBC, Musk said that Starship is job one for the company, with the exception of ensuring that everything goes well with the forthcoming return of the Crew Dragon capsule from the International Space Station, which will be carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on their homeward bound trip.

Starship has been in development at a SpaceX production and testing site in Boca Chica, Texas, since 2019, and was also originally being developed by a second team in parallel in Florida. SpaceX combined the efforts and focused prototype builds in Texas late last year and has been building a number of Starship prototypes using a model of rapid iteration.

The spacecraft is designed to be a fully reusable vehicle that can support both crew and cargo configurations that can make trips to both Earth orbit and deep space destinations including the moon and Mars when paired with the forthcoming SpaceX Super Heavy rocket booster. SpaceX eventually wants to replace both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy with Starship, which should reduce costs by unifying its production lines and offering full reusability.

Jun 8, 2020

Robots with flexible feet walk 40% faster

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space

Researchers from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have developed flexible feet that can help robots walk up to 40% faster on uneven terrain such as pebbles and wood chips. The work has applications for search-and-rescue missions, as well as space exploration.

“Robots need to be able to walk fast and efficiently on natural, uneven terrain, so they can go everywhere humans can, but maybe shouldn’t,” said Emily Lathrop, the study’s first author and a PhD student in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD.

The researchers are presenting their breakthrough at the RoboSoft conference, taking place virtually from now until 15th July.

Jun 8, 2020

Physicists think they’ve figured out a way to save Schrödinger’s cat

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

The famous cat-in-a-box thought experiment by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger is an illustration of one of the defining characteristics of quantum mechanics — the unpredictable behaviour of particles at the quantum level.

It makes working with quantum systems incredibly difficult; but what if we could make quantum predictions? A team of physicists believes it’s possible.

In a study published last year, they demonstrated their ability to predict something called a quantum jump, and even reverse the process after it’s started.

Jun 8, 2020

The US Air Force is preparing a human versus AI dogfight

Posted by in categories: drones, military, robotics/AI

The US Air Force wants to pit an autonomous fighter drone against a pilot.

Jun 8, 2020

Physicists entangle 15 trillion hot atoms

Posted by in categories: computing, cosmology, encryption, quantum physics

Physicists set a new record by linking together a hot soup of 15 trillion atoms in a bizarre phenomenon called quantum entanglement. The finding could be a major breakthrough for creating more accurate sensors to detect ripples in space-time called gravitational waves or even the elusive dark matter thought to pervade the universe.

Entanglement, a quantum phenomena Albert Einstein famously described as “spooky action at a distance,” is a process in which two or more particles become linked and any action performed on one instantaneously affects the others regardless of how far apart they are. Entanglement lies at the heart of many emerging technologies, such as quantum computing and cryptography.

Jun 8, 2020

Researchers develop 3D-printable material that mimics biological tissues

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, biological

Biological tissues have evolved over millennia to be perfectly optimized for their specific functions. Take cartilage as an example. It’s a compliant, elastic tissue that’s soft enough to cushion joints, but strong enough to resist compression and withstand the substantial load bearing of our bodies: key for running, jumping, and our daily wear and tear.

Jun 8, 2020

The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Professional Services

Posted by in categories: business, law, robotics/AI

Accountants and lawyers to use AI to cannibalise their business – before someone else does.

Jun 8, 2020

Transparent graphene electrodes might lead to new generation of solar cells

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

A new way of making large sheets of high-quality, atomically thin graphene could lead to ultra-lightweight, flexible solar cells, and to new classes of light-emitting devices and other thin-film electronics.