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Jan 29, 2021

5 Surprising Discoveries From NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover

Posted by in category: space

A look back at the Mars Curiosity rover’s science legacy thus far.

Jan 28, 2021

First evidence that water can be created on the lunar surface

Posted by in category: space

Before the Apollo era, the moon was thought to be dry as a desert due to the extreme temperatures and harshness of the space environment. Many studies have since discovered lunar water: ice in shadowed polar craters, water bound in volcanic rocks, and unexpected rusty iron deposits in the lunar soil. Despite these findings, there is still no true confirmation of the extent or origin of lunar surface water.

Jan 28, 2021

Blockchain-based scientific data network launches

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, computing

China launched its first blockchain-based scientific data network on Wednesday to facilitate open and secured sharing of research information, which can help track and optimize the publishing process, as well as curb academic fraud, according to the Computer Network Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Jan 28, 2021

Authorities Seize Dark-Web Site Linked to the Netwalker Ransomware

Posted by in category: cybercrime/malcode

U.S. and Bulgarian authorities took control of the dark web site used by the NetWalker ransomware cybercrime group.

Jan 28, 2021

European Authorities Disrupt Emotet — World’s Most Dangerous Malware

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, law enforcement

Law enforcement agencies dismantled the infrastructure of Emotet, a notorious email-based Windows malware behind several botnet-driven spam campaigns.

Jan 28, 2021

New Docker Container Escape Bug Affects Microsoft Azure Functions

Posted by in category: cybercrime/malcode

Researchers detail docker container escape bug affecting microsoft azure functions.

Jan 28, 2021

Physicists develop record-breaking source for single photons

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

Researchers at the University of Basel and Ruhr University Bochum have developed a source of single photons that can produce billions of these quantum particles per second. With its record-breaking efficiency, the photon source represents a new and powerful building-block for quantum technologies.

Jan 28, 2021

Simulating cities under pandemic conditions to make predictions about future outbreaks

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry

An international team of researchers has used modeling techniques borrowed from chemistry applications to create a new kind of city simulator. In their paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A, the group describes using their models to create simulations of of COVID-19 spread for two real-world cities: Birmingham England and Bogota Columbia.

Jan 28, 2021

Deep learning-based assessment of student engagement could aid classroom research

Posted by in categories: education, robotics/AI

Past research has identified student engagement, or the extent to which students participate and are involved in classroom activities, as a crucial factor determining both the quality of education programs and the academic performance of individual students. As a result, many educators worldwide are actively trying to devise courses that maximize student engagement.

Jan 28, 2021

New Rocket Thruster Concept Exploits the Mechanism Behind Solar Flares

Posted by in categories: particle physics, space travel

A new type of rocket thruster that could take humankind to Mars and beyond has been proposed by a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).

The device would apply magnetic fields to cause particles of plasma (link is external), electrically charged gas also known as the fourth state of matter, to shoot out the back of a rocket and, because of the conservation of momentum, propel the craft forward. Current space-proven plasma thrusters use electric fields to propel the particles.

The new concept would accelerate the particles using magnetic reconnection, a process found throughout the universe, including the surface of the sun, in which magnetic field lines converge, suddenly separate, and then join together again, producing lots of energy. Reconnection also occurs inside doughnut-shaped fusion (link is external) devices known as tokamaks (link is external).