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Jul 15, 2019

Powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolts Halmahera; people rush out homes in panic

Posted by in category: habitats

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at 4:10 p.m. Jakarta time or 6:10 p.m. local time, 102 kilometers north-northeast of Laiwui in South Halmahera, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Based on official information from the South Halmahera Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the quake was mostly felt in the regency for two to five seconds, prompting people to panic and rush out of their homes.

The BPBD is still assessing the aftermath of the quake.

Jul 15, 2019

The future of flight is electric

Posted by in category: futurism

How technology could transform our trips in the skies and our life on the ground.

Jul 15, 2019

SpaceX wiggles Starhopper’s Raptor engine, tests parts ahead of hover test debut

Posted by in category: space travel

On the evening of July 12th, SpaceX technicians put Starhopper’s freshly-installed Raptor – serial number 06 (SN06) – through a simple but decidedly entertaining test, effectively wiggling the engine in circles.

Designed to verify that Raptor’s thrust vectoring capabilities are in order and ensure that Starhopper and the engine are properly communicating, the wiggle test is a small but critical part of pre-flight acceptance and a good indicator that the low-fidelity Starship prototype is nearing its first hover test(s). Roughly 48 hours after a successful series of wiggles, Starhopper and Raptor proceeded into the next stage of pre-flight acceptance, likely the final more step before a tethered static fire.

Routine for all Falcon rockets, SpaceX’s exceptionally rigorous practice of static firing all hardware at least once (and often several times) before launch has unsurprisingly held firm as the company proceeds towards integrated Starhopper and Starship flight tests. Despite the fact that Raptor SN06 completed a static fire as recently July 10th, SpaceX will very likely put Starhopper and its newly-installed Raptor through yet another pre-flight static fire, perhaps its fourth or fifth test this month.

Jul 15, 2019

Intel has packed 8 million digital neurons onto a brain-like computer

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

With 64 Loihi processors, Intel packs 8 million digital neurons into one computer.

Jul 15, 2019

David Attenborough says industrial overfishing is more dangerous to the ocean than plastic

Posted by in category: materials

Putting the entire ocean system at risk.

🔎 Learn more about overfishing: https://wef.ch/2KM97Be

Jul 15, 2019

Researchers create ‘epigenetic atlas’, heralding leap forward in disease diagnosis

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

This atlas of human CoRSIVs,” they write, “provides a resource for future population-based investigations into how interindividual epigenetic variation modulates risk of disease,” and may well transform understanding of the causes of illness in the human body.


A project 370 times larger than the Human Genome Project bears first fruit. Stephen Fleischfresser reports.

Jul 15, 2019

The Years Project

Posted by in category: futurism

Half the globe’s population could face severe water stress by 2050. For some countries, it could be as early as 2030. Cities like Chennai, India, are experiencing these consequences right now. #YEARSproject

Jul 15, 2019

Insect Extinction

Posted by in category: existential risks

The world’s insects are disappearing. If we don’t stop it, this disappearance will set off a catastrophic chain of events. #YEARSproject

Jul 15, 2019

Heading Towards Collapse

Posted by in category: futurism

The world’s most important crop is, and if we don’t stop it, nearly half the world could be left hungry. #YEARSproject


The world’s most important crop is heading towards collapse, and if we don’t stop it, nearly half the world could be left hungry. #YEARSproject

Jul 15, 2019

Coal Ash in the Water

Posted by in category: climatology

There’s no way to store toxic coal waste that’s completely safe. There’s also no way to mine and burn coal that doesn’t threaten communities, our waterways and our climate. Duke needs to stop burning coal, clean up its toxic mess, and invest in abundant, affordable clean energy sources like solar and wind. #2048istoolate #BeyondCoal #YEARSproject with Sierra Club.