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It’s long been known that cannabis plants are indigenous to Central Asia, but a new study provides a fresh focus on where exactly this genus may have first evolved millions of years ago.

Documents dating back to the middle ages show humans have been hypothesising about the geographical origins of cannabis for over a thousand years now, with the famed Arab polymath Ibn Wahshiyya suggesting India or perhaps China as far back as 930 CE.

But the rarity of print fossils (impressions of leaves made on other objects) in the historical record has made it difficult for the research community to identify anything more specific than Central Asia, even with the booming popularity of cannabis currently ongoing in many fields of academic and scientific enquiry.

Continue reading “Scientists Might Have Just Found Where Cannabis Originally Came From” | >

Robot bees are no replacement for our vital pollinators here on Earth. Up on the International Space Station, however, robots bearing the bee name could help spacefaring humans save precious time.

On Friday, NASA astronaut Anne McClain took one of the trio of Astrobees out for a spin. Bumble and its companion Honey both arrived on the ISS a month ago, and are currently going through a series of checks. Bumble passed the first hurdle when McClain manually flew it around the Japanese Experiment Module. Bumble took photos of the module which will be used to make a map for all the Astrobees, guiding them as they begin their tests there.

Continue reading “All the buzz about NASA’s new fleet of space bees” | >

Researchers invent a new approach to assembling big structures — even airplanes and bridges — out of small interlocking composite components. MIT researchers have developed a lightweight structure whose tiny blocks can be snapped together much like the bricks of a child’s construction toy. The new material, the researchers say, could revolutionize the assembly of airplanes, spacecraft, and even larger structures, such as dikes and levees.

NBF – This is huge. It boosts what is possible with additive manufacturing and 3D printing. This will revolutionize manufacturing and construction.

UPDATE – I have added a discussion of variants to the 3D interlock system and compare it to the Utility Fog concept.

Continue reading “MIT new 3D chainmail interlock system with ten times the stiffness” | >

Putting their own twist on robots that amble through complicated landscapes, the Stanford Student Robotics club’s Extreme Mobility team has developed a four-legged robot that is not only capable of performing acrobatic tricks and traversing challenging terrain but is also designed with reproducibility in mind. Anyone who wants their own version of the robot, dubbed Stanford Doggo, can consult comprehensive plans, code and a supply list that the students have made freely available online.

“We had seen these other quadruped robots used in research, but they weren’t something that you could bring into your own lab and use for your own projects,” said Nathan Kau, ‘20, a major and lead for Extreme Mobility. “We wanted Stanford Doggo to be this open source that you could build yourself on a relatively small budget.”

Continue reading “Dog-like robot jumps, flips and trots” | >

An algorithm developed by Brown University computer scientists enables robots to put pen to paper, writing words using stroke patterns similar to human handwriting. It’s a step, the researchers say, toward robots that are able to communicate more fluently with human co-workers and collaborators.

“Just by looking at a target image of a word or sketch, the robot can reproduce each stroke as one continuous action,” said Atsunobu Kotani, an undergraduate student at Brown who led the algorithm’s development. “That makes it hard for people to distinguish if it was written by the robot or actually written by a human.”

Continue reading “Researchers teach robots handwriting and drawing” | >

In a terrifying breakthrough similar to the metal morphing villain in Terminator 2, scientists at the University of Sussex and Swansea University have discovered a way to apply electrical charges to liquid metal and coax it into 3D shapes such as letters and even a heart.

This discovery has been called an “extremely promising” new kind of material that can be programmed to alter its shape.

Continue reading “Scientists Have Created Shape Shifting Liquid Metal That Can Be Programmed” | >

There are about half a dozen other technological approaches to quantum computing vying for preeminence these days. The ion trap method differs from the most popular approach—the silicon chip-based “superconducting qubit”—preferred by the likes of IBM, Google, Intel, and other tech giants. Honeywell, the industrial conglomerate, is one of the few companies pursuing the ion trap approach along with IonQ.

“Quantum computers can potentially solve many of the problems we have today,” Chapman told Fortune on a call. He listed off potential areas of impact, such as drug discovery, energy, logistics, materials science, and A.I. techniques. “How would you not want to be part of that?”

“This is a once-in-a-generation type opportunity,” said Andrew Schoen, a principal at New Enterprise Associates, IonQ’s first backer. “We view this as a chance to build the next Intel.”

Continue reading “Amazon Prime Boss Named CEO of Google-Backed Quantum Computing Startup” | >

Being an entrepreneur means being willing to take some risks. But Richard Browning doesn’t just put money on the line for his company — he risks his own life.

In 2017, Browning founded Gravity Industries. And since then, he’s served as the chief test pilot for the company’s flagship product, an Iron Man-style jet suit.

In a newly released video, Browning dons the latest version of the suit to fly over a lush green landscape — demonstrating how a concept once relegated to sci-fi is now an incredible reality.

Continue reading “Watch a Daring Fellow Fly an Iron Man-Style Jet Suit” | >

They have successfully test-fired 3D-printed combustion chambers made from multiple materials.

The news: By combining their manufacturing and testing capabilities, small-satellite launcher Virgin Orbit and NASA created a rocket combustion chamber that was 3D-printed from multiple metals. A combustion chamber is the container where all the propellants get mixed up and ignite—so it must be able to cope with extreme heat and force. The test part that used the chamber generated more than 2,000 pounds of thrust in a series of 60-second test fires. You can watch a video of the test firing here.

Why are chambers a challenge? Because it has to withstand so much, it must be designed to a very high standard, meaning the part is expensive and time consuming to make.

Continue reading “NASA and Virgin Orbit have 3D-printed a working rocket engine part” | >