Celebrate Spitzer’s 16th birthday with these 16 beautiful space images
The Spitzer Telescope launched 16 years ago, in August 2003. To celebrate its sweet sixteen, NASA has shared 16 of the most beautiful space images captured by this infrared telescope. Here you can see nebulas, galaxies, clusters, and more, captured in infrared light which shows glowing dust features.
Autonomous helicopter joins its rover buddy for Mars 2020 mission
NASA has a bold plan to send not only a rover but also a helicopter to Mars as part of its Mars 2020 mission. The autonomous Mars Helicopter has successfully passed its flight tests and vacuum and deployment tests. Now, it has been attached to the Mars 2020 rover ready for its journey to the red planet.
Japanese probe prepares to return sample of asteroid to Earth
Japan's Hayabusa 2 probe recently touched down on asteroid Ryugu and collected a sample from this rock. Now, the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, has revealed its future plans for the craft, including deploying a lander onto the asteroid and a procedure for returning the collected sample to Earth.
The CDC says that almost everyone shouldn’t vape, including young adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned minors, pregnant women, young adults, and people who don't use tobacco that they shouldn't vape after a spate of recent illnesses and one death linked to e-cigarettes.
Scientists at UC San Francisco discover gene that helps supercharge sleep
Would you like to be able to sleep just a few short hours each night, but still rise fully rested and revitalized in the morning? You very may well be able to in the not-too-distant future, thanks to groundbreaking new research from genetic scientists at the University of California, San Francisco.
Hurricane Dorian risks turning dockless scooters into dangerous projectiles
With Hurricane Dorian barreling toward Florida, operators of rentable electric scooters and bikes in Miami are temporarily removing the vehicles from the streets to prevent them from turning into dangerous projectiles. The hurricane is expected to make landfall on Monday, September 2, 2019.
The FTC wants to know if Juul used influencers to target e-cigarettes at minors
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has started an investigation into marketing practices used by popular e-cigarette company Juul, but the company told Digital Trends that it spent very little on influencer marketing and never targeted teens.
Nike tightens its grip on smart shoes with new laces controlled by Siri
Nike's newest shoe is a modern take on a the classic Huarache sneaker with laces that can be controlled by Apple's Siri. The Nike Adapt Huarache, which the company announced on Thursday, uses FitAdapt self-lacing technology that is paired with Apple’s Siri to tighten or loosen your laces.
Figur8’s sensors can track body movement with astonishing levels of accuracy
A new startup created by a former Google research and development lead and researchers from MIT Media Lab can track the movement of the body with astonishing levels of detail. In doing so, it could be used to help diagnose diseases or monitor elite athletes in training. Here's how it works.
Graphene’s latest neat trick? Stopping mosquitoes from biting you
Scientists have discovered graphene’s latest superpower, and it’s a doozy. New research shows how dry graphene film seemingly interferes with mosquitoes’ ability to sense skin and sweat, thereby stopping them from being attracted to humans as possible mobile drinking fountains.
DARPA’s latest pursuit? Stealth gliders that dissolve when exposed to sunlight
Imagine the scenario: there’s a mission in which spies or soldiers must travel into enemy territory without raising any alarms or leaving behind any evidence. How do they do it? DARPA thinks the answer involves a glider that self-destructs in the sunlight. Here's how it works.
Mars 2020: NASA launches student contest to name its Martian rover
Fancy the idea of naming the Mars 2020 rover? Well, if you're a student in the U.S., you’re in luck. Run by NASA, the prize includes not only having your winning name attached to the rover, but also a ticket to Florida to watch the mission lift off from Cape Canaveral in July 2020.
Meet the subversive startup that’s fighting mass surveillance with t-shirts
Adversarial Fashion is a new fashion line which sells t-shirts, hoodies and other items designed to confuse license plate-reading surveillance cameras. Here's how the technology works -- and why its computer security expert creator, Kate Rose, is fighting the good fight.
The U.S. military is looking for an underground lair to run experiments
DARPA, the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is looking to occupy some kind of underground lair from which it could carry out all manner of crazy experiments. But would-be landlords will need to respond quickly.
Cerebras’ enormous artificial intelligence chip is the size of an iPad
Californian startup Cerebras recently unveiled its new Wafer Scale Engine (WSE) chip, designed for carrying out artificial intelligence processing. It's easily the biggest chip we've ever seen -- the size of an iPad, in fact. Here's what its creators think makes it so very special.
Finger lickin’ fake chicken: KFC’s Beyond Chicken is as tasty as the real thing
We tried Beyond Fried Chicken, the plant-based meat product that debuted at only one KFC in the entire country. After a thorough taste test, we found that it's surprisingly like the real thing -- tasty with a sort of reminiscent of school cafeteria chicken nuggets.
The Double 3 telepresence robot is now much more than an iPad on wheels
Double Robotics first effort at a telepresence robot appeared in 2012 and was widely regarded as little more than an iPad on wheels. Because that's pretty much what it was. Seven years on, it's managed to create a far more advanced machine, and one we can imagine trundling around in any modern office.
Watch SpaceX’s levitating Starhopper rocket stick the landing in latest test
SpaceX’s Starhopper rocket managed to successfully “hop” on Tuesday afternoon, with the Starship prototype hovering about 150 meters (492 feet) above ground for several seconds before touching down on a nearby landing pad.
The house appraiser of the future is probably an A.I. algorithm
To paraphrase 1984’s The Terminator, the artificial intelligence algorithm developed by residential real estate company HouseCanary will not stop, ever, until your house is properly valued. Here's how it works -- and why it could prove superior to a flesh-and-blood appraiser.
Watch this huge autonomous cargo drone complete its maiden flight
This huge delivery drone is 180-cm tall and can carry cargo weighing up to 70 pounds. Built by aerospace manufacturer Bell, the APT 70 recently took to the skies for the very first time. The company is eyeing a number of uses that include package delivery, critical medical transport, and disaster relief.
The U.S. Air Force’s secretive space plane just set a new record
The U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane this week has beaten its previous record for the number of consecutive days spent in orbit. It's now been in space for 718 days, though as its missions are classified, it’s hard to know precisely what it’s doing up there.
Self-driving cart for theme parks looks like it drove straight out of a cartoon
Sony and Yamaha's SC-1 Sociable Cart is a self-driving cart designed to be used places like golf courses and theme parks to transport people around. Inside, you’ll find a single 49-inch 4K monitor that allows passengers to see the world outside the vehicle in augmented reality
Digital Trends Live: Disney D23 wrap-up, PlayStation 5 leak, air taxis, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss the biggest trending stories in tech, including major announcements from Disney’s D23 convention, a leaked PlayStation 5 design, cities' fight against 5G infrastructure, a new electric pickup, another step forward for air taxis, and more.
Forget burgers. Beyond Meat and KFC will test plant-based fried chicken
Beyond Meat and KFC announced Monday that they’re working together on the new meat-free “Beyond Fried Chicken.” The companies will be testing the plant-based chicken products for one day at a location outside of Atlanta and will ask customers for feedback
Pedego City Commuter Lite Edition Review
Want an electric bike, but don’t want to pedal (much)? Pedego’s City Commuter Lite Edition might be the ebike you’ve been waiting for. It lacks pedal assist, but can hit 20 miles per hour on a flat, and you can buy it for less than $2,000. Read our full electric bike review.
Photorealistic CGI product placement ads could soon invade your favorite movies
You know the kind of targeted advertising that you get online? Thanks to a new Hollywood visual effects startup, it could be coming to the world of movies and TV as well. Welcome to a future of personalized unskippable ads in your favorite media. Here's how the technology works.
NASA scientists travel Down Under to simulate the environment of Mars
How do you practice for a mission to Mars? The NASA Mars 2020 team joined European and Russian colleagues from the ExoMars mission to perform experiments in the Australian outback. The outback is a useful simulation of the Martian environment due to its high temperatures, low humidity, and remoteness.
Time spent in space affects connectivity of astronauts’ brains, new study shows
We already know that spending time in space has effects on the body, and recent evidence suggests it could have an effect on the mind as well. Now, scientists have used magnetic resonance imaging to look at how astronauts' brains changed after they adapted to an environment without gravity.
Scientists develop implant to restore sight by stimulating the optic nerve
Blindness is difficult to treat, in part because it can be caused by so many different issues in the eye, the brain, or the optic nerve which connects the two. Now, scientists have developed a technology to directly stimulate the optic nerve, which could be used to restore people's sight in the future.
Uncrewed Russian craft fails to dock with ISS, will make second attempt tomorrow
An uncrewed Russian spacecraft had issues docking with the International Space Station. As the craft approached the ISS at 1:36 a.m. on Saturday, the Russian team overseeing the maneuver decided to abort the docking. The craft is still in orbit and will make a second attempt at docking on Monday night.
Spitzer studies hellish planet with surface temperature of thousands of degrees
Astronomers have examined a planet that can only be described as a rocky hellscape: Heat of thousands of degrees, lava on the surface, and almost no atmosphere. Using the Spitzer telescope, a team was able to take a look at the close-up conditions of planet LHS 3844b, located 48.6 light-years away.
Scientists find evidence of ancient supernova activity in Antarctic snow
We are made of starstuff, Carl Sagan once said, and new findings from Antarctica show that to be literally true in some cases. A rare isotope of iron, called iron-60, is formed only when a star explodes in a supernova. And recently, scientists found traces of iron-60 in fresh snow in Antarctica.
Storms on Jupiter throw up ammonia from deep inside its atmosphere
Jupiter is famous for its epic storms and beautiful cloud formations which give it is distinctive striped appearance. However, these clouds make it difficult for astronomers to see what lies in the atmosphere beneath. Now, a team of astronomers has peered deep into the planet's atmosphere.