Hubble images dusty galaxy to learn about supermassive black holes
This week's image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1022, located in the constellation of Cetus. Scientists are observing this particular galaxy in order to study the relationship between the size of a galaxy and the size of the supermassive black hole at its center.
ISS astronauts succeed in fixing $2 billion ‘unserviceable’ instrument
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have completed a spacewalk to repair a dark matter detection instrument previously considered unserviceable. NASA's Andrew Morgan and European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano spent 6 hours and 16 minutes performing repairs to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.
This planet is so hot it tears apart the hydrogen molecules in its atmosphere
The extreme forces acting on huge planets close to blistering stars lead to unexpected findings, like a planet that is hotter than most stars. The exoplanet KELT-9b, was the target of more research which revealed it is prone to planetwide meltdowns so severe they tear apart the molecules that make up its atmosphere.
Could Enceladus, the icy moon of Saturn, be capable of supporting life?
New research using data from Cassini suggests Enceladus, the moon of Saturn with an ocean hidden beneath a thick layer of ice, could be capable of supporting life. Cracks in the icy surface of the moon let out plumes of gases and sea spray, and data about these plumes can reveal more about the ocean hidden beneath.
This vampire star is feeding on its companion to create a ‘super-outburst’
Astronomers have spotted a vampire star feeding on one of its brethren in a dwarf nova. A nova is marked by the sudden appearance of a bight, seemingly new star, which fades over a period of weeks or months. What is unusual about this particular nova is that the white dwarf is feeding on one of its own, a brown dwarf.
Curiosity rover adjusts its attitude to its Martian surroundings
Like a surly teenager, everyone's favorite Martian explorer, NASA's Curiosity rover, suffered from an attitude problem last week. Attitude refers to a rover's ability to locate itself spatially, and it is essential for the rover to have accurate attitude information to move around and perform operations safely.
NASA’S NESSI instrument can pick out the atmospheres of distant exoplanets
NASA has a new tool to help in the hunt for exoplanets. The New Mexico Exoplanet Spectroscopic Survey Instrument, or NESSI, is an instrument on the Hale Telescope in San Diego which has been in testing since February 2018. Now, it's ready to start investigating the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system.
Celebrating Spitzer: NASA’s infrared telescope retiring after a 16-year mission
This week, NASA is saying goodbye to one of its most storied and productive telescopes: The Spitzer Space Telescope. As this remarkable 16-year mission draws to a close, we look back over its achievements and how its legacy will continue to inform astronomy and space exploration for years to come.
Digital Trends Live: London’s facial-recognition cameras, Super Nintendo World
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Nicole Raney discuss the biggest trending news in tech, including London deploying facial recognition cameras, Waymo self-driving cars expand, Apple’s self-driving car patent, Super Nintendo World heads to the US, and more.
Filter by positivity: This new A.I. could detoxify online comment threads
Internet comments frequently descend into toxic hate speech. Could an algorithm that instead focuses on highlighting 'help speech' be the answer? A.I. researchers from Carnegie Mellon University believe it could. Here's what they've developed -- and why they believe it may be so useful.
Astronauts discover how to bake the perfect cookie in space
Future astronauts heading to Mars will likely be baking chocolate chip cookies during the trip. The crew aboard the International Space Station recently made some of the cookies in the first-ever space-based baking experiment. The cookies returned to Earth last week and are now being inspected by scientists.
A DirecTV satellite could explode in space because of a battery issue
A 15-year-old DirectTV satellite might explode in space because of a battery malfunction, and if it does, it could take other satellites down with it. DirecTV requested temporary authority from the FCC to conduct an emergency operation that would reduce the risk of the satellite exploding.
New Apple self-driving car patent could turn Siri into your personal chauffeur
Apple wants to patent a new technology that would allow you to use voice commands to tell your self-driving car where you want to go, with the car doing the navigation, driving, and parking for you. The end result would be a Siri-like system for controlling your self-driving car.
Digital Trends Live: Apple Watch partners with gyms, Fortnite becomes a sport
On Thursday's episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Adrien Warner discuss the biggest trending tech topics of the day, including Apple Watch partnering with gyms, Surface Duo details, Fortnite officially a high school sport, Picard debuts, Seattle votes by phone, and more.
What if your smartphone could sweat? Sounds odd, but it could be a game changer
Do we want smartphones that sweat like nervous teenagers around their crush? Researchers from China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University think so. And they've developed a special sweating sorbent coating to prove why it could turn out to be so useful. (Spoiler: It's for cooling.)
CRISPR gene editing could help stop a common poultry virus in its tracks
Researchers at the Czech Academy of Sciences may have successfully used CRISPR gene editing to create chickens that are resistant to avian leukosis virus (ALV), a common but deadly virus whose symptoms range from emaciation and dehydration to depressed behavior. Here's how they did it.
Seattle’s vote-by-phone system could be a game changer, but only if it’s secure
For the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors, Seattle and other cities will allow residents to vote by phone using technology created by Democracy Live, in a pilot funded by Tusk Philanthropy, that hopes to increase mobile voting. Security issues are obvious, but some say it will increase turnout.
China’s enormous 500-meter radio telescope is up and running
The enormous 500-meter FAST Radio Telescope is the world’s biggest filled-aperture radio telescope, and the overall second-largest single-dish aperture after Russia’s RATAN-600. It is located in Guizhou, Southwest China. The dream of building it dates all the way back to 1994.
Water-powered suction cups let people climb walls like Spider-Man
Researchers in China have built new centrifugal-based, water-powered vacuum suction cups that allow users to climb up walls just like Spider-Man. The technology could help develop the vertical climbing robots and robot gripper arms of the future as well. Here's how it works.
NASA reveals 9 finalists in Mars 2020 rover naming contest. Cast your vote
NASA has revealed the top nine entries in its Mars 2020 rover name contest and you can vote for your favorite. The contest will reveal the winning name in March, with the student who suggested it invited to watch the mission launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July.
Space Station gets the Lego treatment in wonderfully detailed design
A Lego version of the International Space Station will launch on February 1 priced at $70. The level of detail is impressive, with the entire kit comprising not only the space station, but also a Lego brick-built NASA space shuttle, three mini cargo spacecraft, and two astronaut microfigures.
Boeing says 737 Max will stay grounded until at least mid-2020
Boeing had hoped that its troubled 737 Max aircraft might get permission to fly again this month, but this week the plane-maker said that after considering the FAA’s evaluation process, it’s unlikely to get clearance until mid-2020. The news will come as a serious blow to airlines that use the aircraft.
Another partner backs out of Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency
Yet another partner of Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency known as Libra has backed out of the deal. The British telecommunications operator Vodafone announced its departure from Facebook’s Libra Association on Tuesday. In total, eight companies have now backed out of Libra.
PigeonBot is a drone that flies with feathered wings, just like a real bird
Drones can fly like birds, but that’s pretty much where comparisons with our feathered friends end. Well, unless you build an experimental drone like PigeonBot, the unusual creation developed by researchers at Stanford University. Here's what makes it so interesting.
Bloomberg thinks other Democrats want to break up big tech ‘just to be nasty’
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg thinks Big Tech companies have too much power, but doesn’t believe that breaking them up is the answer. Bloomberg said that he disagrees with other candidates like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders on how to handle Big Tech.
5 futuristic smart cities to keep an eye on through the 2020s
Whether it's embedded sensors or autonomous robots, cities are going to get a whole lot smarter in the 2020s. But some super ambitious developments are leading the way by building whole new city developments built around the latest tech. Here are 5 such projects to keep an eye on.
Meet the 9 Wikipedia bots that make the world’s largest encyclopedia possible
Wikipedia might be a utopian crowdsourcing example of how humans can come together to collaborate on something great, but it's bots that help the whole thing to work as well as it does. Meet the algorithms which enable the world's largest encyclopedia to function so effectively.
Watch NASA astronauts spacewalk to replace space station batteries
Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station will shortly begin a spacewalk to perform upgrades, and you can watch the event happen live. Jessica Meir and Christina Koch will be suiting up and heading out of the station to replace batteries as part of a long-term project to update the station's power system.
Watch SpaceX nail in-flight escape test, and lose a rocket in a huge fireball
SpaceX took a big step toward crewed flights on Sunday after performing a successful in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon capsule. The test showed how the Crew Dragon’s SuperDraco engines would fire the capsule away from the rocket if a serious anomaly should occur shortly after launch.
Kyoto fireball was caused by a chunk falling off potentially hazardous asteroid
On April 29, 2017, something strange appeared over Kyoto, Japan: A bright, slow fireball streaking through the in the sky. At the time, astronomers were baffled as it what it could have been. But now, researchers from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan have figured out what it was and where it came from.
Lexus concepts envision lunar transport in the year 2220
f you've ever found yourself wondering what transport of the future will look like, Lexus has some concept sketches to feed your imagination. Designers were invited to create a lunar mobility concept for everything from personal transportation for traveling across the moon's surface to spacecraft concepts.
Wahoo Kickr BIKE: Become a cyclist from your living room
Wahoo is pushing the fitness industry to new heights with the Kickr BIKE. Taking indoor cycling to a level of immersion that will make you wonder if you ever need to ride outside again. The Kickr BIKE will impress anyone looking to stay fit while indoors.
The nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri, may host a second planet
Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a second exoplanet in orbit around the nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri. The planet candidate is called Proxima c, its mass is around half that of Neptune, and it orbits its star at a distance 1.5 times greater than the distance between the Earth and the sun.
See video of Boeing’s Starliner orbital flight test from inside the capsule
Boeing's first Starliner orbital test flight might not have gone as planned, with the craft failing to reach the correct orbit. However, there's still plenty to be learned from the test. Boeing has released a video of highlights of the test, showing the interior of the capsule and the view from the window.