Here’s how to watch Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule abort system test on Monday
On Monday, Boeing will perform a key test of its Starliner crew capsule which NASA hopes will eventually ferry astronauts into orbit. The pad abort test is an important part of testing for manned launches and will be aired live on NASA TV. We've got the details about the test and where you can watch it.
For better or worse, blockchain birth certificates are officially here
The first baby to have their birth certificate officially recorded on the blockchain has been registered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Because we're totally living in the future, don't you know? Here's what it could mean for the next generation of record-keeping as we know it.
NASA astronomers think this interstellar comet is carrying alien water
A team of astronomers at NASA think they might have found water from another planetary system on an interstellar comet. If they’re correct, this would be the first time in human history that water hailing from another planetary system has been found within our solar system.
Schwinn Monroe 250 review: Making me a fan
Schwinn has been a household name for as long as anyone can remember, but it's not one often associated with electric bikes. The Monroe 250 looks to change that, providing ample range and excellent rideability while making compromises that may not matter to the everyday commuter.
This startup wants you to submit pictures of your poop. Lots of them, in fact
Sending pictures of your poop over the internet sounds like the kind of thing that should be discouraged. The creators of the new #giveashit campaign think different, however. Not only do they want your poop photos; they plan to use them to train a new feces-analyzing A.I.
U.S. Interior Department grounds 800-strong drone fleet over security fears
The U.S. Department of the Interior has stopped using its fleet of Chinese-made drones over spying fears. A final decision will be made following an investigation. The drones undertake a range of tasks, including land and forest monitoring, and assisting efforts to tackle wildfires and other natural disasters.
What is graphene?
Graphene is one of the most promising semimetals on the face of the Earth, though, many people still have no idea as to what it is. Simply put, graphene is a super-thin material that is nonetheless remarkably strong. Here's how it works, and what it could mean for the future of technology.
Artificial intelligence can now identify a bird just by looking at a photo
A new A.I. tool can identify up to 200 different species of birds just by looking at one photo. The technology comes from a team from Duke University that used over 11,000 photos of 200 bird species to teach a machine to differentiate them. The goal is to use the tech to classify areas in medical images
What happens when you mix foosball and robots? A new game called RoboSoccer
Looking for the next great game? RoboSoccer is a nifty modern-day upgrade of foosball that combines the addictive concept of the original game with some impressively agile miniature robots, controlled via mobile app, on a folding pitch. Here's how you can get your hands on it.
Brain stimulation treatment could be an alternative to antidepressants
Clinicians in Harley Street, the United Kingdom’s most famous medical district, have become the world’s first to offer a new treatment for depression which ditches antidepressants in favor of brain stimulation. Here's how it works -- and why it could turn out to be so exciting.
ACLU sues government organizations over facial-recognition software
The ACLU is taking action against facial-recognition software by suing the DOJ, the DEA, and the FBI. The ACLU recently filed a complaint against the three federal organizations over their failure to release requested records and policies on facial-recognition software use.
Google celebrates Halloween with interactive Google Doodle
To kick off the Halloween festivities early this year, the Google Doodle for Thursday is an interactive trick-or-treating game. The doodle is a “choose your own” type of Halloween adventure, featuring animals associated with the holiday, such as tarantulas, bats, owls, and wolves.
Volocopter’s awesome flying taxi inspires the design of a new cargo drone
Volocopter has used the design of its remarkable flying taxi as the inspiration for its new cargo drone. Unveiled this week, the fully electric, unmanned VoloDrone has a cruising speed of 50 mph and a range of 25 miles, and can carry a payload of up to 440 pounds. The German maker promises a range of applications.
Spooky NASA posters highlight the mysterious world of exoplanets
NASA’s newly released posters have a vintage horror movie look just in time for Halloween, and highlight exoplanets in a series called Galaxy of Horrors. The colorful posters are meant to be informative about different exoplanets that have been discovered outside of our galaxy and are free to download.
Microsoft’s A.I. project will replace human driving instructors
A new A.I. project from Microsoft aims to replace driving instructors during driving tests to ease the nerves of drivers. The HAMS project uses a smartphone mounted to the windshield with the front camera focused on the driver and the rear camera focused on the road ahead.
MIT’s shadow-watching tech could let autonomous cars see around corners
MIT researchers have shown off new technology which could allow autonomous vehicles to look around corners — by analyzing changes in shadows on the ground. Here's how it works, and what it could potentially mean for the reaction time of self-driving cars in the future.
Black market THC vape pods have killed dozens. Why are people still buying them?
At least 34 people have died from a vaping-related lung illness that has plagued the country in recent months, and health officials finally have a culprit: Black-market THC vapes. Experts say people are still buying THC electronic cigarette pods on the black market because they’re cheaper and easier to find.
This invisible photo filter protects you from facial recognition software
A startup founded by former members of the Israeli Defense Forces has created smart technology that replaces faces in video or still images with near-identical looking photorealistic portraits which can't be identified by facial recognition systems. Here's why that's so important.
Juul sold tainted pods to people ‘drunk and vaping like mo-fos,’ lawsuit claims
A new lawsuit filed against Juul Labs on Tuesday claims the company shipped out one million contaminated e-cigarette products without telling anyone. Juul's former senior vice president of finance, Siddharth Breja, alleges that batches of Juul’s mint e-liquid were found to be contaminated in March.
Texas patient livestreamed her brain surgery on Facebook to help others
Texas resident Jenna Schardt this week had her brain operation livestreamed on Facebook. When she learned she had to undergo surgery, she thought providing a live feed would provide hope for others facing the same situation. It’s thought to be the first time that brain surgery has been streamed live online.
Digital Trends Live: AirPods Pro, Google moves on Fitbit, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Chris DeGraw discuss the top stories trending in tech, including Apple’s AirPods Pro, Google makes a bid for Fitbit, Uber Money, team-building robots, smiling pets, and more.
NASA-inspired smartglasses turn dark whenever you lose concentration
Struggle to concentrate? Wellness company Narbis has developed pair of smartglasses intended to discourage distraction by visibly darkening when your mind wanders from the task you should be focused on. Here's how you can get your hands on a pair in the very near future.
McLaren applies F1 tech to health care, air-traffic control, Wi-Fi, and athletics
Business minds decided to take this amazing tech and see where else it could be applied, and the answer was in an endless amount of places. is big in the health care field implanting sensors into patients who have had strokes, are recovering from surgery, or are at risk of developing diabetes.
The universe dresses up for Halloween as Hubble captures skull-like galaxy
Just in time for Halloween, scientists from the European Space Agency have released an image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope showing a system which looks like a ghostly face peering out from the dark depths of space. The system has an unusual shape formed by two galaxies which are colliding.
Uber Eats is close to delivering your dinner using a drone
Along with announcing Uber Cash Monday, Uber shared a few more details about its plans to bring drone delivery to Uber Eats. Uber unveiled the design for the drones at the Forbes 30 under 30 summit. The drones will have rotating wings with six rotors and will be able to take off and land vertically.
Tiny dwarf planet discovered in our solar system is one-fifth the size of Pluto
In the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, numerous small bodies orbit around our sun. Only one of them, Ceres, is considered a dwarf planet. But now, astronomers have looked more closely at one of Ceres' little brothers, Hygiea, and determined that it may be our solar system's smallest dwarf planet.
The U.S. Air Force’s secretive space plane ends record-breaking mission
The U.S. Air Force’s secretive X-37B space plane landed at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday after spending a record 780 days in low-Earth orbit. The vehicle is used to test and develop various spacecraft technologies while at the same time demonstrating the importance of a reusable space plane.
Astronomers propose comets could carry microscopic life to other solar systems
Interstellar comets like 'Oumuamua raise the possibility that they could bring materials and even lifeforms from other solar systems to our own. But a new paper argues that the opposite process could be happening as well: We could be exporting life from our solar system to others via comets.
Astronomers discover a cosmic Yeti: A massive galaxy from the early universe
Astronomers have spotted evidence of a massive and ancient galaxy, so old and so large that they compared finding it to spotting a cosmic Yeti. They saw glowing dust in a signal that took 12.5 billion years to reach Earth, meaning they were looking back at an event from the very early universe.
Could the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy harbor a wormhole?
Researchers have come up with a technique that could allow the detection of traversable wormholes -- theoretical tunnels in space-time which would let objects travel across the galaxy or even the universe. They even wonder if the black hole at the center of our galaxy could harbor such a wormhole.
Two exoplanets smashed together, pulverizing each other into fine dust
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has seen evidence of a dusty graveyard of two exoplanets in the BD +20 307 binary star system. Experts believe the dusty debris disk they have spotted is the result of two exoplanets colliding and smashing into tiny particles.
SpaceX will test its Crew Dragon capsule next week, following explosion in April
SpaceX is set to perform an important test on its Crew Dragon capsule, which will eventually carry astronauts to the International Space Station, following an explosive setback earlier this year. As reported by CNBC, SpaceX will conduct a static fire test of its Crew Dragon capsule next week.
See a photo of the strange gel-like substance found on the far side of the moon
Earlier this year, China's space program announced it had discovered an oddly-colored gel-like substance of unknown origin on the far side of the moon. Now, the China Lunar Exploration Program has released a photo of its strange find which shows more details about what the substance could be.
NASA’s James Webb Telescope deploys its tennis court-sized sunshield in test
NASA's troubled James Webb Space Telescope is coming closer to completion, having recently passed the important test of deploying its massive five-layered sunshield. The sunshield is the size of a tennis court and is necessary to protect the telescope's delicate machinery from the heat of the sun.