A virtual town called Neuralville is teaching scientists how the brain navigates
Psychologists at Emory University have built a virtual town called Neuralville. And by monitoring people's brains when they negotiate it, scientists can gather information about how the brain processes navigation information. Here's what they learned -- and why it matters.
Youbionic’s new robot appendage lends a hand without costing an arm and a leg
Robot arms are all kinds of awesome. But they're also very expensive, frequently reaching into the thousands of dollars. Federico Ciccarese, the engineer behind low-cost robotic arm company Youbionic, is working hard to change that. Check out his latest $250 robotic creation.
Scientists discovered 20 new moons around Saturn, and you can help name them
Astronomers using the Subaru telescope in Hawaii have discovered 20 news moons in orbit around Saturn. This brings the total number of moons discovered orbiting Saturn to 82, making it the planet in our solar system with the most known moons. It has surpassed Jupiter, which has 79 known moons.
Decades later, inventors of lithium-ion battery win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The three scientists credited with inventing the rechargeable lithium-ion battery used in virtually every electric device today have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. They will share the $905,000 prize. Here's what their work meant (and continues to mean) to the world.
The Drone Racing League’s newest racing rig is piloted entirely by A.I.
The Drone Racing League (DRL) has unleashed its first autonomous racing drone. Called RacerAI, the innovative new unmanned aerial vehicle changes the drone racing game by flying itself, rather than requiring a human to steer it. How long until it can defeat human racers?
Civil rights groups pen letter opposing Amazon Ring police partnerships
More than 30 different civil rights groups are calling on Amazon to stop its partnerships involving local police departments and its Amazon Ring smart doorbell. Fight for Future penned a letter to elected officials about a variety of concerns over the tech giant's Ring partnerships with police.
Interstellar comet contains cyanide, similar to comets from our solar system
Since 2I/Borisov will be the closest interstellar object to pass us, scientists have been able to study it better, and have found a thin cloud around the comet which indicates cyanogen gas. The presence of cyanide does not pose a threat, since Earth will not come close to passing through the comet’s tail.
Zeppelins could make a comeback with this solar-powered airship cargo mover
Zeppelins could make a comeback in a big, bad way — courtesy of a new aluminum-shelled, solar-powered airship that’s being built by U.K.-based company Varialift Airships. Here's why Varialift's prototype airship could be such a useful tool for the future of cargo delivery.
Nobel Prize awarded to physicists who changed our understanding of the cosmos
Three scientists were just awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for work in what the universe is made of and discovering the first exoplanet. Canadian scientist James Peebles and Swiss astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz are splitting the $906,705 Nobel Prize money for their separate discoveries.
Vloggers arrested in Iran for flying a drone have been freed
Two vloggers sent to jail in Iran in July 2019 for allegedly flying their drone without a permit have been released. Australians Mark Firkin and Jolie King had been enjoying a world trip, documenting their adventures on YouTube and social media sites, when they were detained by the Iranian authorities.
From iPads to Apple Watches, tech has changed Major League Baseball forever
In recent years, MLB has taken a more modern approach to its game and adopted technology to help usher in a tech-savvy era of America's pastime. While in many cases tech has been used for good, it can also lead to new ways of cheating, causing players and coaches to become increasingly paranoid.
California is cracking down on deepfakes for politics and porn
California is cracking down on deepfakes in porn and politics. The state recently signed bills which make it illegal to distribute altered video, audio or still photography of political candidates, and also protects residents against people creating pornographic content using their likeness.
NASA’s experimental all-electric X-57 aircraft is a step closer to flight
NASA has taken delivery of its first all-electric X-57 experimental aircraft, nicknamed Maxwell. The agency said it intends to share findings from upcoming testing to help boost the growing electric aircraft market, which is focusing increasingly on small aircraft for urban mobility.
This ad blocker for audio is a peek into the future of ‘perceptual ad blockers’
Adblock Radio is a new artificial intelligence tool, similar to music-recognizing app Shazam, which uses machine learning to spot audio ads so users can skip them. Welcome to the exciting new world of perceptual ad-blockers. Here's why they must turn out to be necessary.
The best way to counter drones is apparently to smash them with other drones
California-based startup Anduril Industries has unleashed the Anvil, an anti-drone drone that answers hostile UAVs by smashing into them. One of the co-founders of the startup is Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR and the designer of the Oculus Rift, but his new work involves real-life threats.
How Endel and Toro y Moi are shaping the future of music and digital wellness
Playlists to focus, sleep, and relax are booming on streaming platforms. Similarly, a host of smart home products aim to affect your wellbeing in similar ways. Endel has a vision to unify these in a way that's always unique to you. Companies like Apple and Warner Music, as well as Toro y Moi see it too.
Can you locate India’s crashed lunar lander in this image?
Last month, the Indian Space Research Organization attempted to land the Vikram lander on the moon but lost communication during the final descent. Now, NASA's orbiting lunar spacecraft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped a picture of the area where the crash is believed to have occurred.
China grows a cotton plant on the far side of the moon in a biological first
China has broken new ground, successfully growing cotton on the moon for the first time. The experiment was part of the Chang'e 4 project, in which China is exploring the far side of the moon with a lander. The cotton plant was one of several organisms encased in a mini biosphere aboard the lander.
Spitzer Space Telescope sees cosmic bubbles forming around young stars
Astronomers have imaged a region of the Milky Way using the Spitzer Space Telescope and observed beautiful bubbles surrounding clusters of stars. The region is full of young stars, with new stars being born when dense clouds of dust and gas come together under gravitational pressure.
Scientists spot first alien gases from interstellar comet
In September an interstellar visitor was discovered in our solar system -- the comet 2I/Borisov. Now, a new study has looked at what the comet is made of. Studying interstellar objects gives us the chance to see how planets are formed in other areas of the galaxy.
The Medusa merger galaxy is the site of a galactic mystery
A new Hubble image features a legendary monster who gave her name to the merging of two galaxies, the Medusa merger. Located 130 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major, this merger was created when a large galaxy collided with a smaller system rich in gas and devoured it.
Hear the sounds of Mars with these incredible audio samples from InSight
NASA's InSight lander may be struggling with its stuck drill, but while it's sat in place on the Martian surface it's still collecting a ton of useful scientific information about the planet. This week NASA released a unique set of sounds collected by the lander from its time on the red planet.
First all-female spacewalk is back on for ISS astronauts this month
Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, are set to perform the first all-female spacewalk in history later this month. Their work will be part of a slew of upcoming spacewalks in an ongoing project to upgrade the batteries on the space station.
Can the InSight lander free its stuck drill and continue exploring Mars?
NASA's InSight lander is equipped with a drill designed to tunnel up to 16 feet beneath the surface. Unfortunately, earlier this year the drill stopped moving in an issue caused by the drill getting stuck in the soil. Now the team is trying to rescue the stuck drill using the lander's robotic arm.
A.I. musicians are a growing trend. What does that mean for the music industry?
The most prolific musical artists manage to release one or two studio albums in a year. A.I. company Auxuman plans to put out a new full-length album every single month. Welcome to the world of machine creativity. Here's why Auxuman's founder is so confident he's onto a winner.
Portland burglar allegedly used a drone to aid in after-hours food cart robbery
A pair of food carts in Portland was recently burglarized by a thief who used a drone for surveillance. A 34-year-old man has been arrested for the burglary. Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a growing number of drone-related crimes as the technology goes mainstream.
Juno performs longest-ever propulsive maneuver in a race against the sun
NASA's Juno mission, launched in 2011, has collected a wealth of information about Jupiter since it arrived in 2016. And this week the craft it pulled off a feat of precision engineering, performing its longest-ever propulsive maneuver in a race against the setting sun.
Teens’ touchscreen typing speeds put their parents attempts to shame
According to a study of more than 37,000 users, there is now a mobile device "typing gap" between today’s 10- to 19-year-olds and their parents’ generation. The tween and teenage users are capable of typing around 10 words per minute (WPM) faster than people their parents’ age.
Why is it still so hard to land on the moon?
Two missions from SpaceIL and the Indian Space Research Organization both failed to land craft on the moon this year. Fifty years after Apollo, we spoke to two space experts to understand why are lunar landings still so challenging.
Fire-extinguishing gel could be sprayed onto wooded areas ahead of fire season
A new nontoxic gel developed by researchers at Stanford University could be sprayed onto woodland to reduce the severity of wildfires. According to its creators, the fluid could be applied to ignition-prone areas ahead of peak fire season. Here's what makes it so special.
Amazon may let airport stores and movie theaters use its cashier-free Go tech
In an apparent strategy shift, Amazon is reported to be in talks with airport stores and movie theaters to license its Go technology. The cashier-free system can be fitted inside existing stores in just two weeks, sources said, with the first retail sites possibly launching in early 2020.
Holochess, anyone? This AR game system gives tabletop gaming a digital upgrade
Recently launched on Kickstarter, Tilt Five is an amazing augmented reality gaming system that promises to combine tabletop games with video games -- courtesy of some amazing AR tech. Here's why the company's CEO thinks it could revolutionize gaming as we know it today.
Skydio’s new auto-follow drone is basically a flying A.I. cinematographer
Auto-follow mode has been a standard feature on camera drones for years now, but the new Skydio 2 takes that idea to a whole new level. It can autonomously fly, follow, and dodge obstacles without any jarring, stuttering, or stopping. This is one of the most exciting additions to the UAV market we've seen in years.
Bitcoin has a massive carbon footprint. This clever new cryptocurrency doesn’t
Bitcoin mining is bad for the environment. Researchers from Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne believe they have come up with a new low-energy approach to current cryptocurrency approaches. Here's what their concept does differently -- and why it matters.