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Don’t even ask how much this fuel tank will cost to fill. The giant cylinder is just one of the two tanks that will hold the fuel used to power NASA’s new Space Launch System when it blasts off to take missions to Mars and deep space. NASA engineers completed the final welding of the…
Sometimes not all is as it seems. On the the streets of New York City, that can mean some of the iconic yellow cabs are in fact disguised NYPD cop cars—but how can you spot them? Motherboard yesterday published an article, based on FOIA requests, which saw the NYPD admit that it has at least…
The radio spectrum is a mess: It’s congested, expensive, and there’s no room for expansion. But DARPA has a plan to change that, by building a system where radio waves can work together using artificial intelligence, rathe than fighting for space. DARPA launched its latest Grand Challenge last week, and it plans to encourage researchers…
Hackers and hospital computers are a bad mix, as a string of attacks has been proving. The latest victim is MedStar Health, a company that operates a chain of hospitals around the Baltimore and Washington area. According to a statement earlier today, an unknown virus has infected the company’s network, causing its patient database and…
Most solar chargers are either gimmicks that would struggle to juice up a lemon, or giant packs you need a car to haul around. Goal Zero’s new Nomad 7 Plus looks like it might tick the holy grail of small, cheap, and useful. Goal Zero is best known for providing solar power for outdoor photographers,…
These days, the closest companies will come to fighting with each other is a snarky graph in a keynote presentation, or perhaps a strongly-worded Tweet. Back in 1903, the solution was much simpler: hijack your rival’s presentation in order to publicly shame them. Tom Scott tells the fascinating story behind an early demonstration of long-range…
The FBI has successfully hacked the iPhone connected to the San Bernardino massacre, the Department of Justice has dropped its case against Apple, so all should be well in the world. Not so: Apple would like the last word. In a statement released this evening, Apple reminds us all that while this case might be…
It started out as Anakin’s lightsaber, of course. And then Obi-Wan held onto it before he gave it to Luke. And then new characters carried it in The Force Awakens. And then who knows where it will go. This video, expertly edited by Christopher Sherwood, tracks the journey that the lightsaber has taken in a…
It’s simple. Long takes in movies are gorgeous shots that make the movie watcher feel as if they are almost a part of the world inside the film. They’re beautiful and awesome and everybody loves them. Done. We all agree. Well, not quite. They’re not perfect. They’re really limiting, for one. And they can’t always…
Remember Sea Monkeys? Remember how disappointed you were when you found out they weren’t really humanoid organisms, but boring old brine shrimp? Now there’s a nifty alternative: the Dino Sphere, a decorative glass sphere that houses thousands of plankton. Swirl the sphere a little at night, and those plankton will emit a bright blue glow.…
At the start, the knife looks to be in pretty bad shape. It’s spotted and stained and totally rusted but with a little tender, love, and care, the steel is shining and sharp and beautiful once again. The high carbon steel used in Japanese chef knives can be susceptible to rust when used with things…
Until yesterday, it had been almost three months since the last burning skyscraper in the United Arab Emirates. That all changed when a building went up in flames on Monday just outside of Dubai. Several residential high-rises were evacuated by fire in Ajman, a city in Dubai’s metropolitan area. According to the Gulf News, the…
For the last few years, the drought-stricken nation of Saudi Arabia has been responsibly cracking down on thirsty crops to conserve water. But their cows still need alfalfa, one of the most water-intensive crops around. To solve the problem, Saudi Arabia wants to grow its alfalfa in a land that apparently has plenty of water:…
A Canadian company has come up with an algorithm that can read texts, and then accurately answer questions about them. The software is meant to help people by scanning and responding to their questions about boring technical texts—but there could be so many other great ways to use it. The company, Maluuba, is interested in…
FBI vs. Apple is over. At least round one, anyways. The government has confirmed that it was able to get the data off the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook without Apple, and it is dropping the lawsuit compelling Apple to write security-weakening malware. “The government has now successfully accessed the data stored…
It’s long been said that space tourism will be big business. Whole spaceports have sprung up (and basically died) in belief of that economic promise. The problem is that shooting people past our bubble of atmosphere, safely and reliably, is still tricky. Not to mention you need to be rich as hell or dead to…
Here is how subsidence craters are formed: an underground nuclear explosion gets set off and creates a hole underneath the ground. The ground collapses because nothing is supporting it anymore and then boom, giant crater. It is so gnarly to see because the ground looks like its melting into the core of the Earth. SPLOID…
For the first time ever, the United States Geological Survey has published earthquake hazard maps that includes both human-induced as well as naturally occurring earthquakes. USGS maps had previously only featured natural earthquake hazards, but thanks to the alarming rise of man-made quakes, the scientific body has now started to track both kinds. Published on…
A very active volcano erupted in Alaska yesterday afternoon, sending a giant ash cloud up 37,000 feet in the air. Although the eruption is diverting some flights in the area, it will likely only serve as the subject of some beautiful photos—unless a bunch of ash gets sucked into the jet stream. Located at the…
Here’s a lovely view of a salmon run in Lake Iliamna, Alaska. Just being able to see the rivers filled with salmon from up above is incredible, it’s just packed to the brim with fish. It’s also pretty cool to be able to track all the different areas the salmon are in, from the mouth…
