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'Odd' circular objects in space may finally have an explanation
A paper on the objects titled "MeerKAT uncovers the physics of an Odd Radio Circle" has been accepted for publication into the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The mysterious glowing rings were discovered in 2019 using the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO) Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope in Western Australia. Dubbed odd radio circles (ORCs), they are likely to be enormous clouds of hot gas, spanning roughly a million light-years and originating around a central galaxy.
The MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa has captured one of these ORCs in great detail. In the center of the ORC is a small spot of radio emission coinciding with a distant galaxy, which is believed to have generated the ORC. This video shows an artist impression of an ORC exploding from its central galaxy.
Continue reading: 'Odd' circular objects in space may finally have an explanation (full post)
China's competitor to the ISS will open up to space tourists
China's Tiangong space station aims to become a space tourism destination within a decade.
The space station is yet to be completed, but once finished will seek to accommodate visitors without formal astronaut training. China plans to launch six missions to complete the space station's construction this year, comprising two new module launches, two cargo supply missions, and two crewed missions.
Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut to reach space, told Chinese media that the general public's ability to tour Tiangong "is not a matter of technology but of demand" and that the space tourism ambitions "can be realized within a decade as long as there is such demand."
Continue reading: China's competitor to the ISS will open up to space tourists (full post)
Elon Musk's next-generation rocket photographed in all its glory
SpaceX is developing Earth's most powerful and tallest rocket, which is expected to be the transportation to the moon and eventually, Mars.
The next-generation rocket is called Starship and when fully equipped with the Super Heavy Booster that is comprised of 33 raptor engines it will stand at nearly 400 feet tall, making it largest and most powerful rocket ever built. Recently, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter that SpaceX should have 39 flight ready Raptor 2 engines built by next month, which will be followed by another month of integrating them into Starship and finally an orbital test flight "hopefully" in May.
The SpaceX Twitter account recently published the above photos that showcase Starship fully stacked with Super Heavy docked at Starbase in its South Texas facility located near the Gulf Coast village of Boca Chica. While SpaceX are waiting on Raptor 2 engine development it is also waiting on the results from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) environmental review which is expected to be released no earlier than March 28.
Continue reading: Elon Musk's next-generation rocket photographed in all its glory (full post)
This famous comet disintegrated after its close approach with the Sun
Only a year after its discovery, Comet Leonard has made its perihelion, or its closest approach with the Sun, as of January 3, 2022.
Comet Leonard or C/2021 A1 was discovered by Gregory Leonard, a senior research specialist at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. According to Leonard, who spoke to EarthSky, the comet's main feature is the long tail that is comprised of charged particles that researchers call ions.
Since Leonard is mainly composed of ice as it was approaching the Sun, "the comet's tail began to show some complicated structure, possibly due to pieces breaking off the nucleus, revealing new areas that the sun would then heat," wrote EarthSky. The first confirmation about Leonard breaking up as it journeyed closer to the Sun came from Martin Masek and was then backed up by images released by the SLOOH telescope in Chile that showcased a streak across the sky of what once was Comet Leonard.
Continue reading: This famous comet disintegrated after its close approach with the Sun (full post)
'UFO researcher' says he's found a UFO at the bottom of the ocean
Earlier in March, UFO researcher Scott Waring shared his alleged discovery of a UFO hiding beneath the surface of the ocean.
Waring posted his "discovery" on UFOSightingsDaily.com, where he claimed to have discovered the UFO while he was "exploring" the Pacific Ocean on Google Earth. The researcher claims that the object is a 4.3 mile-wide UFO sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Nazca, Peru. Waring connects the underwater UFO with the Nazca Lines in Peru, which are a group of geoglyphs etched in the soil of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru somewhere between 400 BC to 500 AD.
Researchers believe that the Nazca Lines were attempts at early civilizations communicating with gods, while other scientists believe they are physical representations of ancient astronomy. Waring believes the lines were used by ancient civilizations to contact alien life, but there is no solid proof to confirm that suggestion. As with most things "UFO," there is very little solid evidence to confirm anything, and Waring's latest update of an underwater UFO is no different.
Continue reading: 'UFO researcher' says he's found a UFO at the bottom of the ocean (full post)
China Eastern Airlines crash investigators drop update
On Monday, a flight carrying 132 people nose-dived towards the surface of Earth in Tengxian county in southwestern China.
The flight was identified as China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735, and the nose-dive was captured on video by a CCTV camera and a car dash-cam. The crash has marked the worst air disaster for China in nearly 30 decades as authorities were unable to identify any survivors at the wreckage. Now, Chinese authorities are saying that investigators are facing "a very high level of difficulty" in figuring out what caused the plane to nose-dive.
Zhu Tao, director of aviation safety at the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said on Tuesday, "The jet was seriously damaged during the crash, and investigations will face a very high level of difficulty." Adding, "Given the information currently available, we still do not have a clear assessment of the cause for the crash." Tao also added that the plane met all "airworthiness standards before taking off", and that during its descent, the pilots didn't respond to calls from air controllers.
Continue reading: China Eastern Airlines crash investigators drop update (full post)
Top US official says Russia has 'failed' its goals with Ukraine war
A top US official has declared that Russia has failed at achieving its three main objectives with its invasion into Ukraine.
On Tuesday, National Security advisor Jake Sullivan said that Russia has "manifestly failed" with its "brutal" invasion into Ukraine, as it hasn't achieved its three main objectives of subjugating Ukraine, enhancing Russian power/prestige, and dividing and weakening the West. Adding that the failure of its three main objectives has actually had the opposite effect.
Sullivan went on to recognize the perseverance of the Ukrainian people defending their country and refusing to submit to Russian invaders. Adding that the Russian military has suffered heavy losses against Ukraine's defenses, and according to the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the invasion has "essentially stalled" after the Kremlin's "abysmal performance".
Continue reading: Top US official says Russia has 'failed' its goals with Ukraine war (full post)
Floyd 'Money' Mayweather 'scams' fans out of $5 million with NFTs
A YouTube investigator has accused boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather of "scamming" his audience out of millions by promoting projects.
YouTube investigator Coffeezilla, known for exposing Lana Rhoades' NFT scam and many others, recently accused famous boxer Floyd Mayweather of "scamming" his audience with NFT projects that he promoted; Floyd NFT Mayweather, Floyd's World, and Bored Bunny. Each of the projects promoted by Mayweather has dramatically dropped in value, with Mayweather not following through on the roadmap published for the project.
Coffeezilla points out that in 2018 Mayweather was barred from selling securities by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for three years after scamming his fans with an ICO called Centra. Additionally, Mayweather is currently being sued for his promotion of EthereumMax alongside Kim Kardashian.
Continue reading: Floyd 'Money' Mayweather 'scams' fans out of $5 million with NFTs (full post)
NASA confirms 5,000 planets exist outside of our solar system
NASA has announced it has discovered 5,000 exoplanets, which are planets orbiting stars beyond our own solar system.
The news was announced via a blog update on NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory website, where the space agency explained for more than 30 years it has been on a journey of discovering what lies beyond our solar system. On March 21, the latest batch of now exoplanet data was received, adding 65 new exoplanets to the total that has now reached over 5,000.
The 5,000 confirmed exoplanets come in various shapes and forms as some include small, rocky worlds similar to Earth, while some others are gas giants like Jupiter and even "super-Earths", which are planets like Earth but much larger. Additionally, NASA writes that included in the 5,000 total are some exoplanets that orbit two stars at once and planets that are even orbiting the dead corpses of stars.
Continue reading: NASA confirms 5,000 planets exist outside of our solar system (full post)
'Dangerous' forest fires erupt around Chernobyl nuclear power plant
A series of "particularly dangerous" forest fires have broken out around the abandoned nuclear power plant Chernobyl.
According to a statement from Ukraine's parliament, at least seven forest fires have broken out around Chernobyl and have been spotted by satellites operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). The statement from the Ukrainian government blames the "armed aggression of the Russian Federation" for the fires, but doesn't specify what they were caused by.
Ukraine claims that fires such as the ones recently spotted at "particularly dangerous" within a 6.2 miles of the nuclear site, and that Ukrainian firefighters are unable to put the fires out due to the presence of Russian troops that took control of Chernobyl close to the beginning of the invasion. Additionally, Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia's invasion has interrupted attempts at monitoring the radiation levels in the failed reactor.
Continue reading: 'Dangerous' forest fires erupt around Chernobyl nuclear power plant (full post)
New strange Sonic Xbox controllers belong in a Looney Tunes episode
Today Microsoft and SEGA revealed some bizarre and unsettling Sonic-themed Xbox controllers...and we have some concerns.
To celebrate Microsoft and SEGA have teamed up to celebrate Sonic 2's upcoming theatrical release with a special-edition Xbox Series S console.
The console looks okay enough, complete with a big golden ring in the center, but the controllers are rather strange. They're fuzzy. Yes, really. They have fur, and they look like something from another world--maybe they'll even go full Gremlin if you feed them after midnight. The red one is something that Gossamer from Looney Tunes would have in his collection.
Continue reading: New strange Sonic Xbox controllers belong in a Looney Tunes episode (full post)
Forspoken's strange tilted UI belongs in a VR game, not an RPG
New gameplay for Square Enix's upcoming action RPG Forspoken reveals a strange UI decision that hinders gameplay.
Forspoken has a strange on-screen UI. Magic spells and abilities are presented in a wheel formation, which is pretty standard for most RPGs. Hold a button, time slows down as a wheel pops up, you select and ability, and then perform said ability. All pretty straightforward stuff.
What isn't straightforward--or even straight--is the actual UI itself. The wheel is tilted at an angle, making things unnecessarily more difficult to read. The presentation is meant to be stylish--this is Luminous Production's new savvy action RPG with slick combat, a bombastic protagonist, and incredible-looking traversal. But in reality the UI is just...awkward. It offends the eye and looks like something that should be in a VR game where angles are constantly changing as you move around a 3D space.
Continue reading: Forspoken's strange tilted UI belongs in a VR game, not an RPG (full post)
Stranger Things crosses over with one of the best FPS games of 2021
Ubisoft has today announced a surprise Stranger Things x Far Cry 6 crossover event alongside a free weekend for the game.
The Upside-Down is coming to Far Cry 6's bloody paradise of Yara, and your favorite wheely-boy pal Chorizo has gone missing. The new Vanishing crossover event brings monsters and environments straight out of Netflix's Stranger Things series.
Far Cry 6 is also free to play on all platforms from March 24 through March 27, including co-op action and the free Vanishing crossover event.
Continue reading: Stranger Things crosses over with one of the best FPS games of 2021 (full post)
Halo brand makes more marketing deals as Halo Infinite stagnates
Halo today announced a new marketing deal with work boot-maker Wolverine while the latest Halo game continues shedding players.
Halo Infinite is in trouble. The game has shed tons of players since release due to a myriad of reasons including:
What I've found most interesting about Halo Infinite's release (and previous delay) was the dearth of marketing deals that Microsoft signed with other brands. Since December, it seems like Halo Infinite is everywhere. It's on Rockstar and Monster energy drinks, fingernail polish, and there's even Swarovski crystal collectibles. The marketing deals are so big that there's a Halopedia article just on Infinite's promos.
Continue reading: Halo brand makes more marketing deals as Halo Infinite stagnates (full post)
New Ghostbusters game announced from Friday the 13th developers
Friday the 13th: The Game developer Illfonic today announced Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed, a new asymmetrical 4v1 multiplayer game set in the beloved 1980s franchise.
A new Ghostbusters game is crossing over to the world of the living, and it looks pretty fun. The game follows Illfonic's penchant for 4v1 PVP multiplayer and pits four Ghostbusters up against one fearsome poltergeist. The ghosts are taken right from the old-school animated series (you can even play as Slimer!) and have all kinds of special abilities including teleportation, possessing nearby objects, vicious slicing attacks.
Original Ghostbusters cast members Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson are back, too. Ray has apparently retired and now runs Ray's Occult Books full-time, giving you advice and probably unlocking other anti-ghost abilities. Winston is now the head of the Ghostbusters and sends you on missions while running the HQ. As a Ghostbuster, you'll be able to upgrade your proton packs and other equipment like PKE Meters as well as unlock new abilities as you progress.
Continue reading: New Ghostbusters game announced from Friday the 13th developers (full post)
NVIDIA Eos: the world's fastest AI supercomputer, 4608 x DGX H100 GPUs
NVIDIA has unleashed its next-gen Hopper GPU architecture and with it are new GPUs, HBM3 memory, the fastest silicon on the planet and now NVIDIA Eos: the world's fastest AI supercomputer.
The new NVIDIA "Eos" supercomputer will be the world's fastest AI supercomputer when it is turned on later this year, packing 576 x DGX H100 systems with a total of 4608 x DGX H100 GPUs. NVIDIA is expecting its new Eos supercomputer to have a huge 18.4 exaflops of AI computing performance: this is 4x faster than the AI processing of the Fugaku supercomputer in Japan.
The Fugaku supercomputer in Japan is the world's fastest system for AI processing right now, with NVIDIA's new Eos supercomputer expected to act as a "blueprint for advanced AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, as well as its OEM and cloud partners".
Continue reading: NVIDIA Eos: the world's fastest AI supercomputer, 4608 x DGX H100 GPUs (full post)
NVIDIA is turning data centers into 'AI factories' with Hopper GPU
We all know that NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang is a little obsessed with AI... I mean, his company has shifted focus onto artificial intelligence so hard I wonder if Jensen is even alive anymore... especially when they DeepFake him at a virtual GTC 2021 and no one freaking notices (no, I wasn't joking... they really did fake the CEO of NVIDIA last year).
Anyway, NVIDIA's next-gen Hopper GPU architecture has been unveiled and it is built for the future of AI, now. The new Hopper GPU architecture led by the new flagship NVIDIA H100 GPU is helping turn data centers into something Jensen is now calling "AI factories".
Jensen explained from a virtual environment in the NVIDIA Omniverse real-time 3D collaboration and simulation platform -- see, he isn't even real -- that "companies are processing, refining their data, making AI software ... becoming intelligence manufacturers," describing how AI is "racing in every direction".
Continue reading: NVIDIA is turning data centers into 'AI factories' with Hopper GPU (full post)
NVIDIA announces new DGX H100 system: 8 x Hopper-based H100 GPUs
NVIDIA's new Hopper GPU architecture has been unveiled and with it comes some new DGX H100 systems powered by the monster new NVIDIA H100 GPU.
The new NVIDIA DGX H100 system has 8 x H100 GPUs per system, all connected as one gigantic insane GPU through 4th-Generation NVIDIA NVLink connectivity. This enables up to 32 petaflops at new FP8 precision, a gigantic 6x performance improvement over the previous-gen Ampere-based GPUs.
NVIDIA will be using the new Hopper-based DGX H100 systems as the "building blocks" of the next-gen NVIDIA DGX POD and NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD AI infrastructure platforms. NVIDIA's new DGX SuperPOD architecture has the new NVIDIA NVLink Switch System -- capable of up to 32 nodes and a total of 256 x H100 GPUs. At this level, we're talking about 1 exaflops of FP8 AI performance, also 6x more than its predecessor.
Continue reading: NVIDIA announces new DGX H100 system: 8 x Hopper-based H100 GPUs (full post)
NVIDIA Hopper GPU is up to 40x faster with new DPX instructions
NVIDIA's new Hopper GPU architecture is official, and with it comes a huge wave of information: including the Hopper-based NVIDIA H100 GPUs being up to 40x faster with new DPX instructions.
The new NVIDIA Hopper GPU architecture accelerated dynamic programming -- which is a problem-solving technique used in algorithms for genomics, quantum computing, route optimization, and more -- by up to a huge 40x with new DPX instructions.
But wait, what is Dynamic Programming? Dynamic Programming was developed back in the 1950s, becoming a popular technique for solving complex problems with two key techniques: recursion and memoization. These might not sound like much, but man... does Hopper have some gigantic upgrades with them.
Continue reading: NVIDIA Hopper GPU is up to 40x faster with new DPX instructions (full post)
NVIDIA can sustain the world's internet traffic with 20 x H100 GPUs
NVIDIA has just announced its next-gen Hopper GPU architecture, with the new flagship NVIDIA H100 GPU rocking 80 billion transistors, next-gen HBM3 memory technology, PCIe 5.0 connectivity, and enough power that if you use 20 of NVIDIA H100 GPUs you'd be able to sustain the entire world's internet traffic.
Yeah, you read that right: 20 x NVIDIA H100 GPUs have almost 5TB/sec of external connectivity, as well as 3TB/sec of memory bandwidth thanks to its HBM3 memory, which is enough that in the words of NVIDIA that 20 x NVIDIA H100 GPUs "can sustain the equivalent of the entire world's internet traffic".
In the middle of this is the new Transformer Engine -- which, when compared to the previous-gen A100 -- the new NVIDIA H100 speeds up natural language processing (Transformer being one of the most important deep learning models ever invented) by up to a gigantic 6x performance without losing accuracy. Beautiful work, NVIDIA... as always, hopping over the competition (which is yourself at this level).
Continue reading: NVIDIA can sustain the world's internet traffic with 20 x H100 GPUs (full post)






















