Science, Space, & Robotics - Page 17

Neuralink has posted an update on its first human patient to receive a brain implant, saying within the first weeks after the medical procedure a problem presented itself.

For those that don't know, Neuralink is Elon Musk's brain implant company that has constructed a brain-computer interface (BCI). With this new piece of technology, Neuralink believes it will be able to help people suffering from diseases such as paralysis by enabling control of a device with the patient's thoughts. The first paralysis patient to receive the BCI was 29-year-old Nolan Arbaugh, who was shown controlling a desktop mouse cursor and even playing video games such as Mario Kart.

Despite this achievement, Neuralink details a malfunction that occurred with Arbaugh's BCI, with the company writing the brain chips "threads" that are thinner than human hair and record neural signals. These threads, unfortunately, began to retract from Arbaugh's brain. Neuralink's system called Link records neural signals using 1,024 electrodes that are spread across 64 threads. With fewer electrodes to monitor brain signals, Neuralink was prevented from accurately measuring Link's speed/accuracy.

Researchers have penned a new study called the "Contextual and Combinatorial Structure in Sperm Whale Vocalizations" and it details a new "alphabet" that has been discovered.

Scientists from MIT CSAIL and Project CETI state they have developed a breakthrough in understanding cetacean communication. Notably, cetaceans include the following species: whales, dolphins, and porpoises. So, what did they do? The team took what is called codas, which are a series of different linguistic vocalizations that have been studied for decades, and applied machine learning technologies to decipher what is being "said."

According to reports, the research took 8,719 sperm whale codas there was collected by researcher Shane Gero from time spent off the coast of Dominica, a small Caribbean Island, and applied them to a machine learning algorithm while also factoring in contextual details through implementing music terminology.

NASA Goddard has taken to its YouTube channel to share an incredible visualization of what it would look like to fall into a supermassive black hole.

The space agency explains via the description of the video that a NASA supercomputer was used to create a scenario where a camera, or as NASA put it, "a stand-in for a daring astronaut," was placed within the orbit of a supermassive black hole. The camera orbits the supermassive black hole, pulled in by its intense gravity, and then passes the black hole's event horizon.

The space agency explained that the supermassive black hole within the visualization is approximately 4.3 million times the mass of our Sun, and the entire video was created using the Discover supercomputer at the NASA Center for Climate Simulation. The event horizon is the boundary around a black hole that light can no longer escape due to the gravity intense gravity of the astronomical object.

A team of researchers asked a supercomputer when will humanity completely perish, and the answer they received not only impacts humans but hundreds of other species of mammals.

The researchers penned a study published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience, where they explain that compiling factors such as solar radiation and landmass configurations, can lead to a prediction of when all landmass mammalian life will be eradicated from the surface of Earth. The team found that in as little as 250 million years Earth's tectonic plates will converge to form Earth's next supercontinent, Pangea Ultima.

The scientists write the creation and decay of Pangea Ultima will produce extreme levels of CO2, particularly from volcanic rifting and outgassing. The intense levels of CO2 in Earth's atmosphere combined with the heat of the Sun will make Earth unable to sustain many forms of landmass life. Within these kinds of conditions, humanity won't be able to grow any food, with the supercomputer finding that temperatures would increase to between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius, which is approximately 104 - 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has pointed its extremely sensitive instruments at an exoplanet located 280 light-years away from Earth.

Researchers used the telescope's mid-infrared light spectrometer to map the weather patterns of an exoplanet known as WASP-43 b, a gas giant that is located in the Sextans constellation. The team published their findings in the journal Nature Astronomy where they explain that one side of the exoplanet is covered in thick cloud coverage, and the other side has clear skies. Additionally, the team found that WASP-43 b has equatorial winds that can reach speeds of up to 5,000 mph.

So, why is WASP-43 b so different from Earth? It's mostly due to its position relative to its host star. WASP-43 b orbits its host star at a distance of just 1.3 million miles, which results in the exoplanet becoming tidally locked with the star. When an astronomical object is tidally locked, there is continuous daytime and nighttime on specific sides of the object. An example of this would be the dark side of the moon.

Scientists have been scratching their heads at the expansion of the universe since it was discovered nearly a century ago, particularly applying fundamental theories such as Einstein's Theory of Relativity at a cosmic scale.

A new paper published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics by a team of researchers from the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia in Canada details a new approach to applying the theory of gravity at the grandest scale possible. The team argues that Einstein's theory isn't enough to explain the accelerating expansion of the universe, as it applies traditional theories of gravity at a cosmic scale - astronomical objects such as galaxy clusters and beyond - the theory has inconsistencies.

The team called these inconsistencies with gravity a "cosmic glitch" and decided to make some alterations to Einstein's theory to accommodate the glitch. More specifically, the study's lead author and Waterloo mathematical physics graduate Robin Wen explained that at a cosmic scale, gravity becomes "around one percent weaker" and that the newly devised model that patches this cosmic glitch may be the first step in solving the cosmic puzzle of spacetime and its relationship at various scales.

A new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets details the discovery of a Mars mineral that forms on Earth within a river, delta, or a shoreline of a ancient lake, leading researchers to thinking the Gale Crater on Mars was once home to water and oxygen.

The team explained that NASA's Curiosity rover discovered higher-than-usual amounts of manganese in rocks within the Gale Crater on Mars. Using the rovers ChemCam, an instrument that fires a laser into rocks, the rover collected data that researchers have now analyzed and published in a study.

Patrick Gasda, Los Alamos National Laboratory researcher and lead author of the study explained the formation of maganese happens all the time on Earth due to the high amounts of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere produced by photosynthetic life, "and from microbes that help catalyze those manganese oxidation reactions." However, Mars doesn't have any oxygen, and there is no evidence of life, despite researchers suspecting that ancient Mars may have had the right environment to host life.

Last month, NASA confirmed the presence of unexpected visitors aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which has now been studied by researchers who have penned a paper in a scientific journal.

The unexpected visitors turned out to be multi drug resistant bacteria that has mutated into several strains that have never before seen on Earth. Researchers write the bacteria has transformed into thirteen strains, mutating from the original strains that were transported to the ISS from Earth. The team behind the paper believes the bacteria has mutated into at least thirteen different strains, which was caused by the microgravity environment within the ISS and the increase in radiation exposure.

As for the dangers of this new bacteria, astronauts aboard the ISS are only in danger of being infected by the bacteria if their immune system is already compromised, meaning they are already sick in some way. Luckily, the ISS is one of the most monitored locations in the world, and so are the astronauts aboard it. ISS passengers are required to perform a rigorous workout routine to maintain overall health, which is used to counteract their degrading immune systems caused by being in space.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and its partners plan to build a base on the moon's surface that will serve as an international research facility for lunar-based objectives and exploration.

China's space agency has released a new video showcasing its plan to construct a high-tech lunar base that will act as an outpost for all lunar-based research, sample ferrying back to Earth, and exploration out into the lunar desert by astronauts. The project is called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) and was announced by China and Russia in 2021. The project has already attracted international partners such as Venezuela, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand and Nicaragua.

The video shows off various missions being carried out such as sample return missionsd, landers and rovers moving about, communications arrays, power sources being constructed and much more. Surprisingly, the video shows off an old NASA Space Shuttle taking off from the surface of the moon, which was retired by the American space agency back in 2011.

NASA is about to test its Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, which if is successful will unlock a new method of cheap space travel in the solar system and perhaps even beyond.

On April 23 NASA launched a CubeSat on the back of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. The rocket delivered the microwave-sized CubeSat to Sun-synchronous orbit approximately 600 miles above the surface of Earth. NASA writes in its blog the CubeSat is healthy and all communications are working, which means NASA can move on to the next stage of the mission - unfurling the spacecraft's solar sail that is approximately half the size of a tennis court.

The unfurling of the sail will occur after a "one- to two-month commissioning phase" in which NASA will prepare for the sails deployment and maneuvering test. Once all preparation is complete the solar sail will unroll across four boom arms that will outstretch in a diagonal fashion, forming the diagonals of a square shape - approximately 23 feet in length.

Just in case you thought the future of artificial intelligence-powered devices wasn't already scary enough, the Pentagon has released a video of a massive autonomous tank has menacing green eyes.

The massive robotic tank is a project being worked on by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and was engineered under the agency's Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency) program, or RACER. The new automonous tank measures 20 feet in length, weighs approximately 12 tons and is capable of reaching speeds up to 25 miles per hour.

Now, while you may think that is quite slow, the tank is navigating that speed over rough terrain such as heavy vegetation, ditches, rocks, and more - all completely autonomously. Additionally, DARPA engineers decided to place two glowing lights at the front of the tank, which resemble glowing green eyes. However, engineers have said these eyes have no function at all besides being status indicators for the vehicle.

Boston Dynamics, one of the world's leading robotics manufacturers, has released a new video on its YouTube channel showcasing how one of its Spot robot dogs has received a makeover.

The robotics design and engineering company released a new video showcasing one of its Spot Mini dogs in a suit of sparkly fur, which the company describes as a "custom costume". Seemingly, the idea behind the video and the costume is to "explore the intersections of robotics, art, and entertainment." The video is certainly a glimpse into a potentially dystopian future of the world where four-legged robotic dogs dressed in sparkly costumes have taken over the world and are running the streets in dazzling glory.

Boston Dynamics doesn't provide too much information on why Spot has been renamed to "Sparkles", or why this video even exists in the first place. The only pieces of information Boston Dynamics gives are the intent to explore the intersections of robotics, art, and entertainment, and "Spot is meeting another strange dog and making friends through the power of dance" - which they certainly do.

The process of naturally making a diamond takes billions of years, as minerals under extreme pressure deep beneath the Earth's surface get mashed together to form the most popular gemstone made entirely out of carbon.

Waiting for new diamonds to form simply isn't feasible, which is why researchers have turned to synthetic diamond manufacturing to keep up with the global demand for diamonds. It still typically takes a few weeks to synthetically produce a diamond, but a team of researchers with an innovative approach to the problem has shaved a few weeks down to just a few minutes. Researchers from the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea have devised a new method that can also be scaled up for mass production.

The researchers have proposed a mix of liquid metals: gallium, iron, nickel, and silicon, which are enclosed in a custom-made vacuum system that's within a graphite casing. This casing is then rapidly heated and cooled while being exposed to methane and hydrogen, creating the pressure needed to make a diamond. How does it work? These conditions force the carbon atoms within the methane to move into the liquid metal, creating little diamond "seeds" within the liquid.

Sony has released a new air conditioner that sits on the back of your neck and either cools or warms you, depending on the environmental conditions.

The Reon Pocket 5 is the first such model to be made available outside of Asia, but while it's only on sale in the UK as well as certain Asian territories, the fact that it has made the leap to Europe indicates the invention could well come to the US.

Given the name, you might think the Reon Pocket sits in your, erm, pocket, but as mentioned, it fits neatly around your neck (the Reon Neck-brace 5 probably didn't sound like such a great name).

Engineers from a university are reportedly closing in on a technology breakthrough that would enable submarines to travel as quick as a jet.

A new report from the South China Morning Post reveals engineers from Harbin Engineering University in Heilongjiang province are nearing the final designs of a new system that uses lasers to propel submarines to extreme speeds.

So, how does it work? Lasers generate plasma underwater that results in a "detonation wave" being produced. This wave has the potential to propel an object underwater, but for the 20 years it has been researched, engineers have struggled to come up with a design that can direct the generated force in a specific direction.

The head of NASA appeared before the House committee to warn of a secret growing military presence in space and how the US is "in a space race" with China for the goal of arriving on the Moon first.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson testified before the House appropriations committee on NASA's 2025 budget, and said the space agency has reason to believe China is increasing its presence in space, especially within the last 10 years. However, China's space presence remains "very, very, secretive", and that a lot of the nation's civilian space program is actually China's military space program in disguise.

Nelson said he hopes Beijing will "come to its senses and understand that civilian space is for peaceful uses", but added: "We have not seen that demonstrated by China." Furthermore, Nelson said that the US is expecting to land on the Moon again before China, and the US is in a space race against China for landing on the Moon again as there is concern that Beijing could land before the US and say, "OK, this is our territory, you stay out,'" said Nelson.

Sega Toys has a line of robot cats as part of its 'KIMIT Ragdoll' line, which attempts (arguably creepily) to recreate the look of a real cat. This means it has synthetic fur, so you can cuddle and pet it like the real thing. It even purs, though the eyes lighting up is a little strange.

Unfortunately, two months after their February 29th, 2024 debut (priced at around $215 USD), these robot cats are being recalled due to a 'burning smell.' At this point, you can probably put two and two together - electrical components mixed with synthetic fur lead to heat issues and an unpleasant plastic-burning smell.

As of writing, there aren't any reports of cat robots catching on fire, but Sega has issued an immediate recall of all models (including white and brown robot cats). Sega also asks users to turn them off immediately and go through the refund and returns process.

If you thought robot dog flamethrowers were a thing of the future, you would have thought wrong as they are completely real, and you can buy one today.

Introducing Thermonator, the world's first flame-throw-wielding robot dog, and it's capable of launching a stream of fire up to 30 feet. The robot dog has been built on the Unitree Go2 quadruped robot that is akin to Boston Dynamics' iconic robot dog called Spot, except smaller and lighter. It should be noted that Boston Dynamics requires its buyers not to turn their robot dogs into weapons of any kind, which is why Thermonator is designed for "wildfire control and prevention," "snow and ice removal," and "entertainment and SFX."

Thermonator is equipped with a LIDAR sensor for navigation through mapping the objects it detects through its laser eyes, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, smartphone remote control, and first-person navigation through an on-board camera system. Thermonator weighs 37 pounds, is 30 × 20 × 20 inches, and features an ARC Flamethrower with a built-in fuel tank that can be filled with gasoline or a gasoline/diesel mixture.

A space startup has claimed to have discovered a breakthrough force of nature humans will use to propel objects for the next 1,000 years.

The claims come from Exodus Propulsion Technologies, who's co-founder is Charles Buhler, a former NASA engineer that worked on a selection of legendary NASA programs such as the International Space Station (ISS), the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Space Shuttle. Additionally, he is the lead scientist and co-founder of NASA's Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center and has a PhD in Condensed Matter Physics from Florida State University.

According to Buhler, who spoke to The Debrief, the startup presented its new findings of a breakthrough force that Buhler believes "will be this force that we will use to propel objects for the next 1,000 years... until the next thing comes." Adding, "There are rules that include conservation of energy, but if done correctly, one can generate forces unlike anything humankind has done before."

GUNNAR has unveiled its latest glasses, which were made in collaboration with Amazon Studios for the new Fallout TV show.

Titled the "Fallout Vault 33," glasses are a limited-edition run of glasses that are heavily inspired by Bethesda's Fallout franchise and Amazon Studios' recent hit TV show "Fallout," which is based on the games. The glasses are smudge-resistant and anti-reflective and feature a retro-futuristic square style that is made of stainless steel and nylon. The glasses have flexible spring hinges and the classic GUNNAR patented lens technology that is designed to block out harmful blue light and 100% UV.

These limited-edition glasses feature an olive/gunmetal colored frame and an epic Fallout collectors case to store them in. Within the case are a microfiber pouch and a microfiber cleaning cloth, both of which are also collector's items. It should be noted that these glasses are officially licensed by Amazon Studios, and I've been told they have exceeded GUNNAR's expectations, nearly selling out completely.