Scientists are deploying satellites to monitor whale strandings from space
Back in 2015, Chile saw one of the largest mass mortality of baleen whales in recorded history, tallying at least 343 whales. But the remote location of the stranding meant that it went unreported for weeks, after which whales went missing and decomposition made it hard to determine how the
NASA Aims for Mars Landings in 2035 While Building Support for Lunar Gateway
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is looking to land humans on Mars in the 2030s as he recruits partners of the International Space Station to help the agency land humans on the moon by 2024, according to his remarks at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). “If we are accelerating the moon
Virgin Galactic Powers Up New SpaceShipTwo Vehicle (Video)
The lights just went on inside Virgin Galactic’s next spaceliner. The Spaceship Co., Virgin Galactic’s manufacturing subsidiary, recently wrapped up a landmark “Power On” test of the third SpaceShipTwo vehicle [https://www.space.com/19021-spaceshiptwo.html], which is being assembled in Mojave, California. “This test verified the foundation
Lyft is helping low-income people commute to job interviews and training
Lengthy and costly commutes have long been a scourge for low-income workers. A 2015 study even found a link between longer commutes and smaller chances of upward mobility for low-income families. Seeking to ease this struggle, ride-hailing service Lyft has recently partnered with non-profits to help get people to job
We May Finally Know How the Universe's Heavy Elements Formed
For the first time, scientists have detected a newly born heavy element in space, forged in the aftermath of a collision between a pair of dead stars known as neutron stars. The findings shed light on how the universe’s heaviest elements are created, providing a missing piece of the
MIT just discovered a way to mass-produce graphene in long rolls
Scientists used to make graphene-based membranes in small batches in a laboratory. But a new breakthrough at MIT enables researchers to spool out long rolls of high-quality graphene. The continuous manufacturing process can produce five centimeters of high-quality graphene per minute. The longest run was nearly four hours, and it
These $10 Sensor-Packed Gloves Could Give Robots a Sense of Touch
Machines are mastering vision [https://singularityhub.com/2019/01/28/can-ai-tell-the-difference-between-a-polar-bear-and-a-can-opener/] and language [https://singularityhub.com/2012/05/15/let-the-computer-talk-speech-synthesis-is-giving-machines-the-chance-to-have-their-voices-heard/] , but one sense they’re lagging behind on is touch. Now researchers have created a sensor-laden glove for just $10 and recorded the most comprehensive tactile dataset to date, which
The Crucial Role of Brain Simulation in Future Neuroscience
“Do we have a chance of ever understanding brain function without brain simulations?” So asked the Human Brain Project [https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/brain-simulation/] (HBP), the brainchild of Henry Markram [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/human-brain-project-digital-simulation-neuron/] , in a new paper [https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(19)30290-9?
IBM Introduces ‘Quantum Volume’ to Track Progress Towards the Quantum Age
Quantum computing companies are racing to squeeze ever more qubits into their devices, but is this really a solid sign of progress? IBM is proposing a more holistic measure it calls “quantum volume” (QV) that it says gives a better indication of how close we are to practical devices. Creating