Hansel and Gretel"s breadcrumb trick inspires robotic exploration system for caves on Mars and beyond
House hunting on Mars could soon become a thing, and researchers at the University of Arizona are already in the business of scouting real estate that future astronauts could use as habitats. Researchers in the UArizona College of Engineering have de.....»»
Autonomous imaging robot can assess embryos" response to environmental change
Scientists have used 3D-printed components to create a robotic instrument that can autonomously monitor the earliest stages of development in any aquatic species. The LabEmbryoCam has been created over the past decade by biologists and technologists.....»»
Apple exec addresses M4 Mac mini modular storage, relocated power button
In a new interview with Fast Company, Apple executive Kate Bergeron has shared several additional details on the M4 Mac mini – including info on the modular storage system and the relocated power button. more….....»»
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: Nazi punching never felt so good
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivers plenty of Nazi-punching catharsis, but brainy exploration is its real superpower......»»
Here"s how interstellar objects and rogue planets can be trapped in the solar system
When 'Oumuamua traversed our solar system in 2017 it was the first confirmed Interstellar Object (ISO) to do so. Then in 2019, Comet 2l/Borisov did the same thing. These are the only two confirmed ISOs to visit our solar system. Many more ISOs must h.....»»
Not too warm and not too cold—finding the Goldilocks Zone of the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia is the largest living coral reef system on Earth, about 300 times larger than the next largest reef, found off the coast of Belize. This unique UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to a wide variety of.....»»
Optimal decision-making in a school of fish uses a flexible system based on role sharing, researchers find
Theoretical biology states that in a flock of birds or school of fish exhibiting collaborative behavior, being in a state of criticality (i.e., a "flexible system" that can changeably respond to the environment) is crucial for flexible and quick deci.....»»
China plans to retrieve Mars samples by 2031
China's growing presence in space has been undeniable since the turn of the century. Between sending the first "taikonaut" to space in 2003 (Yang Liwei), launching the first Chinese robotic mission to the moon (Chang'e-1) in 2007, and the deployment.....»»
A rare Venus solar transit helps unravel exoplanet atmospheres
In the next decade, researchers will start probing the atmosphere of planets as small as Earth and Venus orbiting nearby stars. But although these two solar system planets are similar in size and bulk density—so that some call them "twins"—their.....»»
Could we use an asteroid to shield astronauts on their way to Mars?
Radiation is a primary concern for long-duration human spaceflight, such as the planned trips to Mars, which are the stated goal of organizations such as NASA and SpaceX. Shielding is the standard way to protect astronauts from radiation during those.....»»
Get the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra while it’s $350 off, but act fast!
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a great smartphone with a fast processor and nice camera system. Get the unlocked 256GB S24 Ultra at Best Buy for only $950......»»
ESA workers face a maze of non-compete clauses and service contracts
Contracts limit mobility and career advancement, and ESA policy limits local laws. A system of non-competition clauses enforced by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) workforce su.....»»
Planning autonomous surface missions on ocean worlds
Through advanced autonomy testbed programs, NASA is setting the groundwork for one of its top priorities—the search for signs of life and potentially habitable bodies in our solar system and beyond. The prime destinations for such exploration are b.....»»
Best of last year: The top Phys.org articles of 2024
It was a good year for space science as Sumner Starrfield, an astronomer at Arizona State University, described what was to appear as a huge star exploding in the night sky, in a once-in-a-lifetime event this past fall. A binary star system in the co.....»»
Webb observations discover new planet in Kepler-51 "super-puff" system
An unusual planetary system with three known ultra-low density "super-puff" planets has at least one more planet, according to new research led by researchers from Penn State and Osaka University......»»
Apple issues fourth developer beta of visionOS 2.2
Apple has distributed its fourth developer beta build of visionOS 2.2, giving the Apple Vision Pro's operating system more testing time ahead of a public release.Mirroring a Mac's display on an Apple Vision ProFollowing the Thanksgiving weekend, Appl.....»»
Cheerios effect inspires novel robot design
A popular science classroom demonstration could one day lead to applications in powering tiny robots. There's a common popular science demonstration involving "soap boats," in whi.....»»
Democracy fatigue: An intelligent system that combines direct and representative politics can help counter it
Democracy is in crisis. Many people are losing confidence in political parties and parliaments and their ability to solve pressing social problems in the long term......»»
Phishers send corrupted documents to bypass email security
Phishers have come up with a new trick for bypassing email security systems: corrupted MS Office documents. The spam campaign Malware hunting service Any.Run has warned last week about email campaigns luring users with promises of payments, benefits.....»»
Ancient maize samples in Brazilian caves suggest the crop"s domestication may have been completed in South America
Brazilian scientists have determined that ancient specimens of partially domesticated maize (Zea mays, also known as corn) originally from Peruaçu Valley in Minas Gerais state (Brazil) were the farthest from Mexico, the plant's historic center of or.....»»
Study provides experimental evidence of high harmonic generation producing quantum light
High harmonic generation (HHG) is a highly non-linear phenomenon where a system (for example, an atom) absorbs many photons of a laser and emits photons of much higher energy, whose frequency is a harmonic (that is, a multiple) of the incoming laser'.....»»