According to new research, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse – which began to dim dramatically in brightness in late 2019 – might not explode for another 100,000 years. The star is also smaller and closer to us than first thought. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/betelgeuse-supergiant-smaller-closer-wont-explode-soon…
Tag: Australian
AI and photonics join forces to make it easier to find ‘new Earths’
Australian scientists have developed a new type of sensor to measure and correct the distortion of starlight caused by viewing through the Earth’s atmosphere, which should make it easier to study the possibility of life on distant planets. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-10-ai-photonics-easier-earths.html…
Tesla Powerwall Rival Seeks To Bring Hydrogen Into Your Home
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: It’s about the size of Tesla Inc.’s Powerwall, but can store up to three times as much energy over a longer period. That’s the promise of a new hydrogen-based energy-storage system for homes and businesses being developed by Australian startup Lavo Hydrogen Technology Ltd. The technology, developed with scientists at the University of…
What If the Government Ran a Social Network?
A publicly-funded social network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation “has been proposed as one possible response if Facebook and Google limit services in Australia when the mandatory news code becomes law this year,” reports the Guardian: Facebook has warned it will block Australians from sharing news if the landmark plan to make digital platforms pay for news content becomes law….
Ancient microbial life used arsenic to thrive in a world without oxygen
Today, most life on Earth is supported by oxygen. But ancient microbial mats existed for a billion years before oxygen was present in the atmosphere. So what did life use instead? Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/ancient-microbial-life-arsenic…
Google Halts Its Curated News Plan in Australia, Calling Government’s Rules ‘Unworkable’
Google “has decided to freeze plans to launch its curated News Showcase in Australia over claims the draft News Media Bargaining Code is ‘unworkable’,” reports Engadget:
Google still objected to what it called a “must include, must pay” approach in the code where it not only has to pay news outlets it links to, but is obligated to carry those outlets for…
More Than 14m Tonnes of Plastic Believed To Be at the Bottom of the Ocean
At least 14m tonnes of plastic pieces less than 5mm wide are likely sitting at the bottom of the world’s oceans, according to an estimate based on new research. From a report: Analysis of ocean sediments from as deep as 3km suggests there could be more than 30 times as much plastic at the bottom of the world’s ocean than there…
Could Our Entire Reality Be Part of a Simulation Created by Some Other Beings?
Sam Baron, associate professor at Australian Catholic University, focuses on the connection between key topics in the philosophy of mathematics and the philosophy of time concerning temporal ontology. In a recent article in Gizmodo, he answers the ultimate question: Could our entire reality be part of a simulation created by some other beings? Let’s assume these extraterrestrial beings have a computer…
‘Green Hydrogen’ From Renewables Could Become the Cheapest ‘Transformative Fuel’
The Guardian reports: “Green hydrogen” made with wind and solar electricity could become the cheapest form of what the Australian government has described as a “transformative fuel” much faster than expected, analysts believe. Chinese manufacturers have reported making systems to create hydrogen with renewable energy for up to 80% less than official Australian estimates from just two years ago. Energy analysts…
Are We Headed For 200 Separate Nationally-Controlled Internets?
Roger Cochetti directed internet public policy for IBM from 1994 through 2000 and later served as Senior Vice-President & Chief Policy Officer for VeriSign and Group Policy Director for CompTIA. This week he warned about signs “that the once open, global internet is slowly being replaced by 200, nationally-controlled, separate internets.” And, while these separate American, Chinese, Russian, Australian, European, British,…