Researchers at the SETI Institute say that unusual dark streaks on sun-facing slopes on Mars, debated about for years, may be small landslides caused by a combination of salts and melting ice just below the surface. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-dark-streaks-melting-ice-recurring-slope-lineae…
Tag: loading
An Interview With an Anonymous Amazonian
Logic magazine has interviewed an anonymous engineer at Amazon Web Services. An excerpt from the story, which touches a wide-range of topics including controversial work with the military and police and takes on other cloud providers: So when you use AWS, part of what you’re paying for is security. Right; it’s part of what we sell. Let’s say a prospective customer…
NASA to test its SLS megarocket in the coming weeks
The ongoing pandemic has slowed testing for NASA’s Space Launch System megarocket, but the process is resuming and has checked off a key milestone: powering up the core stage. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/nasa-megarocket-sls-tests-core-green-run-hot-fire-test…
The Forklift Truck Drivers Who Never Leave Their Desks
Forklift operators are using remote-control technology that allows them to work off-site, controlling their machines from afar. The BBC reports: [A]s Covid-19 spreads easily, the warehouses dotted along the world’s supply chains have become potential hubs of disease transmission, says Elliot Katz, co-founder of Phantom Auto. Phantom Auto’s technology is now installed in around a dozen warehouses in the US and…
New Python 3.9 ‘Brings Significant Changes’ To Language Features
This week’s release of Python 3.9 “brings forward significant changes to both the features of the language and to how the language is developed,” writes InfoWorld — starting with a new yearly release schedule and performance-boosting parser improvements:
– Python makes it easy to manipulate common data types, and Python 3.9 extends this ease with new features for strings and dictionaries. For…
Hurricane Hanna shrinks Gulf of Mexico dead zone
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone was much smaller than usual this year because Hurricane Hanna stirred up the area of low-oxygen water. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/hurricane-hanna-shrinks-2020-gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone…
AI Company Leaks Over 2.5 Million Medical Records
Secure Thoughts reports that artificial intelligence company Cense AI, which specializes in “SaaS-based intelligent process automation management solutions,” has leaked nearly 2.6 million medical records on the internet. PCMag reports: [O]n July 7 security researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered two folders of medical records available for anyone to access on the internet. The data was labeled as “staging data.” Fowler believes the…
Xbox Series X Launching In November, But Halo Infinite Is Delayed Until 2021
Microsoft isn’t providing a specific release date for its next-gen Xbox Series X console, but the company did reveal it will launch in the month of November. Sadly, Microsoft and 343 Industries also announced today that Halo Infinite is being delayed to 2021. The Verge reports: The lack of Halo Infinite does mean there’s no big launch title for the Xbox…
NASA Researchers Demonstrate the Ability To Fuse Atoms Inside Room-Temperature Metals
Researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have now demonstrated a method of inducing nuclear fusion without building a massive stellarator or tokamak. In fact, all they needed was a bit of metal, some hydrogen, and an electron accelerator. IEEE Spectrum reports: The team believes that their method, called lattice confinement fusion, could be a potential new power source for deep space…
How dust could make some exoplanets more habitable
A new study from scientists in the UK suggests that atmospheric dust could increase the habitability of some exoplanets, especially those orbiting red dwarf stars. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/how-dust-could-make-some-exoplanets-more-habitable…