New formation theory explains the mysterious interstellar object ‘Oumuamua

Since its discovery in 2017, an air of mystery has surrounded the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system, an elongated, cigar-shaped body named ‘Oumuamua (Hawaiian for “a messenger from afar arriving first”). Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-04-formation-theory-mysterious-interstellar-oumuamua.html…

Top 5 Mercury mysteries that BepiColombo will solve

BepiColombo – a joint mission of Europe and Japan – successfully passed Earth last night and is now headed toward the innermost part of the solar system. Here are some questions about our sun’s innermost planet, Mercury, the spacecraft is expected to answer. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/top-5-mercury-mysteries-that-bepicolombo-will-solve…

Was Mercury once habitable?

As unlikely as it may sound, Mercury may have once been able to support subsurface microscopic life, according to a new study from the Planetary Science Institute. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mercury-habitability-chaotic-terrain-messenger-astrobiology…

Code.org: ‘Our Team Will Teach Your Children At Home While School Is Closed’

theodp writes: In a Medium post, tech-backed Code.org explains how it will be supporting our community during school closures, which includes “a major investment in online education without an in-person instructor” and other offerings. From the signup form for Code Break: “With schools closed and tens of millions of students at home, Code.org is launching Code Break — a live weekly…

Neutron star with measured at 11 kilometers radius

An international research team led by members of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute; AEI) has obtained new measurements of how big neutron stars are. To do so, they combined a general first-principles description of the unknown behavior of neutron star matter with multi-messenger observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817. Their results, which appeared in…

Team obtains the best measurement of neutron star size to date

An international research team led by members of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute; AEI) has obtained new measurements of how big neutron stars are. To do so, they combined a general first-principles description of the unknown behavior of neutron star matter with multi-messenger observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817. Their results, which appeared in…

Signal Is Finally Bringing Its Secure Messaging To the Masses

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: [Cryptographer and coder known as Moxie Marlinspike] has always talked about making encrypted communications easy enough for anyone to use. The difference, today, is that Signal is finally reaching that mass audience it was always been intended for — not just the privacy diehards, activists, and cybersecurity nerds that formed its core user…

Uber Officially Bans Drivers From Carrying Firearms, But Company’s Business Model Prevents Enforcement

Iwastheone shares a report from The Atlantic, written by Sidney Fussell: Uber has banned guns in cars, for both drivers and passengers, since 2015. But over email and Facebook Messenger, four current and four former drivers told me they carry firearms on the job. In explaining why, they each cited the same self-determinalist rhetoric Uber has slapped on subway ads to…

Feds Order Massive Number Of Tech Giants To Help Hunt Down One WhatsApp Meth Dealer

As it struggles to get content from encrypted messenger apps and smartphones, the U.S. government is getting creative in how it tracks down criminal WhatsApp users, according to a search warrant uncovered by Forbes. From the report: Aside from shedding light on police data-trawling operations, these new efforts are “problematic,” legal experts tell Forbes. They show that investigators are willing to…

Facebook Won’t Put Ads in WhatsApp — For Now

Facebook “will no longer push through with its plans to sell ads on WhatsApp,” writes Engadget, citing a report in the Wall Street Journal which says WhatsApp still “plans at some point to introduce ads to Status.” Newsweek reports:
WhatsApp is the only app in Facebook’s suite of products free from ads, which make up a vast amount of the parent company’s…